Story by Vanessa Kirby
Over 100 people gathered at the Spectrum Centre for a conference on poverty on Friday 8th April. The aim was to discover ways in which New Deal could contribute to the poverty agenda in the area.
Aisha ‘Special K’ Wilson (New Deal Community Rep) expressed her belief that it is young people who get “a raw deal”. Some, finding themselves in positions of desperation, can feel forced into teenage pregnancy, drug dealing, drug abuse and prostitution.
Keynote speaker was Professor Peter Kemp from the University of York who spoke about his research on routes out of poverty. Those trapped in long-term persistent poverty are often children, lone parents and pensioners.
Workshops were organised, covering issues on families and poverty, debt, savings and credit unions and poverty and mental health.
Literature highlighted that Burngreave remains one of the most deprived wards in the city, second to the Manor, and the area around the Spectrum Centre as one of the poorest in the country.
Although there had been a lot of effort and expense given to encourage people to attend the conference, including a free raffle, a sizable banner put up four weeks prior to the conference and the Community Engagement Team promoting the event, some felt that there was an under representation of local residents. Of the 100 who attended it is believed a third were local residents.
There is no question that action needs to be taken to minimize poverty in Burngreave; the crux of the matter is finding the most successful ways of tackling the issue and understanding its effects for local people.
Special K said we should be providing “Support services people need, not support services we think they need.”
A comprehensive conference report will be produced soon. To receive a copy contact Ian Clifford on 279 6933.