This page lists all the events and activities taking place over London Challenge Poverty Week. There are lots of things to do across the week but if you to run an activity or event yourself, check out our ‘Get Involved Guide’!
At the top of this page you will find events you could attend listed in chronological order (11th – 17th October). Towards the bottom of this page you will find general activities and campaigns taking place across the week you could also engage in! You could also search the hashtag #LDNpovertyweek to find even more activities, ideas and campaigns which you might be interested in.
If you are planning an event you would like us to list here, please email details to 4in10team@childrenengland.org.uk or call 07949593614
Monday 11th October
Just Fair and Social Rights Alliance – Using Human Rights As A Tool To Tackle Poverty
13:00 – 15:00
ONLINE
The first half will discuss poverty as a Human Rights issue and the context of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the UK. The second half will explore the five key principles of a rights-based approach, The principles of Participation, Accountability, Non-discrimination, Empowerment and Legality. The workshop will be an interactive process, supporting participants to identify actions they can take forward in their anti-poverty work.
ATD 4th World – Live Poetry
17:00 – 19:00
The Hootannanny, Brixton, SW2 1DF
Live poetry read and written by people with lived experience of poverty. The poems focus on the challenges of living in poverty in London, others highlight the resilience, solidarity, and efforts being made to overcome it.
Wednesday 13th October
Newham Social Welfare Alliance and Anti-Poverty Alliance
10.00 – 11.30
ONLINE
This session will introduce the new Social Welfare Alliance training programme and share examples and testimonials. They will introduce the new Anti-Poverty Alliance, discuss top priorities for action and look for new partners to get involved in tackling these areas.
The session is open to anyone with an interest, however the second part will be focussed on Newham and we would be discussing Newham-specific solutions.
Commission on Social Security
2.00 – 3.30pm
ONLINE
A preview of the Commission on Social Security’s proposals for a better benefits system
This informal workshop event will:
- Explain the Commission on Social Security and its work.
- Preview, ahead of a major launch event later this year, the Commission’s proposals around a Guaranteed Decent Income, an entirely new approach to disability benefits, increased Child Benefit and supporting measures.
- Have time for questions and discussion
The session will have British Sign Language interpretation and automated live transcription.
Thursday 14th October
The Childhood Trust and London Child Poverty Alliance
9.30 – 17.30
Regent Hall, 275 Oxford Street, London, W1C 2DJ
Please join us for an impactful one-day summit, bringing together those who work with and care about London’s disadvantaged children and young people. We are excited to convene this in-person event that will facilitate the sharing of knowledge and create a much needed opportunity for delegates to build connections and network with a wide variety of organisations.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Young Families in Newham
10.30 – 12.00
ONLINE
LBN has been working in collaboration with UCL to research how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted pregnant women and families with children under the age of 4 in Newham. This session will provide an overview of key findings from the study, collected from over 2,000 families across the Borough, and cover a wide range of topics, including the social, economic and health impacts of the pandemic. This will be followed by a discussion about how we can use these findings to strengthen our response and recovery plans to more effectively respond to the needs of families in Newham.
Newham Council – London’s Poverty Profile
13:00 – 14:00
ONLINE
A webinar with the London Policy and Strategy Network and Trust for London who’ll be introducing the London’s Poverty Profile to find out more about poverty and inequality in our capital. This will be followed by an exploration of what specific poverty challenges we could work together on across boroughs.
Sunday 17th October: United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
ATD 4th World – Live Poetry
17:00 – 19:00
ONLINE
An occasion to honour those who died in poverty and a day to inspire one another to carry on the struggle. There will be poets from London, all nations of the UK and Ireland, and also from 4 continents. Some poets will be from The Beat Within, a creative writing project for incarcerated juveniles in San Francisco. There will also be participants from the International Committee for October 17th, including United Nations civil servants.
Sustain – A Healthy Start for London
DATE/TIME TBC
ONLINE
An event focusing on increasing uptake in London of the Healthy Start Scheme. The Healthy Start Scheme is a government programme providing those who are pregnant or have children under the age of 4 free vouchers or payments every 4 weeks to spend on a variety of nutritional necessities for young children.
Sustain – Food Power Lessons: What can London Learn?
DATE/TIME TBC
ONLINE
An online event sharing lessons learnt from Sustain’s ‘Food Power’ programme. The event explores how elements from the programme can be put into practice in London to challenge food poverty at a local and regional level.
Activities Across The Week
Barking and Dagenham Youth Dance
Young people are thinking about what poverty means to families and children through 3 questions:
What do you think of poverty?
What are the issues around poverty?
What does not having enough money mean to families and children?
They will then write, choreograph and film the results so the voices of young people can be heard during LCPW.
Gingerbread – Infographics
Commissioning a series of infographics to draw attention to single-parent families during London Challenge Poverty Week. These will be specially designed social media assets and very eye-catching!
Lewisham Local
Through a collaborative project with Lewisham Covid Food Providers Network participants will learn about where our food comes from, how to grow food and forage, and connect with the local natural environment as a longer-term solution to addressing food insecurity.
During London Challenge Poverty Week, Lewisham Local are running five food-growing related workshops for families to tackle holiday hunger. These workshops will take place at green sites across the borough and include a free meal for participants. The workshops aim to benefit 100 people (20 adults and children at each workshop), including refugees, asylum seekers and families on low incomes. AFRIL, Grow Lewisham and Wild Cat Wilderness will also be offering gardening, foraging, campfire cooking, and pizza making.
St Michael’s Fellowship – Podcast, Poetry, Meals and More!
Creating a podcast specifically about young fatherhood and poverty, and asking parents to produce some poetry or artwork. They will also hold some shared meal sessions with children and parents, filming these families discussions on how living on a low income affects them.
Solace Women’s Aid – Art Packs and Creative Projects!
Running a variety of engaging sessions across their refuges. During LCPW they will be encouraging the children and families to think about what London means to them, especially over the last year.
They are providing each of their 22 refugees with art packs, paints and canvasses to support art projects. Family Support Workers will run this as an autumn activity to involve all the children in their refuges and using the children’s imaginations and creativity. The results will then be exhibited online during LCPW!
