One Year On - Hopes for the Future: Social Media

EARLIER this month we shared our hopes for the future work of the Poverty Truth Commission with people living in poverty and organisations that would like to work in a similar way to us. In our 'One year on' report we have also set out our plans for our future work using Social Media to get people's stories and voices to a wider audience. To read the report, and other reports and articles about the Poverty Truth Commission, please visit our website.

In the past the Poverty Truth Commission have used video as a way of helping people to share their stories. You can view these videos on our website.

Over the next few years the commission will develop this area of work by using Social Media to get people’s stories and voices to a wider audience. As well as this blog we also have a presence on Facebook and Youtube page. Currently we use these to share our latest news and also to share more films and audio recordings made by people involved in the Commission and we hope to develop this further. At the same time, we will continue to work with the mainstream media to ensure our stories are heard there.

 

Kat Watts, Administrator for the Poverty Truth Commission and the person leading on this area of work commented 'Social Media is a part of everyday life for many people in our society and is a great tool to share information about the Commission and it's way of working. It also gives us the chance to provide a place for people to share their experiences of poverty which we feel need to be heard.

One area which the Poverty Truth Commission highlighted as an important issue to be explored is the stereotyping and negative reporting by traditional media about people and communities in  poverty. Social media gives people a chance to share their experiences in their own words and in turn gives others the chance to hear of the situations which many find themselves in. These stories are full of hope, expectation and resolve to improve situations. It is only in sharing and listening to each other's stories that we will be able work together to make a lasting change in our society.'