Counting the cost of poverty
Sign up for The Big Obstacle
Dear colleague,
Granton Youth Centre are going to be hosting a 4k charity fun run called The Big Obstacle and we would like to invite you to take part.
The Big Obstacle will be held on Sunday 18 September at Inverleith Park as a joint event with Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership. There will also be a walk and cycle festival on the same day!
This is your opportunity to fundraise for your organisation/charity. The Big Obstacle will bring the community together and encourage young people and adults to get active and have fun!
All participants will receive a t-shirt, certificate, medal and healthy snack.
Availability is limited and will be on a strictly first come, first serve basis. Both individuals and teams (up to 5 people per team) can register.
More information and registration forms can be found below.
Any questions or completed registration forms to be returned by Friday 12th of August to this email address. Even if you want to book a team slot and we can get team information closer to the time that is okay.
The Big Obstacle has been planned and organised by local young people for young people!
We look forward to hearing back from you and hope to see you on the 18th of September.
Shelley
thebigobstacle@grantonyouth.com
Political leaders in race to support Team GB in Rio
Our political leaders have been quick off the blocks to support British athletes taking part in the Olympic Games.
Continue reading Political leaders in race to support Team GB in Rio
Male, pale and stale? Reinvigorating Community Councils
ELREC (Edinburgh & Lothian Regional Equality Council) and Granton & District Community Council have organised an event to encourage more BME residents to get involved in neighbourhood activities through Community Councils …
You are invited to an event:
Celebrating Diversity in Community Councils
Thursday, 11 August, 6 – 8.30pm
Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, 11 Pilton Drive North
The key aim of the event is to increase the representation of BME communities in community councils and hosted jointly by ELREC- Diversity in Public Life project and the Granton & District Community Council.
Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC) has been working on Diversity in Public Life project since last year, aiming to increase the participation of the BME community in public life and in the democratic process. The project works with the diverse communities and it is funded by the Scottish Government. Under this project, a special scheme, Public Life Champion (PLC) has been launched to provide advice, training and mentoring to BME individuals who live/work across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Community council triennial elections will take place in Sept-Oct 2016. In the wake of oncoming election, the event will provide useful information (i.e.: nomination/registration process) and practical advice for those who are interested to stand as a community councillor. This event will also help establish a link between community councillors and the prospective BME candidates.
If you are interested to represent the views of your local community to the local authority and other public bodies, then joining the community council would be an ideal vehicle as well as an entry point to get into public life.
See details about: what is community council ?
The event is open to BME residents lived across Edinburgh & Lothians and community council members. Tea/Coffee and refreshments will be provided. Booking is required to give us an estimate for the catering service. Please let us know if you have any special requirements. Please circulate among your contacts/networks who might be interested on this.
To book your place online, please click here.
For more information, please contact us by email:publiclife@elrec.org.uk or Tel: 0131 556 0441
Local twirlers fly the flag for Scotland
TWO local young women will fly the flag for Scotland when they take part in the World Baton Twirling championships in Helsingborg, Sweden next week – and they’ll carry the support of both local MSP Ben Macpherson and the Scottish Parliament! Continue reading Local twirlers fly the flag for Scotland
Summer Holidays – but not for all …
Can’t afford to get away on holiday this summer? You’re not alone – it’s a Europe-wide issue, as EC economic analyst M. Vaalavuo explains ...
Schools are closed, summer holidays are here, and also this blog is having its well-deserved summer break. Like many of you, authors of Evidence in Focus are leaving their desks to travel in Europe and beyond. However, without wanting to spoil your holidays, this may be a good time to recall that 39 per cent of Europeans cannot afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home.
This is a form of deprivation that is taken into account in the calculation of the EU’s indicator of the risk of poverty and social exclusion (AROPE) which counts people who face
- monetary poverty (discussed already in several blog posts e.g. comparing the situation of young and old Europeans and looking at parental employment and child poverty), and/or
- low work intensity, and/or
- severe material deprivation.
The last one is an absolute measure of living standards that complements the measure of relative monetary poverty (people with disposable income below 60 % of the country’s median income). The EU severe material deprivation rate is currently defined as the share of the population living in households that cannot afford at least four out of nine items. 8.9 per cent of the EU population were in this situation in 2014.
One week annual holiday away from home is one of these nine items. Other items are for example the capacity to face unexpected financial expenses, to afford a washing machine or a car, and the ability to avoid arrears in mortgage or rent payments. The most prevalent forms of deprivation concern holidays and the capacity to cope with unexpected expenses.
Across countries, there is a huge variation in the share of people who cannot afford holidays away from home (see chart). In the Nordic countries, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Austria, fewer than 20 per cent of the population are deprived of an annual holiday in 2014, while in Hungary, Croatia and Romania this concerns more than 60 per cent.
Not surprisingly, people who are at risk of monetary poverty are also most likely to be deprived of holidays away from home: 70 per cent of them cannot afford holidays. But even among those who are not poor in monetary terms, a third is deprived of holidays away from home.
However, the situation is improving in many countries. Since 2008, the share of people not affording holidays away from home has decreased in 15 EU Member States: especially in Poland (11 pp.), Malta (10 pp.), Portugal (9 pp.), Austria (9 pp.), and Bulgaria (9 pp.). Furthermore, after an initial increase in the share from 2008 to 2010 in the Baltic countries, the share has since then fallen in Lithuania by 20, in Latvia by 18 and in Estonia by 16 percentage points. This development can be considered a real improvement in living conditions of these people, but it still leaves us many to be worried about.
After the holdidays … Evidence in Focus will be back in September. We wish you a great summer!
Author M. Vaalavuo is a socio-economic analyst in the unit of Thematic Analysis of DG EMPL
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.
Editor’s note: this article is part of a regular series called “Evidence in focus“, which will put the spotlight on key findings from past and on-going research at DG EMPL
European Health Insurance Card
What is the European Health Insurance Card?
A free card that gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 28 EU countries, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country.
Cards are issued by your national health insurance provider.
Important – the European Health Insurance Card:
- is not an alternative to travel insurance. It does not cover any private healthcare or costs such as a return flight to your home country or lost/stolen property,
- does not cover your costs if you are travelling for the express purpose ofobtaining medical treatment,
- does not guarantee free services. As each country’s healthcare system is different services that cost nothing at home might not be free in another country.
Please note: when you move your habitual residence to another country, you should register with the S1 form instead of using the EHIC to receive medical care in your new country of habitual residence.
Fair trade on the Fringe
THIS Monday at 2pm, the Fair & Ethical Trade on the Fringe will launch in style on Castle Street with a colourful performance by India Flamenco troupe.
Continue reading Fair trade on the Fringe
Don’t miss Granton Gogglebox!
You Name It! Youth Theatre present Granton Gogglebox at Granton Youth Centre tonight at 7pm.
It’s the final performance, there are a few tickets left – it’s a great show and it’s FREE!
Book your seats by emailing wendy@grantonyouth.com or by calling Granton Youth Centre on 0131 467 5854.
Don’t Miss It!
You’re Asking For it: Leith partnership tackles proxy purchasing:
Edinburgh Police have launched a new partnership initiative in the Leith area to tackle the issue of proxy purchasing – where adults purchase alcohol for under-18s. Continue reading You’re Asking For it: Leith partnership tackles proxy purchasing:
Planning and Design: It’s YOUR community
Communities to have their say in the design of their area
Communities across Scotland will have the chance to map out the future of their towns with design experts. The Scottish Government is launching two funds to allow people to have a direct role in making their towns and villages better places to live.
Funding of £300,000 is available across two grant schemes – the Design Charrettes programme and the Activating Ideas Fund.
Charrettes bring together the public, stakeholders and designers over a number of days to draw up viable proposals, while the Activating Ideas fund will support participation and empowerment initiatives in disadvantaged areas.
Minister for Local Government Kevin Stewart said: “The quality of our places has an important influence on our lives. This Government is committed to empowering communities and involving them in the planning process.
“We have already seen really good examples of this in the few years since the charrettes programme has been running. In Maybole the Community Association and Community Council sourced additional funding to modernise and improve access to the Town Hall gardens. And in Girvan there is a successful plan for a new swimming facility which is due to open in 2017 following the closure of the local pool.
“Local communities have a wealth of knowledge about their local area. Bringing communities together with design expertise will enable ideas and proposals to be developed to deliver positive change. This initiative provides a way of enabling people across Scotland to have their say on the long- term future of their community.”