Target country or region: Ireland and Northern Ireland (Dublin and Belfast especially) + Social Media Campaign
Start date and end date of the Action: 1 August – 31 December 2015

“The Roles We Play, Here and There” promoted the new 17 Sustainable Development Goals and recognized and celebrated the contribution of people facing poverty to development and peace building. The project – run by 25 volunteers, citizens from all ages – invited people to take action with or in their daily life to promote messages and spirit of the EYD2015 and the UN Day for the Eradication of Poverty on the 17th of October. The project also looked to challenge the narrative of the development sector into a more “global justice” orientated terminology.

A public campaign toolkit was created inviting participants to commit themselves to one of the 17 goals. No less than 350 people – half of them in the younger generation – took part in the public campaign, writing on dedicated “arrows” a new road for the future.

Beside this public campaign promoted on social media and based on 20 “Roles We Play for the SDGs” workshops held by volunteers in and outside Dublin, 4 major public events took place  – Conference “The Shame of Poverty: From Shame to dignity” by Prof. Robert Walker, Oxford University, on his team research on poverty shame and social exclusion in seven countries worldwide; Candlelit vigil – symbolic gathering with lights to link World Food Day and the UN Day for the Eradication of Poverty; “The Roles We Play, Here and There” exhibition in Dublin and Belfast with photographs, videos and testimonies underlining that everyone has a role in the society and challenging negative stereotypes of people who experience poverty and social exclusion, including testimonies from Global South collected worldwide; and Cross-community gathering (organised each year in Ireland since 2001) with public contributions of people living in poverty. ATD also co-organised the #LightTheWay mobilization in Dublin on 24th September at the eve of the adoption of the SDGs. These events reaching about 1000 people raised awareness and sensitivity, fostered critical thinking of stakeholders in development and general public about the necessity of solidarity and joint responsibility in our changing and interdependent societies, in Europe and all around the world.

All steps of the project are reported on the project Facebook and Twitter @RolesWePlayEYD  (117 followers, December 2015) and the tweet feeds included #RolesWePlay and #EYD2015 and were often also retweeted by @ATDIreland (1,585 followers). As an example, in October, the project had altogether 277 tweets and on Facebook, 4,522 people were reached by a post, and 350 liked, commented or shared a post. #RolesWePlay was Nr. 10 trending in the UK on the 2nd of October. The Facebook page was also seen in several countries outside Ireland; in France, the USA, the UK, Poland, Greece and Spain for instance.

The project also produced the booklet Making a commitment to implement the Global Goals presenting the results of the public campaign (300 copies also printed). The booklet includes messages from the event of the End Poverty day – a collection of written contributions prepared as individuals or groups by people with experience of poverty  – testimonies, choice of songs, texts and poems.

50 different organisations or delegates of organisations were involved at one stage or another in the events of the project. Furthermore, two of the volunteers involved in the project wanted to increase their commitment and started an internship with ATD on 1st January 2016. The project was also a good opportunity to make the Irish Committee for the UN #EndPoverty Day known in Dublin and in Ireland especially among the stakeholders of the development sector. Both, the Committee and ATD reinforced the partnerships with local organisations from social justice and improved links with the development sector. Some have been long-term partners, like members of European Anti Poverty Network Ireland, some are new contacts, like members of DOCHAS – the Irish Association of  Non-Governmental Development Organisations, Trinity International Development Initiative and Trinity Global Development Society (student society from Trinity College).

Up-to-date news of the project can be found, in addition to the dedicated social media accounts, on websites of All Together in Dignity – ATD Fourth World Ireland Ltd and the Irish Committee of the UN Day of the Eradication of Poverty.

The project also produced the booklet Making a commitment to implement the Global Goals presenting the results of the public campaign (300 copies also printed). The booklet includes messages from the event of the End Poverty day – a collection of written contributions prepared as individuals or groups by people with experience of poverty  – testimonies, choice of songs, texts and poems.

50 different organisations or delegates of organisations were involved at one stage or another in the events of the project. Furthermore, two of the volunteers involved in the project wanted to increase their commitment and started an internship with ATD on 1st January 2016. The project was also a good opportunity to make the Irish Committee for the UN #EndPoverty Day known in Dublin and in Ireland especially among the stakeholders of the development sector. Both, the Committee and ATD reinforced the partnerships with local organisations from social justice and improved links with the development sector. Some have been long-term partners, like members of European Anti Poverty Network Ireland, some are new contacts, like members of DOCHAS – the Irish Association of  Non-Governmental Development Organisations, Trinity International Development Initiative and Trinity Global Development Society (student society from Trinity College).

Up-to-date news of the project can be found, in addition to the dedicated social media accounts, on websites of All Together in Dignity – ATD Fourth World Ireland Ltd and the Irish Committee of the UN Day of the Eradication of Poverty.