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Cities Reducing Poverty Policy Digest: September 2019

Welcome to the September 2019 edition of the Cities Reducing Poverty Policy Digest, which aims to provide you with timely poverty-related policy updates and resources from across Canada.

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The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: What Can You Do?

Each year, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty falls on the 17^th of October. Declared by the United Nations in 1992, this date provides a shared moment each year – across the country and around the world – to:

1. Commemorate victims of poverty, violence and hunger
2. Reaffirm that poverty is a violation of human rights
3. Re-commit to coming together to ensure the right to live free from poverty is respected
4. Acknowledge the effort and struggle of people living in poverty
5. Celebrate the willingness of people living in poverty to fight poverty and contribute their expertise to ending it
6. Promote concrete activities around the eradication of poverty
7. Organize activities for the observance of October 17^th.

Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs - Poverty

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Six ideas on Designing Advisory Councils for the Participation of Experts with Lived/Living Experience

“Lived/living experience” — sound familiar? It’s a word on everyone’s lips, a common word we hear everywhere nowadays. In fact, I have noticed it has become much more common, perhaps even a trend in governments and non-profit organizations to include experts with lived/living experience in their work. So you may wonder — what is so special about these experts with lived/living experience?

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Hippocratic Oath for Community Workers

“First, do no harm.” This dictum is frequently but mistakenly associated with the Hippocratic Oath. Although it was disconcerting to learn that our physicians are not guided by this rule, I’m suggesting that it be adopted by community workers as the basis for our own code of conduct. We need to acknowledge the ways in which we often inadvertently harm the very communities we are trying to help and pledge to work in ways that contribute to their health. Here, then, is an outline of principles I would like to see included in a Hippocratic Oath for community workers whether they are social workers, recreation coordinators, clergy, community police, public health workers, planners, educators, service learning students, outreach staff, organizers or other community-based professionals.

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Creating Transformational (not Transactional) Experiences When Engaging Residents

What comes to mind when you think of a transformational experience? 

Here’s what it likely does not look like: Filling out a survey; being handed an information card; or responding to a public notice.  

Community engagement practices can often feel transactional: the community is a source of information and the goal is to retrieve that information to design the ideal solution. We say thank you and then move on. 

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Get to Know Your Neighbours, They Might Just Save Your Life

It seems that there are more and more disasters happening all around the world. As I wrote this my power went out and it was 38 degrees outside. It may not seem like an emergency but what if the power was out for a long time, what would we do? How would my neighbourhood survive in this heat? What could I do to help them?

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