MANCAT Art & Design students used Beat Poverty Day (17 October - UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty) to get in some target practice to promote Save the Children's "Stick One on Poverty" event. Students targeted their giant "Beat Poverty" poster with a barrage of sticky fuzzball missiles to have fun and make the serious point that young people can play a crucial role in supporting the charity's campaign to eradicate child poverty.
Enthusiastic BTEC Foundation student, Jennifer Keegan said, "I don't think enough people are aware of child poverty issues. A lot of people only see how bad things are for children at certain times of the year like Christmas or when there's an emergency situation shown by the media, so any campaign that highlights issues surrounding child poverty can only be a good thing".
Poverty affects one in three children in the UK - a figure which is considerably higher in the larger cities. Save the Children is committed to making a difference to these children.
The aim of the Stick One on Poverty event, held on Saturday 26 October at Cross Street Chapel, was to give young people aged over 16 the opportunity to get actively involved with Save the Children UK. They were encouraged to sign the "Beat Poverty" petition posters, get creative with a graffiti wall, pick up a sticker petition poster campaign pack, take part in workshops and learn more about the work of Save the Children.
"Beat Poverty" is Save the Children's campaign to raise awareness of and fight child poverty. All over the world poverty is stealing children's rights to a safe, healthy and fulfilling childhood. It doesn't have to be this way. Save the Children believes poverty can be beaten. The Beat Poverty campaign is calling for increased spending on health and education for every child, more and better overseas aid, fairer global trade rules and making children the top priority in actions on poverty.
Chris Whitfield, Save the Children (0161 438 2740, [email protected])
End Child Poverty, a coalition of twelve children's charities, has published a report "Poverty and Child Health" which is highly critical of the Government's pledge to eradicate child poverty in a generation. The paper highlights huge inequalities to support its claim that Labour is failing to meet promises made in 1999. For example, a boy born in Manchester is expected to live seven years less than one born in Barnet.
The report has been sent to all MPs and will be used as a lobbying tool to shame the Government into carrying out its stated intentions. As Helen Dent, chair of End Child Poverty's policy group, said, "The clock is ticking and lives are being lost now. The lives of 1,400 children would be saved every year among those under 15 if child poverty were eradicated."
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