Opening the Doors to a Real Living Wage. 

Sara spoke to all of her lived experience of poverty and of her connection to the Catholic Church and by extension to Catholic Social Teaching (CST) through her active work in the area of poverty with local priests as advocates. First off, Sara spoke of fact that the real living wage is a growing concern for many working and living in Leeds.  We were reminded that Pope Francis is perhaps the greatest advocate of CST when he explains that we can’t have a real peace when we’re living on the margins. 

Sara began her presentation by explaining that she is part of the growing Living Wage Movement,  and that the view of the youth and the young is paramount given that the impact of the lack of the real living wage impacts disproportionately on children and youth. Growing up in Cowgate and going to school in Blakelaw Comprehensive school, she remembers that a school inspection proclaimed that her school was the worst performing school in England given that most of students graduating did so with no GCSE grade at all. “Failing is what happened at Blakelaw Comprehensive, which had one of the worst, if not the worst, attendance and GCSE records in the country.” (Guardian). The school and the community that it served were entrenched in desperate poverty. And the real difficulty now is that things are just as bad and perhaps even worse. Back when Sara was going to school if you were at work you could eat, you could manage. Now, however, being in work is no guarantee that you can eat well or even at all in some cases. We now have a large cohort of the population known as the working poor where what they earn just won’t cover the basics. 

Sara, reminded us that we were all gathered here because we believe that we can eradicate poverty and she was about to explain that one way is to campaign strategically for the introduction of the living wage. 

And so the question posed is exactly how can we work to bring about a situation where the Living Wage becomes a reality for those who can be considered to amongst the furthest behind. 

In the afternoon, Sir John Battle facilitated a  round table discussion with:

1. Luke a Debt Counselor – who explained that debt cancelling is not an answer, it is but a temporary relief if we don’t address the structural causes of the debt. 

2. Andrew from Citizens UK – who explained that compassion and charity are just not enough, We must organise a chapter of citizens who can think and act and must include those with a lived experience of poverty. 

3. Tom A Champion of the Living Wage explained that poverty and financial poverty are the one thing that gets in the way of a family achieving. There is a lessened ability to access services, to spend time together as a family. Poverty can and does have an insidious effect on families.  What we need is justice – beyond the direct service of charity.  

4. Paul from Leeds Church Institute: When thinking on how to address the issues, I must think on what door I can walk through: a door into a sophisticated pursuit of justice. We must also remember that many are too proud to access foodbanks. Ecumenical charity is perhaps the best kept secret of the Leeds Church Institute, we must consider how faith can manifest itself on the margins. 

5. Ailse – a Digital Marketing Student. “Young people are the now, they are the spark, the Youth are now doing their bit.” There must be ways for those who don’t come to church to express their faith in work with those in poverty, in service perhaps. 

Other points that came up:

• At the Rainbow Junction Cafe there is a gathering of those who can support those in need. 

• The demand for services to those in need is definitely growing. 

• How can we be the prophetic voice for change?

• How can we live out our faith as a team?

• The ripple effect of micro changes can be huge, it can be the spark for the next idea. Think of the campaign for the change in the bus time table as organised by the children attending a local school. It was noticed that the bus arrived at the school two minutes before the children were let out meaning that there was a significant wait for the next bus. What the children felt was the success of a campaign and this feeling is one that can be capitalised on by taking on new and perhaps even more difficult campaigns. 

• We need to be bold to get to Jesus.

• Taking on such work is an act of bravery.

• To be too busy doing charity leaves no time address the causes. 

• Can there be such a thing as a quiet Jesus? No!

• Dealing with the Living Wage Campaign is far easier that than dealing with the poverty that is caused by the absence of the living wage.

• There are always reasons not to….and if we accept this then there will never be a comfortable time to start. 

• Where the story affect the community then a grassroots campaign is often the most successful.

• Is there a real fear of being considered political in the charity world?

• We must ask ourselves, are social justice and evangelisation separate things? 

• Real people power might only come from real people. 

• Charity as love… are they distinguishable?

• Poverty is isolation.

• God is not I, I, I nor is God you, you, you. God is we, we, we!

• Often those who make a plan are concerned about the possible level of success when really they should think that that only thing that is not a success is not starting in the first place!

• Pope Francis, “Love in Service of the Community needs to be organised.