Small Steps – Big Changes, is the new publication of the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) on the participation of people experiencing poverty, launched today in Brussels in presence of Jérôme Vignon, Director, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of the European Commission, Ludo Horemans, President of EAPN and Zoltane Szvoboda, Hungarian contributor to the publication.
Small Steps – Big Changes presents 10 case studies from members of EAPN about the participation of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion. The case studies address participation in community work and in organizations, but also in policy and decision-making.
“If I could address two crucial ideas from this book to Mr. Barrosso, these would be reciprocity and hope. Participation is reciprocity because it encourages others to participate and change their viewpoints. Participation is hope, because it shows that everyone, with or without a job, can be and can feel useful to society”, said Jérôme Vignon.
“Participation is EAPN’s core principle. There is no better expertise for policy makers than that of people experiencing poverty. Participation is also at the heart of democracy. There cannot be democracy where there is exclusion”, added Ludo Horemans.
These experiences presented in Small Steps – Big Changes show that successful participation is possible.
This publication should prove a useful tool for all actors concerned, in particular NGOs and public authorities, to foster the direct participation of people experiencing poverty.
“Participation is an opportunity for development and for making dreams come true. It is like scales that our tandem, the professional and the person living in poverty, have to keep in balance. You become a diamond from gravel by polishing each other”, concluded Zoltane Szvoboda.
Download it in English – French
For further information, please contact Nellie Epinat (Communication & Press Officer) or Fintan Farrell (Director), tel. +32 2 226 58 50 – fax. +32 2 226 58 69 – E-mail: team@eapn.eu – Website: www.eapn.eu
EAPN is a representative network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and groups involved in the fight against poverty and social exclusion in the Member States of the European Union.
