Moving together this Anti-Poverty Week

The Brotherhood of St Laurence is a key supporter of Anti-Poverty Week, which runs from 13–19 October.

It’s unacceptable that there are currently 3.2 million people living below the poverty line in Australia. This Anti-Poverty Week our focus is children. At 17.3%, the percentage of children living in poverty is higher than any other age group – including those aged 65 years and over ( Anti-Poverty Week child poverty factsheet ). We know that helping the very young to learn is critical to success at school and life beyond. Through our programs for children and families, we encourage and support the crucial role parents play in giving their children the best start in life.

During Anti-Poverty Week, we encourage all Australians to take action and focus on positive solutions to end poverty. We work with our network of diverse voices and organisations to raise awareness of poverty in Australia.

Part of the Brotherhood’s mission to create change for a fairer, more compassionate and just society in which we can all participate, is to be an even bigger catalyst in national policy and service delivery that will benefit more people experiencing disadvantage. To do this, we develop evidence-based programs that can be scaled up. We deliver those programs alongside partner agencies in strong partnership, and continue to gather evidence to ensure constant improvement. In addition to service delivery, we connect with government to influence evidence-based policy change.

Creating stability through early childhood education and family support, along with career pathways and training opportunities for parents and carers, puts children and families in the best possible position to get themselves out of disadvantage, prepare for school and work, and enjoy sustained success.

Staff from the Brotherhood will be taking part in the Melbourne Marathon on Sunday 13 October to raise money for our children’s programs. We will also be hosting two Brotherhood Talks free events on child poverty at our head office in Fitzroy on Friday 18 October.