Upcoming Events
"The children ask us to see what is beautiful and grand in them."
- Denis and Babette, Street Library volunteers
October 17th Tapori Assembly
In honor of the United Nations-recognized International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on
October 17, delegations of children, young people, and adults from around the globe will gather at
ATD Fourth World’s US headquarters in Washington, DC, for "It Takes a Child to Raise a Village"
to create and deliver a message to decision-makers (we have invited President Obama to dialogue
with us) on how they and others like them strive to end poverty on a daily basis. The delegates
reach out to, and include those who live in persistent poverty, but come from all
backgrounds, working in partnership to ensure a brighter future for all. They will meet on October
13th through the 19th in workshops and discussions to share their experiences and learn together
and will build a common message to present on October 17th and later, at UNICEF (to be
confirmed).
The fifty delegates will come from nine locations: Appalachia, Boston, New Orleans, New York,
Cameroon, Canada, Haiti, Honduras, and Mexico. Each community has worked together to create
its own message to share with the conference about its experiences in poverty and the work the
community members have done together to include all people, especially those hidden by
persistent poverty. Each of the delegates’ experiences are different, and by sharing their own and
hearing those of others, they will learn from each other and see the common threads that unite their
fight for social justice and poverty eradication.
In New Orleans, adults and children alike are organizing to receive the Haitian delegation a few
days before the conference. United by their survival of devastating disasters, the delegations will
meet individually before traveling to Washington together. In Boston, children’s art from a local
family shelter was exhibited for parents and the community. One parent stressed that the art
program was “very important. It teaches [children] the value of life and how they can make a
difference.” A child from the Haitian delegation writes, "I don't have a lot of friends because
sometimes people make fun of me. I help my mother to serve others because one day it's us who
will need them." This conference is the opportunity for every person, child or adult, to share and
learn these different ways people from around the world fight to end poverty together.
President Obama and his administration have been invited to dialogue with the delegates from all
backgrounds on the different ways they are striving together to end poverty. The experiences these
young people and their families can share are an incredible tool that can teach the United States
and the world a great deal. October 17 is a day for all people, including those in all levels of
governance, to consider how they can come together with people living in poverty to contribute to
ending exclusion and eradicating extreme poverty; this meeting reflects that purpose.
After the conference in Washington DC, a smaller delegation, including children from Haiti, will
continue to New York City to meet with UNICEF. Children from the Tapori network have met with
UN officials before, to great success. In 1999, ATD Fourth World Movement met with Mary
Robinson, then the High Commissioner for Human rights; and in 2009 a delegation of children and
adults met with the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. In this
meeting, the delegates will represent young people from around the world whose voices are too
often silenced by poverty and social exclusion. By bringing their own experiences and the message
they built with other children at the “It Takes a Child to Raise a Village” conference, the delegates
will play an important role in bringing the world together to end poverty.
Photos:
Videos:
Street Library - Part One
Publications:
October 17th Tapori Assembly Press Release
Tapori Assembly Overview
Other:
Facebook
.gif)
