Student writings show what life is really like living in poverty

A new, powerful collection of writing has highlighted the lived experiences of people living with, and tackling, poverty in their communities.

Disturbing yet timely, this collection of writing from students of the Health Issues in the Community course (HIIC) reveals the corrosive effect that poverty and inequality are having on a day-to-day basis in modern Scotland.

As a society that believes in compassion and justice, the writings act as a call to action to address inequalities and the increasing number of people being swept up in the wake of crushing poverty. 

Public health specialists have drawn attention to the serious impact inequalities have - made even worse by the global health crisis brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Amidst the grim picture that is so minutely described, the writings are also witness to the power of community, of kindness, of the sense of 'the commonweal' that is alive in our communities. 

Broadcaster and journalist Lesley Riddoch, who provided the publication’s foreword, said:

“From all the grimness of lockdown and the staleness of news comes this wee gem of a collection - words from folk who live at the sharp end of life in Scotland.

“I've no doubt that the folk involved in this HIIC course will use the insights and comradeship they've gained to start moving mountains - while taking care of one another.”

Health Issues in the Community is an SQA-accredited course for adults and young people that helps students understand what affects their health and the health of their communities. Running for more than 20 years, HIIC brings a community development approach to tackling health inequalities and reaches more than 300 participants each year. HIIC is managed by the Community Health Exchange (CHEX) and funded by Public Health Scotland. You can learn more about HIIC here. 

While the HIIC course encourages participants to widen and deepen awareness of health issues in their communities and their involvement, we cannot solve this issue alone. Political action is required by governments to ensure Scotland is no longer defined by poverty and inequality in the 21st century.

These writings provide the voices of lived experience to help make that a reality.

Fiona Garven, Director of the Scottish Community Development Centre, said:

“These students’ writings are a stark reminder of the impact of poverty in communities across Scotland - and the power of people coming together to take action on the things that are important to them.

“With a firm foundation in community development practice, HIIC has been tackling health and social issues for more than 20 years. These writings act as further evidence for community-led responses to health inequalities, enabling students to explore and take action to address their own health issues and the health of their communities.”

Bill Gray, Organisational Lead, Public Health Scotland said:

“Public Health Scotland is proud to have supported the development of the HIIC course and recognises the need to listen to voices from our communities has never been more important. Our Strategic Plan sets out a clear ambition to embed engagement with communities across all of our programmes of work and the experiences of HIIC participants, set out in this powerful new publication is an invaluable resource for anyone working to address health inequalities in Scotland.”

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For all enquiries please contact Communications Manager: sam.jordan@scdc.org.uk 

About CHEX

CHEX is a charity that promotes community-led health as a way to tackle health inequalities. We are part of the Scottish Community Development Centre and apply the values of community development to all of our work. We share best practice, develop tools and resources and support a network of community-led health organisations across Scotland.