1. Breaking stereotypes
© EAPN GA - Wien 2009
Micheline GERONDAL

2. From the 4th EU Meeting of People experiencing poverty - 2005
What doesn’t work with our image ?
1 + 1 =

3. Poverty is easy to explain
1 + 1 =
Personal failures (drug, alcohol)
Stupidity
Accident
Ethnicity, race, differences

4. Poverty has to make people scared

5. Mirror effect Look at you now : Are you so convinced
that it can’t happen
to you ?

6. Social services and stereotypes
People experiencing poverty
are often considered as objects,
not as subjects.
Not autonomous
and unable to be independent.
Social services can reinforce
the lack of self esteem, the
feelings of shame and
culpability.

7. Media and press are business
They have to sell.
A negative and scandalous
image is a better scoop.
Poverty only exists in winter.

8. Research When people experiencing poverty have participate
to surveys, often
academics « forget » to
forward them the results

9. From the 4th EU meeting of People experiencing Poverty - 2005
How can we modify our image

10. Make poverty visible

11. Build alliances
With press and media

12. Explain the causes

13. Learn and improve communication
With press and media
and decision makers.
In social services,
create ombudsman
acting as interface

14. Show what is positive People experiencing poverty are strong and
active.
They are creative.

15. Show what is positive They are able to analyse and make proposals.
They are experts of their life.
They want to participate
by bringing their expertise
to build better
Policies.

16. Keep you informed Get in contact Exchange good practices Learn from others

17. Don’t confuse people experiencing poverty and poverty
Don’t confuse people experiencing poverty and poverty. Poverty is the scandal.