ATD Fourth World

The caravans are passing by in DVD…!*

2008-04-20T22:46:16Z

Any room in your suitcase part 1
envoyé par caravanesatd

Any room in your suitcase part 2
envoyé par caravanesatd

"A Future For All Young People"

2008-04-17T12:34:01Z

Valerie is a very intelligent and communicative young woman, but has spent the last two years looking for work through training schemes without success. Why is it that she cannot find her place in the world of work, in the adult world? Is it because she lacks motivation or is too picky in her choices? Eighty application letters, each one met with a negative response, ten months in training and insertion programmes and the sacrificing of many of her dreams show exactly the opposite.

Through all this time looking for work, while she felt as if she had been “left to fend for herself”, Valerie played an important part in preparing for the arrival here in Geneva of the European Solidarity Caravan. This caravan project gave her the opportunity to build confidence in herself, be herself and feel useful. During one People's University meeting [1], Valerie impressed a group of adults by talking about how difficult she found life without work, without a regular rhythm, and how it became more and more difficult to find motivation after each rejection letter.

As time passed, Valerie grew more and more ready to accept any work that might be offered. She was ready to accept anything that meant she would no longer be in limbo or so dependent upon her father. Three days before the caravan was due to arrive in Geneva, she was offered a work placement in a supermarket. The drawback was that the work placement was due to begin the following week, at the same time as the activities with the caravan were due to be held.

What struck me at the time was the fact that Valerie was not more disappointed or more angry than she was. Her participation in the caravan project had effectively been thrown out of the window, and she had spent seven months helping to prepare this event. But, instead, she was calm. “That's just how it is. And anyway, I can't do anything about it.” It was at this pont that I realised once more how much these young people such as Valerie have to teach me. I cannot but be impressed by how they can be so adult and accept how things are, and how they accept the difficulties in their lives and still stay strong.

The day the caravan arrived, Valerie was there as part of the welcoming committee. The next morning, however, she got up and went to her work placement at the supermarket while we spent a wonderful day with the young people from the caravan project. But on the Wednesday Valerie did not turn up at her work placement. Something, or a number of things combined, meant that she did not go. She had gotten up and told her father she was going and, upon passing them in town that morning, had even told the young people from the caravan project that she was going. Instead, she spent the day in town, all the time waiting for the moment when it would be late enough to come back and join the other young people without anyone wondering why she was not at work.

Her Thursday was scheduled as a day-off and so she spent the day with us. She was seated at the “table of honour” during the forum “A Future for All Young People”. There, in front of eighty people from her own neighbourhood, she explained with conviction what young people go through when they feel abandoned and unable to find work. She even saw her counsellor and said that everything was fine.

But everything was not fine. By chance, I happened to be on the landing to Valerie's apartment when her father received a telephone call from the supermarket demanding to know why his daughter was no longer coming to her work placement. He was furious and would not believe me when I said I did not know this was the case. I could not believe that Valerie had not said anything to me. But Valerie's father went to drink a coffee with her to talk things through. I could see that she was desperate, worried and looking to me for help.

After the discussion with her father, I found Valerie in tears, sitting on the grass near the music and the workshops that the presence of the caravan had brought to her neighbourhood. We talked for what seemed like hours. She spoke of her fear of disappointing people and how much guilt she felt. “I'm a disappointment to my dad, my counsellor and you,” she said, and “I've failed again.” She is so used to taking on responsibilities so much bigger than she should have to that she thinks she is strong enough to do anything and that she is invincible. She told me that after the first two days of work, her back began to hurt. The last thing she wanted was to be unable to work properly because of her back and so she preferred not to go to the supermarket at all.

Valerie then took part in the remaining days of the caravan project. Perhaps this was, in a sense, running away from reality, but at least she was able to see the fruits of all the effort and energy she had put into the project.

But reality caught up on the day the caravan left Geneva when Valerie's counsellor telephoned me to say that Valerie was going to be fired from her work placement scheme because she had not completed the placement at the supermarket. I called Valerie and she explained that they had told her she wasn't ready to take on such a work placement or training, and that she should try to deal with unresolved issues from her childhood to understand why she always sabotaged her own prospects before coming back and trying again. Valerie also said that her counsellors had told her that it was pointless seeing a psychologist given that she already had a relationship of trust with me. I could not believe it: it was the last day of the caravan in Geneva, I was exhausted and now all this responsibility for Valerie was falling on my shoulders as the other adults in her life walked away from her saying, “But you've got Alice.”

The next day, we went for a bite to eat together to talk things over. Once more she impressed me with her reserves of strength and her determination. She had already made an appointment to see a psychologist the week after and had found the contact details of somebody at the hospital who could help her lose weight. Where does she find such strength?

Today, Valerie is still looking for work. There are times when she loses all motivation and becomes frustrated at not earning any money.

I am now accompanying Valerie when she goes to meet other organisations that work with young people looking for employment, and together we have filed an application for State support for her. But in front of her social worker, I don't see the same Valerie that I know: the Valerie that I know always speaks her mind and loves to talk; in front of her social worker, all I see is a Valerie who hardly speaks but does so with a small voice when she has to and stares at the ground. This raises a number of questions for me. Because who am I, given that I have no real training or resources to support someone in a search for employment, to give hope to these young people and tell them to believe that they will find what they are looking for? I am simply the one that is there at their side.

[1] People's Universities were established by ATD Fourth World in 1972 to provide a forum for dialogue between people living in persistent poverty and people from wider society where each participant's knowledge is recognised and enriched by the knowledge and experience of others. They usually meet once a month to discuss a specific subject and are held in several countries across Europe.

Recent Publications

2008-03-28T14:13:41Z

Resisting Extreme Poverty: Learning From Families in Burkina Faso and Peru , a chapter contributed to Moving Out Of Poverty: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Mobility by Deepa Naryan and Patti Petesch (2007), published by the World Bank and Palgrave Macmillan.

How Poverty Separates Parents and Children: A Challenge to Human Rights (2004). Fourth World Publications, 155 pages, 16 €.

Another Approach to Poverty Indicators In Belgium (2004). The summary in English and the full report in French are available from ‘Service de Lutte Contre la Pauvreté, la Précarité et l'Exclusion Sociale' www.luttepauvrete.be

Persistent Poverty in Europe in 2015 (2003). Find at: Insecurity and Extreme Poverty in Europe
(Original: La Pauvreté en Europe: essai de prospective, published in Futuribles n°290, October 2003, www.futuribles.com)

Le croisement des pratiques. Quant le Quart Monde et les professionnels se forment ensemble (2002). Fourth World Editions, 240 pages, 11 €. In French Only.

Artisans of Democracy (2000). University Press of America, 276 pages, 16 €.

Discovering the Relevance to Today's World of Joseph Wresinski's Project for Society

2008-03-28T13:42:16Z

For the past two years, the International Movement ATD Fourth World has been engaged in a process of dialogue with academics on the subject of the project for society proposed by Joseph Wresinski. Meetings, reading groups, study days and conferences have been held in places as far apart as Switzerland, Poland, the Netherlands and Haiti. Each and every example of this dialogue has been part of the build-up to the international conference Exclusion as a Challenge to Democracy, organised in collaboration with the Association Française de Science Politique and Sciences Po Paris, to be held on 03 - 05 December 2008.

This summer's ATD Fourth World Research Institute-sponsored seminar will be a part of this build-up. The aim of this seminar is to allow academics, members of ATD Fourth World and others working alongside those living in poverty

to study different texts written by Joseph Wresinski
to present their work and open themselves up to discussion and argument
to examine how Joseph Wresinski's thinking is looked upon by today's society.

Using plenary sessions and work in small groups, this seminar will address four key themes:

Persistent poverty and social exclusion (history and political theory, epistemological questions)
People living in poverty as political actors (mobilisation, ways of actions, anthropological aspects)
Human Rights and persistent poverty (legal and philosophical points)
The eradication of poverty (public policies and private initiatives).

This seminar will take place between 26-29 August 2008 at the ATD Fourth World International Centre in Méry-sur-Oise and the International Joseph Wresinski Centre in Baillet-en-France. For further information, contact Research Institute

Prices of registration and accommodation for this seminar (these prices include registration fee and full pension):

Professional: 400€ (100€ per day)
Private: 100€ to 300€ depending on income
Limited scholarships available on written request providing motivation and justification

What You Can Do To Get Involved This Summer

2008-03-27T17:25:33Z

Between 25 July and 06 August, ATD Fourth World UK is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to take part in organising and running a week-long Summer Festival of activities for children and families. The festival will be held on a housing estate in South London where ATD Fourth World runs a community development project and will involve lots of arts, crafts and sports-based fun and games. It is a straightforward way to meet families and help us discover paths towards a world where nobody is excluded!

Or, alternatively, over the periods 23 June-18 July and 21 July-22 August, join a group of young volunteers from the UK and overseas in supporting Frimhurst Family House in Frimley Green, Surrey. The volunteers will aid in the preparation of family respite stays and other summer events, while also contributing to the maintenance and upkeep of the buildings and grounds. Workcamps such as these are a fantastic opportunity to learn more about poverty, its effects on families and the work of ATD Fourth World.

To apply to participate in the summer festival or the workcamp, contact ATD Fourth World UK at atd@atd-uk.org, stating your reasons for wanting to take part and what you feel you would be able to contribute. Please send in applications as soon as possible as spaces are limited.

All volunteers will need to have a good standard of spoken English and lots of energy.Preference will be given to those with experience of working with children and families or knowledge of art, crafts, sport, music or other activities which could be shared. Accommodation is provided for the workcamp in Surrey, but only a limited amount of housing is available for the summer festival for those living outside of London.

Please note that for all summer projects, volunteers are responsible for their own transport to and from the project and for visas and travel insurance if required. All volunteers should be over 18.

Experiences of one full-time volunteer in the UK

2008-03-26T19:01:34Z

Our work as volunteers is to listen to people with direct experience of poverty and to build projects together. We do individual and family support work and also feed our knowledge into the policy process and campaigns.

One project I have been involved in is the Doorstep Library in South London. This involves going to lend and read books to young children, and so help to improve their access to books, educational opportunities, and to get to know the community as a whole. I feel that I have been pushed to learn a lot about the people here, to learn new skills, particularly how to be sensitive to people who are excluded and very different from myself. I enjoy engaging with people and finding that people experiencing poverty and exclusion have a lot to teach us.

I think that this is what being a volunteer challenges you to do: to reflect on who you are, what you believe in and can do, and how you can create a future with others who are experiencing the debilitating effects of poverty."

Full-Time volunteer, UK

Leading ATD Fourth World

2008-03-17T12:41:53Z

In connection with these juridically composed supporting bodies, the general delegation ensures the coordination of the entire Movement throughout the world. Members are chosen according to a process defined in the general gathering of the Volunteer Corps, and presented at the election of the Administrative Counsel of the International ATD Fourth World Movement. The delegation supports the commitment of the permanent volunteers, notably of those for whom the commitment constitutes a life choice. It is responsible that for seeing that:

- Each of these people be conferred a mission that permits them to give the best of themselves,

- And ensuring that all these missions constitute a coherent global approach that anticipates the eradication of extreme poverty. Since 2008, the delegation has brought together Eugen Brand (Switzerland), Director General, Isabelle Perrin (Belgium) and Diana Skelton Devins (Unites States) Vice Director General. The general delegation is aided by six regional delegations : Africa – Latin America and the Caribbean – North America -Asia - Europe – Indian Ocean

Each of these delegations coordinates the actions of the Movements in its region and contributes to the developing of exchanges and common work between different countries and with the general delegation.

OCTOBER 17 Manila 2007

2008-02-29T14:54:24Z

National Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty

17 October 2007 marked the 20th anniversary of the inauguration of the Commemorative Stone in Paris, France. In preparation for this anniversary, ATD Fourth World, the UN and other partners had launched a campaign to increase the impact of this day, which included the Call to Action signature campaign. Another outcome of the campaign was the recognition of October 17 as a worldwide mobilization date by the UN Millennium Campaign and the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. The first October 17 “White Band Day” took place in 2006 and was accompanied by a Guinness World Record breaking attempt for the most people to “Stand Up” against poverty and for achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Commemoration of October 17 in the Philippines

In 2007, in link with the aims of the campaign to increase the impact of October 17, ATD Fourth World Philippines tried to involve more partners in the Rizal Park commemoration and supported the efforts of the NAPC, United Nations and GCAP Philippines to organize simultaneous events in other parts of Metro Manila and the rest of the country.

Manila Rizal Park Commemoration Around 2800 people gathered for the Rizal Park commemoration on the morning of October 17. The ceremony took place on the stage of the Open Air Auditorium adjacent to the Commemorative Stone. After the usual introductions, Lolita Mercado and Belen Hapa gave a collective testimony on behalf of the ATD Fourth World communities. This was followed by a contribution from one of the community members who took part in the ‘Ugnayan Laban sa Kahirapan' training program. Several hundred people from the pilot areas for this NAPC program took part in the commemoration event in 2007 for the first time.

Another major part of the program was the reading of the “Stand Up, Speak Out” pledge from the UN international campaign. Participants in the commemoration joined 7million people in the Philippines and over 40million people worldwide who recited this pledge on October 16 & 17 to draw attention to the global fight against poverty and for achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

There were several keynote speakers in the program including Senators, representatives from the United Nations, representatives from the Mayors office and the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare Development. After the speeches, representatives from the ATD communities and other participants joined the guests in a procession to lay wreaths and flowers on the Commemorative Stone.

What set the 2007 program apart from previous commemorations, however, was the fantastic mix of cultural performances from a wide variety of community based, NGO and government agency groups. There were musical and theatrical interludes during the main program followed by an hour-long cultural show after the wreath-laying ceremony. These diverse performances were enjoyed by all participants and brought cultural expression of refusing poverty to the day.

*The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) is currently mandated by the Office of the President of the Philippines to oversee and facilitate commemoration of the National Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty. ATD Fourth World is a traditional partner of the NAPC in organizing a wreath-laying ceremony at the site of the Commemorative Stone in Rizal Park.

CALL TO ACTION in the Philippines

2008-02-29T14:46:12Z

In 2007, ATD Fourth World Philippines actively took part in this campaign and in total gathered almost 6000 signatures from all over the country.

Call to Action in the Philippines The first phase was to translate the Call to Action text into Tagalog (Filipino) so that adults from the communities in which ATD is active could gather signatures on paper in their own neighborhoods. Many of the Adult Forum participants collected hundreds of signatures in this way and also got the support of local councilors.

The second phase of the campaign was to identify well-known and respected individuals from different fields who would lend their support to the campaign and thereby encourage others to do so. Letters and campaign material were sent out and passed on by friends of ATD to personalities in politics, civil society, media, academia etc.

Information about the signature campaign was also sent to the National Anti-Poverty Commission Secretary, Domingo S. Panganiban. At a meeting with his Assistant Secretary, Dolores De Quiros-Castillo in July, it was agreed that the Secretary would endorse the campaign to all the government agencies that made up the NAPC. Thousands of signatures from government employees resulted from this endorsement, as did the support of the Department of Agrarian Reform Secretary, Nasser Pangandaman. In addition, several hundred signatures were submitted from the Department of Social Welfare and Development on the initiative of Undersecretaries Alicia Bala and Celia Yangco.

Finally, in August, all the individuals and organizations on the ATD Fourth World Philippines mailing list were sent a copy of a Philippines-specific Call to Action leaflet. Included in the mailing were campaign ribbons, a Call to Action group signature sheet and an information and sign-up sheet regarding the planned October 17 commemoration event in Rizal Park. The aim of the mailing was to encourage people and groups with which ATD had contact in the past to both sign the Call to Action, encourage others to do likewise and then get involved in the commemoration of October 17 in the Philippines.

Organizations and groups who actively responded to this mailing included the United Nations Information Centre, Urban Poor Associates, Bahay Tulungan, Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Philippine Commission on the Urban Poor, Alouette Foundation, Sun for All Children, St. Vincent de Paul Asilo, GCAP Philippines and Malate Parish Church. Other groups that collected a significant number of signatures included Museo Pambata and the National Library.

A new International Leadership Team

2008-02-22T13:32:46Z

To hear them introduce themselves, please click on this 5-minute video:

2008: New Office of the Director General ATD Fourth World

Their mandate for the coming four years emphasizes:

strongly supporting persons and groups who are displaced and oppressed due to persistent poverty and discrimination,

seeking innovative ways to build partnerships with others working with the poorest,

and increasing action at a public and policy level so that people from backgrounds of poverty can participate fully in society instead of being excluded.

The International Leadership Team will implement this mandate and other courses of action chosen together by relying on members of the International Movement ATD Fourth World.

The International Leadership Team is responsible for both introducing and implementing creative initiatives, as well as supporting the long-term commitment of all of the members of the International Movement ATD Fourth World. The goal is to help all people, beginning with those people living in extreme poverty themselves, to contribute to building a better world based on peace and understanding.

How the International Leadership Team was chosen ?

This is the fourth International Leadership Team since the death in 1988 of Fr. Joseph Wresinski who founded the organization. As stated in the by-laws of the International Movement ATD Fourth World: “The International Leadership Team […] is chosen on the basis of a discernment procedure implemented under the responsibility of the Fourth World Volunteer Corps.”. The Executive Board of the International Movement ATD Fourth World will be formally consulted about this decision at its April 2008 meeting.