Sunday 5 September is International Day of Charity. A day to ‘mobilise people, NGOs, and stakeholders all around the world to help others through volunteer and philanthropic activities’, with a particular focus on ‘Global Solidarity to Eradicate Poverty’.
Charity, like the notions of volunteerism and philanthropy, provides real social bonding and contributes to the creation of inclusive and more resilient societies. Charity can alleviate the worst effects of humanitarian crises, supplement public services in health care, education, housing and child protection. It assists the advancement of culture, science, sports, and the protection of cultural and natural heritage. It also promotes the rights of the marginalized and underprivileged and spreads the message of humanity in conflict situations. – United Nations
York has a long history of charitable, volunteering and philanthropic activity and we are proud to play a part in supporting the city’s amazing Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, which plays a central and critical role in supporting our communities.
As part of our 5 year Strategic Plan we have outlined the following priorities:
- support our members by providing information, advice, training, networking and representation
- promote volunteering of all kinds, from one-off opportunities to long-term links
- tackle the causes of poverty in York
- tackle loneliness and encourage a sense of community
- help people stay well and feel well
We know we cannot and will not be able to achieve any of this alone, so we are looking forward to working together with the sector and key partners to achieve these ambitions for York.
We would like to invite VCSE sector organisations and key partners in York to join us for an initial meeting to discuss a Poverty Truth Commission for the city. We will be joined by representatives from Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Centre for Applied Human Rights, and other Poverty Truth Commissions. Please join us by registering for either the in person or online meetings below:
Poverty Truth Commission for York Meetings:
In Person Meeting – 12 October, 14:00 – 17:00, Priory Street Centre, York – Book online
Online Meeting – 20 October, 17:30 – 20:00, Zoom – Book online