NJPN Conference: 'Nothing about us, without us, is for us'

Emma Stone (left) and Joy Pocock (right)

One of the most inspiring and powerful sessions at last weekend’s National Justice and Peace Network Conference was a three-person panel from the Leeds Poverty Truth Commission, organised by Church Action on Poverty. Faciliated by Andrew Grinnell, the panellists were Joy Pocock and Emma Stone.

The three speakers highlighted the suffering caused by poverty in Britain and the role of Church groups in building up support and hope. The Commission website carries the byline, 'Nothing about us, without us, is for us'.

Before starting, they showed a short video demonstrating how people living in poverty in Leeds have challenged the city’s leaders to work with them on tackling the issue. See: www.leedspovertytruth.org.uk/about/

Hearing the story of Joy was a raw experience. After a period as a prostitute in the red light area of Leeds, her engagement with the Commission over the past few years has transformed her life. She told stories about her earlier life “about the person I was, but not what I am now”. Until she learnt the stories of other people who were also struggling, “I didn’t see myself as someone in poverty but as someone who was bad with money”. A turning point in her life came on 6 February 2014 at Leeds Civic Hall when stories were shared and listened to by civic leaders. Gradually, campaigns started up around local concerns raised, such as the lack of provision of mental health services in south Leeds, compared to north Leeds.

Joy knits a lot – in fact, she knitted as she sat on the panel, saying it helps her cope with the voices she hears – and got the courage to apply to university to do a textiles course. She nearly didn’t go into the interview when she lined up alongside other candidates, but she had to stay because “my Tupperware box with photos of my work was still inside the room”. In fact, she passed the interview with flying colours and received an unconditional offer from the university. The conference participants gave Joy a great cheer on Saturday when she announced that she will enter her final year at university in the Autumn and her focus will be on ‘Spirituality and Textiles’. Recently, she knitted Star Wars characters and brought them to a meeting at the Department of Work and Pensions. Those present were asked which character they most identified with!

“I don’t recognise myself now from the person I was when I started with the Leeds Poverty Truth Commission” said Joy. She highlighted that making a difference and working towards the common good is not just about big initiatives at national and international level, “but great things can happen at local level”. Joy demonstrated to the conference that everyone is an expert with wisdom to share. She could tell us why a local man walked a huge distance to shop - it was because a loaf there was 10p cheaper than a local shop. She knew about the areas in Leeds with no launderettes although “people still need them”.

Her words were echoed by Kathy Galloway in her presentation on the Sunday morning. She challenged the notion that the poor are to blame for their poverty, saying “we have individualised the causes of poverty.”

The Poverty Truth approach is based on building relationships across economic divides, challenging structures which, in the words of Laudato Si’, treat the poor and the excluded as ‘refuse’.

For more information see: www.leedspovertytruth.org.uk/