A redesigned economy
Helen Barnard explains how the causes of poverty interlink with employment, housing and social security, and the need for a redesigned economy.
Tag / jobs
Disability and sports
Sandra Hulme, Mark Palmer and Peter Wyman tell the story of the founding of Greenbank College by Gerry Kinsella MBE, elite athlete, GB medal-winner in the World championships for wheelchair basketball. The College offers education, training, employment, sport and recreational activities for disabled and other disadvantaged local people in Liverpool as a form of economic justice.
Theatre, class and economic injustice
Luke Aaron tells his story, coming from a rural working class area in the Forest of Dean, experiencing a lack of access to jobs, housing support and opportunities. Now, as a drama student in London, Luke’s experiences inform his work – he uses theatre as a means to give voice to those facing economic injustice.
Living Song CIC
Jane Wheeler tells the story of founding Living Song CIC, rooted in Newham, East London, and centred around singing. By providing opportunities for young people from diverse backgrounds to develop a sense of self and connections with each other, Living Song builds community through the belief that singing is for all and helps people unite, with their differences.
Intergenerational legacy
Sonya Hundal tells the story of her parents who were members of the Indian Workers Association, known for its campaigns to protect the rights of early immigrant workers in the 1950s and 1960s. Sonya talks about how many migrants overcame tremendous hardships and how strong the trade union movement made them.
Friends of the 65 Bus
Rosemary and Brian tell the story of a group campaigning to save the 65 Bus route in Monmouthshire. They lobbied councillors and MPs, started a petition and encouraged support by talking to the community about rural isolation and climate change. Today, the bus remains vital for those who are isolated or vulnerable, and is now popular with other residents and visitors.
Evenbreak
Jane Hatton, tells the story of setting up Evenbreak – a UK job board connecting employers and disabled candidates. Finding discriminatory attitudes that affected disabled applicants getting jobs and becoming disabled herself, Jane was motivated to challenge employment practices. Evenbreak is a living wage employer and social business which has over 600 employers and 50,000 disabled candidates registered on the site.
Working conditions during COVID-19
Lola McEvoy tells the story of contacting national press to expose the PPE crisis in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her action led to a government investigation in order to ensure adequate PPE and full sick pay for everyone working in NHS hospitals not paid directly by the NHS.
Onion Collective CIC
Jess Prendergrast, along with others in 2013, set up Onion Collective CIC. She tells the story of creating a Visitor Centre and Boat Museum and, in partnership with Biohm (a London firm), bringing a biomanufacturing project to a closed-down mill in order to create local jobs.
Birmingham ‘a tale of two cities’
John Cotton, a Labour councillor in Birmingham, tells the story of in-work poverty and his campaign to make the local council introduce the Real Living Wage (RLW). All council staff and 17,000 employees are now paid the RLW and Birmingham has set up a Poverty Truth Commission to listen to those with lived experience of poverty.