User:Trident13/APNC
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The Anti Poverty Network Cymru (Cymraeg: Rhwydwaith Gwrth-Dlodi Cymru) was formed in 2000, because of a realised need to bring attention to the number of people who live in poverty in Wales.
The APNC was then set up by a number of voluntary sector and community based organisations. The APNC has evolved since this time and is now run by an executive committee of individuals and community organisations, all of whom have experience of poverty at a grassroots level.
The APNC aims to enable people to have an influence on policies at a local, regional, national and European level. The aim is to achieve this through working with individuals and community groups to share skills, knowledge and experiences.
The apnc believes poverty in the 21st century is unacceptable and we are committed to ensure that people experiencing poverty are involved at all levels in the decision making process.
WHO ARE THE APNC?
The APNC is a constituted organisation that has been designed to work with individuals, community groups and partner organisations throughout Wales. The executive committee of the APNC live and work in the communities that are most affected by poverty.
Full member individuals, community groups and organisations bring together vast experience of many many different communities and issues from throughout Wales. Full member is open to :
Individuals aged eighteen or over who are dedicated to furthering the aims of the Network Community groups and networks whose membership have direct experience of poverty Voluntary networks whose membership or service users have direct experience of poverty Associate member individuals and organisations bring technical support and expertise to the APNC. Associate membership is open to individuals, statutory bodies, voluntary or community networks that do not fulfil the criteria for full membership
Currently membership stands at 176 full members and 14 associate members.
The Executive Committee
Moira Stanley (Chair) : Moira has years of experience of poverty and has been very active within her local community in Flintshire for the last 15 years.
Mandy Jenkins (Treasurer): Mandy is a founder member of the Gellideg Foundation Group in Merthyr Tydfil which is owned and run by its local community.
Frances Ballin (Secretary— South Wales): Frances has been the volunteer co-ordinator of the APNC for the last 3 years. Frances is also a board member of Church Action on Poverty and volunteers with Oxfam.
Ian Mather (Secretary—North Wales): Ian is an active volunteer within his local community in Rhyl, and a very active member of local residents groups and forums, especially the fruit and veg co-operative.
Jacqui Marshall: Jacqui is a long standing and very active member of the Riverside Community Group in Cardiff.
Keith Jones: Keith has experience of working with the unemployed, asylum seekers, refugees and homeless.
Lynne Hudson: Lynne is an active community resident in Rhyl and a founder member of the West Rhyl Community Company.
Colette Watkins: Colette has many years experience of poverty and now works extensively in her local community in Merthyr.
Maureen Jenner: Maureen is a community member from West Wales. Maureen has a particular interest in the rights of pensioners.
Ian Benbow: Ian has extensive experience of working in his local community in Aberfan.
Angie Stevenson: Angie is a community resident in Llandudno and volunteers with her local community group.
Emma Loveluck: Emma has experience of many poverty issues, is a board member of Church Action on Poverty and has a particular interest in financial exclusion.
The Purpose Of The Apnc
The APNC is:
An active network of individuals, groups and organisations from across Wales. An opportunity to build links and relationships with other people and communities that have similar problems—an informal support network. An opportunity to influence the policies that keep people in poverty— at a local (local authority), regional (Welsh Assembly Government), national (Westminster) and European level. A means for the collective voice of people who are all experiencing the same sorts of issues to put their views forward to those with the power, anonymously if necessary. The APNC aims to:
Work with communities to challenge poverty. Strengthen the poverty lobby by building effective relationship with members and recruiting new members. Investigate and publicise the extent, causes and effects of poverty in Wales. Principles and values:
The APNC has a vision of a fully participative society that identifies, acknowledges and challenges poverty in Wales. The APNC believes that people who are closest to a problem are the best placed to offer the solutions. Therefore, people who experience poverty must be enabled to participate directly, at all levels, in decisions that effect their lives. The APNC believes that everyone is entitled to an adequate income in order to live a dignified and socially included life. The network is non-party in politics and non-sectarian in religion. The APNC is committed to promoting equal opportunities regardless of sex, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, sexuality, religious belief, political opinion, age, martial status, economic status, social background or geographical location in all areas of it’s work. The Forums
In the past year we have held 3 open forums in different parts of Wales (Merthyr Tydfil, Rhyl and Swansea). These forums were open to all and well attended by people from areas affected by poverty (both individuals and grassroots community organisations). The workshops held were fully participatory thus giving a voice to those with experience of poverty.
The forums highlighted the need for the APNC and we listened to what people thought about, and would like from being part of the APNC.
What people want:
To have a voice within the structures that make the decisions on issues that affect their everyday lives. To meet likeminded people from across Wales and have an opportunity to discuss ideas and solutions. To have the opportunity to learn from other communities’ ideas and mistakes. To have assurance that there is a possibility for change and that they can be part of that process. To have goals to achieve and strive towards them. To have the encouragement to work towards eradicating poverty, knowing there is support. What people said they gained from the forums:
" A renewed vigour"
"Hope—inspiration-a belief that we can make changes"
"A more confident and positive attitude"
"Useful contacts and sparks of ideas"
"Reduced isolation—we are all in the same boat"
"It takes effort to make it happen"
"Can-do attitude, positive tackling of difficult issues"
"Fantastic opportunity to listen and share"
"Great opportunity to meet so many community minded people"
"There is more community power that people think"
"Meeting people with the same values"
Apnc - Local Initiatives:
The APNC is committed to working with people and community groups to tackle local issues. This includes:
Capacity building of local people and community groups to enable them to feed into local decision making structures, for example the local authority. Working with groups to look at specific issues in their locality and help build links to others experiencing the same problems. For example housing issues, drug and alcohol rehabilitation and young peoples’ issues. Working with community groups on local pieces of research and sharing findings with others. An example of this would be to look at the different way poverty affects men and affects women. APNC – UK and European involvements
UK
The APNC also works outside of Wales – ensuring that a Welsh perspective is put forward to the Government at Westminster and the European Commission.
The APNC is a member organisation of the UK Coalition Against Poverty (UKCAP) and puts forward two representatives to sit as Directors on the board of UKCAP. UKCAP exists to enable people who experience poverty in the UK to play an active part in the development of sustainable national policies for the eradication of poverty.
UKCAP believe that to have a real chance of eradicating poverty the government must address the issue of income. Currently UKCAP is working with its member organisations to put income adequacy at the heart of government anti poverty policies.
UKCAP supports the development of the APNC—through money, advice, support and opportunity.
The APNC also puts forward representatives to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty (APPGP). The All Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty is a group of 160 MPs and Members of the House of Lords from different political parties.
The APPGP offers a forum and a procedure which enable people with current and recent experience of poverty to prepare direct representations to Ministers within central Government; and, by the same token , Ministers engage directly with people affected by their policy decisions and have an obligation to respond to questions asked. APPGP forums are normally held in the House of Commons and deal with non– devolved issues.
Social Policy Task Force (SPTF)
The Social Policy Task Force was established by a range of UK networks and organisations whose primary purpose is to combat poverty and social exclusion. Representatives of SPTF meet regularly with civil servants from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to put forward their issues —which includes feeding into the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion (NAPS) and other agendas such as debt and income adequacy.
The APNC is a member organisation of SPTF and has nominated members who regularly attend meetings with the DWP.
National Action Plans for Social Inclusion (NAPS)
Every national government in the European Union has to submit a paper called the ‘National Action Plan for Social Inclusion’ (NAPS) every 3 years. Each NAPS outlines the key issues and approaches to tackling social inclusion within the member state.
UK NAPS sets out what is happening in the UK. This brings together all the work across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The whole process brings together central government, devolved government, local government, anti-poverty groups, community groups and voluntary sector organisations.
NAPS: Get Heard!
For each NAPS the UK Government has to consult with the principal actors including grassroots people and groups across the 4 nations.
To collect information for the UK NAPS 2006 a specific participatory toolkit, called ‘Get Heard’, aimed at grassroots people and groups has been designed by the SPTF. A National Co-ordinator is also employed to collate the results of the use of the toolkit through local workshops — the APNC is one of the key points of contact for NAPS
European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN)
The European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) is an organisation in which all the anti-poverty networks within Europe are represented. The APNC is the representative body for Wales in the European Anti Poverty Network. The EU has agreed objectives for tackling poverty in each member state. These include access to employment, goods and services, preventing social exclusion, helping the most vulnerable and engaging with all interested people on poverty related issues.
Every three months, the individual EAPN representatives from the 4 nations of the UK liaise, keeping each other up to date on what is happening locally. Also they share information about what is happening in Europe and how this will impact on the UK. This is called the UK Liaison Group (UKLG).
The APNC also sends the Welsh representation to take part in the yearly European forums for People With Experience of Poverty at the European Commission.
[edit] Contact details
- Address: Flat 3, Winchfawr House, Landsbury Road, Gellideg, Merthyr Tydfil CF38 1HA
- Telephone:
- Mon, Wed, Fri: Mary Stephenson - 01685 383 929/0778 988 5720
- Tues, Thurs: 029 203 34500
- Email: apnc@apnc.co.uk
