Gordon's Reflection on helping with the Dundee Drop In (DDI) Research: "When does poverty become destitution?"

Members of the FiCD team helped earlier this year to co-ordinate research done by Dundee Drop In in partnership with Dundee University. The research has been collated (see our previous blog post for more information) and our co-ordinator Gordon wrote this article for the St Paul's Cathedral Autumn Newsletter reflecting on his engagement with people at Drop In's during the research process.

When does poverty become destitution?:-

As part of my commitment to working with the Dundee Drop In group of church based projects, including Graham’s Kitchen, I helped co-ordinate research across the projects earlier this year with Dundee University.  This has been collated, but actually getting alongside many of those who use the drop ins was the first shock to my system.  The questionnaire took about half an hour to complete and the first two guys I interviewed had not had any electricity for ages. The cost of reconnection was prohibitive so trying to cook anything or wash themselves was impossible, let alone heat their homes.  These first two would become typical of many who had fallen on hard times.  Yes, some were drug addicts and coping with the damage that drugs had inflicted seemed impossible.  There was one guy who had not had any electricity for a whole year and was entirely dependent for his survival on the various drop ins across the city.  As well as no electricity he had no benefits apart from getting his council rent paid. His benefits had been sanctioned (stopped for some reason or another) but he didn’t know how to get them re-instated, so for a whole year had been totally dependent upon handouts for his survival. The parish nurse who interviewed him and the council worker who was then involved managed to get his benefits re-instated - (£72.00 pw).  However, he subsequently found himself sanctioned again as he has poor literacy and finds it difficult to apply for the number  of jobs required.  Then there was the former joiner who was determined  not to be sanctioned, but he was as he applied for a job by email and not through the right website.  He was surviving on about £50 pw prior to being sanctioned as there had to be a contribution to his rent as Housing Benefit only paid so much as he was in private accommodation. Those who are sanctioned can apply for a hardship payment, but it takes a couple of weeks and is a small  proportion of benefits. Sanctions start for four weeks, but can escalate to six months, which I’ve come across. 

Anyway, just some of the people I met, laughed with – yes laugh!  Their openness and welcome was second to none and it made me think of Jesus. Of how he was there to help the lepers, the outcasts, the prostitutes.  He challenged the establishment because he thought differently.  He didn’t speak about a fair world or a just world, but a generous grace that subverts the norms of society. So, such an experience changed my perception.  It wasn’t just being there, but listening and learning  and getting to know and trust other human beings who were hungry in our city.

We completed 106 questionnaires across the drop in projects and they show that no electricity, benefit sanctions, loneliness, poor mental health and lack of clothes are key problems for people and when people have  a number of these problems then along with low self-esteem they are really up against it. But, why use the drop ins? Well, it isn’t rocket science, but the main reason for using the drop ins was hunger!  I think being hungry is when poverty becomes destitution and I never thought that I would ever use that word for Dundee, but this research has changed me forever. I now recognise some people begging and some people selling the Big Issue.   Of course some people are rogues, but most guys and girls have fallen on hard times for all sorts of reasons and become isolated and excluded.  What Graham’s Kitchen does is fill a gap in the sharing of food, company and help. This is not the answer, but it is “not passing by”, “ going the extra mile” and it is leading  to other action. St. Mary’s in Lochee and Eagles Wings are looking at the provision of clothes – not just handouts, but trying to give people a choice, because they can’t afford charity shops.  Others like the Friary and Gilfillan are looking at helping with IT access and Job Search to help people avoid sanctions.   And yes, this is being doing in partnership with the council, but often churches are best placed to make that simple response that the Cathedral does through Graham’s Kitchen. It is so important and many people are grateful – believe me, I’ve heard and written down many comments expressing sincere gratitude.

FiCD Training and Events 2014-15

FiCDundee News and Events

WEvolution Comes to Dundee

 

WEvolution (formerly known as Passage from India) has recently started working in Dundee and is based in the FICD office in Kirkton Community Centre.  

This is an exciting project which works, primarily with women, who are not earning or are on low incomes, to form self-reliant groups or SRGs.  These are small, local groups who meet together regularly for friendship, to save together and often to start micro-businesses.  The model is in widespread use in India (hence the original name of the organisation) where it forms a key part of the government's strategy to combat poverty.    

If you'd like any more information, want to start an SRG, or know someone who might please contact Sian McCarthy on: 

07803436977 

sian@wevolution.org.uk
Or have a look at their new website:
www.wevolution.org.uk

Launch of Tackling Poverty Together Initiative

In December last year, Faith in Community Scotland was awarded money by the Lottery to initiate a project – Tackling Poverty Together (TPT). TPT is about local communities working together and responding to the impacts of welfare reform changes in their neighbourhood.

Hence, this initiative will be led by local communities with support from Faith in Community Dundee. Our role will be to help communities identify the impact of the welfare reform changes and supporting them in filling local gaps in services. We have already started working in four local areas in Dundee (Charleston, Lochee, Douglas and Whitfield) and one in Stirling (Raploch) from March and April 2014.

Some of the things that local communities are doing and may wish to build on with our support are:

·           Helping to improve budgeting skills, access to welfare rights advocacy and advice;
·           Providing free food, information and access to services in drop in cafes;
·           Improving the ability of people to grow and cook food, which is healthy and inexpensive;
·           Increasing access to IT facilities to help people with job searching and signing on to the Universal Credit when it is introduced; and
·           Setting up of small, local self-reliant groups that help people develop their enterprising skills.

We are looking to update our Online Project Directory

In December 2013, Faith in Community Dundee launched an online Directory of Faith based projects tackling poverty in Dundee. Containing information on a wide range of projects- from youth groups, to lunch clubs, to community cafes - we believe that it highlights the important contribution that projects initiated by faith groups are making to tackling poverty in Dundee.

If you would like to provide any new update on your group or organizations, please get in touch with us at 01382-825351 or email us at becky.stojanovic@faithincommunitydundee.org. Also, if you identify a project that we have not included please do let us know.  

Update on Dundee Drop In Survey

 

Dundee Drop In (DDI) is a group of church based projects that provide crisis help to those who are struggling to make ends meet. These projects provide drop in facilities that offer food, a chance to socialise and signposting to other services.  They include projects like Parish Nursing, St. Salvador’s food cupboard, Lochee Drop Inn, Eagles Wings, The Bus Stop at the Gate, The Big Issue Group, The Bridge at the Friary, Graham’s Kitchen and Street Chaplains.  Some time ago the projects agreed, with support from Dundee University and the Alcohol and Drug Partnership  (ADP), to undertake research with those who use these range of services.

During the months between March to May, volunteers and staff from DDI services, university students, Bethany Christian Trust  and FiCDundee have visited almost all the various drop-ins mentioned above to complete questionnaires with those who use these services. A total of 95 questionnaires have been completed and it is almost at the stage of data entry and analysis. On 18^th June, the university research leader will present some of the key findings to the DDI Group and they will  consider actions that may be appropriate for the Group to recommend and the scope for more in-depth research.

Reflection on Faith in Community Dundee’s past year’s work

Faith in Community Dundee organised a review session on April 22^nd, which was facilitated by Clare Radford, Community Theologian from Faith in Community Scotland. This provided an opportunity for FiCDundee staff and committee members to reflect on the organisation’s past year’s work, specifically in the context of the agreed outcomes but also on the broader and deeper aspirations of the organization about the future.

Training on Valuing Volunteers

A workshop was organised by Faith in Community Dundee (FiCDundee) in collaboration with Anne Leslie from Volunteer Centre Dundee on January 22, 2014. Its aim was to help resource people who use volunteers or would like to use volunteers in their project.  The training essentially focused on three key aspects of volunteering:

• understanding the benefits volunteers bring to projects
• how to manage and recruitment volunteers and
• how to make volunteers feel valued

By partnering with Volunteer Centre, the purpose of the workshop was to also introduce the participants to some parts of Volunteer Friendly Award. A total of 9 people attended the event, some of whom were attending FiCDundee training for the first time like Christians Against Poverty and Soul Garden.

Gordon’s Contribution at Al Maktoum Leadership Programme

 

 

During February Gordon was able to contribute, along with Jenny Mabrouk of the Yusuf Youth Initiative (YYI), to the training programme at the Al Maktoum college for 52 young female students from the United Arab Emirates. The students spend four weeks in Scotland on the Valuable Leadership and Management Programme and Gordon was able to facilitate workshops on making a difference in work and community.

For information on other courses at Al Maktoum please visit:

http://www.almcollege.org.uk/programmes-courses/sqa-programmes/

For the lecture programme please visit:

http://www.almcollege.org.uk/open-lectures-2/

For information on YYI visit: http://www.yyi.org.uk/ 

FiCDundee News

Beckys back!

Our Development Worker Becky Stojanovic has returned to the FiCDundee team after being on maternity leave for the past year. Her little girl is now 14 months old and full of mischief! She says that she is enjoying being back, and it is especially exciting to see how projects tackling poverty have started/developed over the time she has been away. She works part-time, usually on Mondays and Tuesdays.

 

Annual Gathering

                  Readings from Buddhist faith tradition and thoughts on poverty by Lama Jiga

      

On the 27^th June over 70 people from faith groups and projects across Dundee came together for the FiCD Annual Gathering. It was a great event, with highlights including readings from different faith traditions, art, music, stands, and an opportunity to hear about the Poverty Truth Commission.

The gathering heard from representatives of five different faith traditions who spoke about what their tradition has to say about poverty and how they are called to respond to it. There was an overwhelming message of how all faith traditions are called to help those who are suffering because of poverty and work for a more just society.

                                               Representatives of the Attic Youth Project

Lunch provided an opportunity for people to speak to others as well as to visit stands displaying the work of some of the projects initiated by faith groups in Dundee. People also had an opportunity to contribute to ‘Brilliance in brokenness’, a project that uses silk textile art to capture some of the elements of brilliance found in the lives of people living in some of Scotland’s most disadvantaged communities. If you would like to see it the finish article will soon be hanging in the FiCD office.

Following lunch we heard from the Poverty Truth Commission. Their motto is ‘nothing about us without us is for us’ and they bring together those living in poverty in Glasgow with decision makers to help create a more just society. We heard first hand from Ghazala Hakeem, a lady living in one of Glasgow’s most deprived areas who had experienced empowerment through her involvement. We then moved closer to home and heard from a representative of the Dundee Poverty Alliance Group and their input into the Dundee Councils Fairness Strategy. Many people have since shared with us their interest in the work of the Poverty Truth Commission and if you would be interested in being involved in exploring a similar initiative in Dundee then please get in touch.

A reflective song by a young person from the Hot Chocolate Trust drew the gathering to a close. We are very grateful to them and to all who contributed to the gathering, including those that read and those groups that put together stands displaying their work. It is always exciting to bring together people from Dundee who are seeking and acting for change in the cities communities.

Update on DDI Participatory Action Research

 

A group composed by Dundee Drop In (DDI) organisations and service users are developing an action research project in collaboration with the University of Dundee. The research aims to identify gaps and needs of DDI users and provide evidence for advocating as well as projects to improve the life experience of vulnerable people in Dundee. At this stage the group is exploring the key topics for the research. Dr Fernando Fernandes who is collaborating with the project considers that the participatory dimension is a key element of the project. According to him - ‘This is not only about a research. This is about an inclusive and reflexive process in which everyone’s experience and knowledge is considered. The project will increase capacities and at the same time will produce evidence to improve our understanding of the challenges marginalised people are experiencing.’ 

Faith in Community Dundee is looking for additional Committee Members

Faith in Community Dundee (FiCD) exists to tackle poverty in Dundee’s poorest areas by working with communities of all faiths.

FiCD is part of Faith in Community Scotland (FiCS) which is a Glasgow based charity whose vision is to walk together with people of faith in our economically poorest communities. FiCS is committed to working hand in hand with all who share the desire to challenge and overcome poverty and exclusion.  

Committee members in Dundee work collectively through committee meetings (usually five times a year) and offering support to staff, where practical.   Committee members are not trustees of the FiCS charity, but our committee’s purpose is provide the strategic direction, maintain the focus and support staff as appropriate. It would be helpful, but not essential, if those interested in this work had some experience of serving in local communities to address poverty and exclusion.   It is expected that members of the committee are people of faith and it is the intention of FiCD to have a committee that brings together different faith traditions committed to tackling poverty with our poorest communities.

 

These positions are voluntary in nature. However; all members are eligible to claim agreed expenses. For further information please contact Gordon or Varsha at 01382 825351 or email gordon@faithincommunitydundee.org.  

Want to know about local faith-based projects in Dundee?

 The Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland presbytery, with input from Faith in Community Dundee, has drafted a document with brief details and contact information of the faith-based projects in Dundee. As a follow up, Faith in Community Dundee intends to create a directory for these projects, which will be updated on a regular basis. To view the document, please click here.

FiCDundee News

Welfare Reform Event - April 2013

We held an event on Welfare Reform on April 25, 2013 in partnership with Hillcrest Housing Association and Dundee City Council. This event was primarily aimed at those within faith communities and highlighted key issues relating to Welfare Reform changes. It also helped explore local responses that might help those who will be affected by these changes.  Two churches have already worked on helping local people improve how they manage their money and FiCDundee will see if training to expand this can be provided in Dundee for the many others who expressed an interest.  A key opportunity for many existing faith projects and communities will be to successfully access the money recently made available by the Lottery to help those experiencing hardship.

To check the photos, please visit https://www.facebook.com/FaithinCommunityDundee?ref=tn_tnmn#!/media/set/?set=a.610489792314225.1073741826.548872068475998&type=1  

 

SEs Aspiring Event – March 2013

We organised a small event on Social Enterprise in collaboration with Dundee Social Enterprise Network (SEN) at The Factory Skatepark in March 2013. A total of 8 people, representing different churches and projects, participated in the event. Susan Smith from Dundee SEN introduced the concept of social enterprise and explored options to manage a business model for charity oriented entities. Later, Peter Friend from Helm Training shared his experience of running a social enterprise - its ethos and community engagement. Towards the end of the event, the participants looked at how to get started and what kind of support -resources, knowledge and experience - is available to budding social enterprises, through Dundee SEN and other organisations.

To check the photos, please visit https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.591219487574589.1073741825.548872068475998&type=3

Understand your Community Workshop – January 2013

We organized a workshop in January in collaboration with Faith in Community Scotland, which aimed at helping community-based faith groups understand their neighbourhood and community better. The objectives were to make use of local information, carry out community research, respond to the priorities in an area and build evidence for funding applications. A total of 20 people attended the event, with participants from Regeneration Areas like Lochee, Menzeishill, Douglas and Hilltown. The participants represented different faiths, including Christian and Muslim traditions along with a small number of people from non-faith backgrounds. Additional inputs were given by the Dundee Partnership and Regeneration teams of the City Council.

To check the photos, please visit https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.563688036994401.137174.548872068475998&type=3 

DDI Survey – March 2013

The Dundee Drop In (DDI) Group is a network of groups/projects that provide a range of services to vulnerable individuals. We recently conducted an ‘Identifying Needs and Gaps’ survey and released a report, in collaboration with Bethany Christian Trust, to better understand the issues experienced by the people living in poverty and identify future service developments in conjunction with statutory partners. We are planning to take this exercise to the next level to help the Group hear the stories of those they work with. This will value the experience of those in our society who fall on hard times and potentially help shape services and policies.

New Volunteer at FiCDundee – Arish Rajkarnikar

 

 

I am Nepalese student currently in my final year of BA (Hons) Business Studies at the University of Abertay. I graduated from Woodstock School, India in 2008. During my time at Woodstock, I was an active member of a program called C.A.R.E. (Community and Restoration of the Environment). The C.A.R.E activities included teaching underprivileged children basic English and Maths but majority of the activities were based around fun and games. Other C.A.R.E activities included: cleaning up the hillside and raising awareness about the environment. I also founded a student-led organisation called SWASA (Students on War Against Substance Abuse). SWASA aimed to help students with drug and/or substance abuse problems. In Dundee, I have volunteered with Save the Children so far and I hope to help Faith in Community by whatever way I can because I believe improving fairness and equality is a must in any society.

FiCD News

New Chair for FiCD Management Committee

 

Rev Leslie McEwen Barrett B.D., F.R.I.C.S. has been recently appointed the Chair for Faith in Community Dundee’s Management Committee. Leslie is a Church of Scotland minister currently employed as University Chaplain at the University of Abertay Dundee having served in parishes in Aberdeenshire and Angus. Before ministry he worked as a Chartered Surveyor. A relative newcomer to FiCD Leslie was attracted to the organization for the potential that faith groups have to make a difference in the lives of people who find themselves disadvantaged by material poverty, spiritual poverty and poverty of opportunity.

Leslie says: “There is a clear challenge in the Christian Gospel to love our neighbour as we love ourselves - working out the implications of this and identifying practical ways of doing it is an important task. Working on this task together across all the faith communities at a local level seems to hold much promise for the future.” Home for Leslie lies across the Tay in North East Fife. He is married to Ruth and they have three children - all now with families of their own. In his spare time he is an amateur musician playing and teaching the Scottish or Great Highland bagpipe and studying “piobaireachd” the classical music of the bagpipe.

New Appointments at FiCD

 

 

Gordon Sharp was involved with Faith in Community Dundee (FiCD) back in 2009/2010 when it was a steering group.  He comes to FiCD from the Dundee Partnership team within the City Council. Prior to that Gordon worked for the Jericho Benedictine Society, Positive Steps and for many years was Development Worker with the Dundee Federation of Tenants Associations. Beyond that – in time immemorial – Gordon was an Assistant Bank Manager for about 10 years working in Downfield, Lochee and Coldside.  Gordon is fairly well known in Dundee (hopefully for good reasons) having also been the chairperson of the West End Community Council for more than a decade.

 

Gordon has a degree in English and Philosophy (he thinks a lot and questions everything) as well as an MBA and certificate in Community Education.  He says: “I’ve always believed in community, the one human family, and the need to be family on this planet. The Voyager spacecraft leaving our solar system at this time tell us we really have to make the best of our world and being human, because we’re not going anywhere else fast!  Plus, Dundee really is one of the best places on this planet and everyone here really does have the right to think that.”

 

 

Varsha Gyawali brings with her over 7 years of experience in international development, with a focus on conflict resolution and peacebuilding at both macro and micro-level. As an Advisor, she helped set up Centre for Conflict Resolution & Human Security (CCRHS) in New Delhi, India and led its programmes from 2009 until 2011. Prior to CCRHS, she was at The Carter Center, Nepal, where she was extensively involved in political liaison with key actors playing a critical role in Nepal’s peace and political transition process, as Project Coordinator from 2005 to 2007. Varsha has two Master’s degrees; MA in Peace Studies from University of Bradford and MBA from Kathmandu University. As a peace practitioner, she endorses the argument by Johan Galtung on “Positive Peace,” which not only means end of violence but ensuring a dignified life for the poor and weaker section without poverty, discrimination and injustice. She is an avid traveller and loves spending time with her husband, Gavin.