West Glasgow Against Poverty

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WHO WE ARE	WHAT WE DO
WestGAP is an Anti-Poverty community group run by and for people in the West of Glasgow who have first hand experience of living in poverty. We are totally independent, are not funded by government, and are not part of any political party or organisation. WestGAP is a recognised Scottish Charity, now over nine years old, having more than 100 members. We are based in our Community Advice and Resource Centre in Partick, Glasgow which is staffed by a mixture of unpaid and paid workers having a broad range of experiences and skills. WestGAP was formed by a core group of committed people who refused to be silent any longer about the poverty that exists in our community. We knew, then, as now, that large numbers of us struggle to survive in a supposedly affluent area, bring up our children in poverty, exist on our disability benefit or state pension, or live in damp bedsits without basic facilities. We see no difference between the end we want to achieve and the means by which we achieve it, i.e. we operate on a collective basis with an active commitment to equality and an intolerance of sexism, racism and homophobia, and of discrimination based on disability, age or class. We believe we cannot expect change of others unless we are willing to start with ourselves, and we work constantly to do so.	Basically, here at WestGAP we want to eradicate poverty and change the world, and we believe that the best way to do that is by people getting together locally to effect positive change as individuals and as a community, and to share experiences in larger forums, which in turn can exert pressure on governments and policy makers. We do all of these. In terms of our local community, the work we do has an enormous impact on many lives- some of those our own, as people living in poverty and feeling tremendously empowered by what we do, some of them other peoples’, by helping them to get what they’re entitled to, by supporting each other in overcoming stigma and by coming together with others for mutual support and to add all our voices to the demand for change. We are great believers in think global - act local and so….. We run a free, independant and confidential advice service covering both Money Advice and Welfare Rights e.g. Disability Living Allowance, Tax Credits, Housing Benefit & Council Tax, as well as advice on housing issues, homelessness, and a whole range of other issues. Our advisors undergo a comprehensive training programme, both ‘in-house’ and by accessing a range of professional external training. We also offer training to other organisations, e.g. poverty awareness training for local health care workers, training on welfare rights entitlements for addiction workers, etc. In addition we perform a community development role in supporting other local groups e.g. we can facilitate meetings and events, offer advice on setting up and meeting skills and provide a free, comfortable meeting place with access to computing facilities, etc.. We also actively support people getting together to discuss and take action on poverty related issues by campaigning, awareness raising and by organising events, such as the ‘Sold Down the River?’ Community Conference. We work in partnership with other organisations on a variety of initiatives, e.g.’ Oxfam’s UK Poverty Programme, Govan Resident’s Association and Community Council and Friends of Thornwood Community Park We are also involved in a variety of networks and have responded to a range of consultations on related issues, as well as being actively involved in the development of wider anti-poverty initiatives, such as the Stand Together, Oppose Poverty Weekend of Action, and the West of Scotland Anti-Poverty Movement. We are involved in and support anti-poverty research, such as our joint research project with Oxfam’s UK Poverty Programme and the University of Glasgow, on the impact of regeneration policies on people living on low income in our community. We actively encourage local people to become involved in all aspects of WestGAP’s work and support all workers to attend seminars, conferences and training as part of their/our own personal development. We see the empowerment of everyone within WestGAP as an end in its own right., and are committed to the ongoing creation of a safe space where the experience of poverty is the norm and not the exception, and where no-one is afraid to talk about the realities of their own life.

WHO WE ARE

WHAT WE DO

WestGAP is an Anti-Poverty community group run by and for people in the West of Glasgow who have first hand experience of living in poverty. We are totally independent, are not funded by government, and are not part of any political party or organisation.

WestGAP is a recognised Scottish Charity, now over nine years old, having more than 100 members. We are based in our Community Advice and Resource Centre in Partick, Glasgow which is staffed by a mixture of unpaid and paid workers having a broad range of experiences and skills.

WestGAP was formed by a core group of committed people who refused to be silent any longer about the poverty that exists in our community. We knew, then, as now, that large numbers of us struggle to survive in a supposedly affluent area, bring up our children in poverty, exist on our disability benefit or state pension, or live in damp bedsits without basic facilities.

We see no difference between the end we want to achieve and the means by which we achieve it, i.e. we operate on a collective basis with an active commitment to equality and an intolerance of sexism, racism and homophobia, and of discrimination based on disability, age or class. We believe we cannot expect change of others unless we are willing to start with ourselves, and we work constantly to do so.

Basically, here at WestGAP we want to eradicate poverty and change the world, and we believe that the best way to do that is by people getting together locally to effect positive change as individuals and as a community, and to share experiences in larger forums, which in turn can exert pressure on governments and policy makers. We do all of these. In terms of our local community, the work we do has an enormous impact on many lives- some of those our own, as people living in poverty and feeling tremendously empowered by what we do, some of them other peoples’, by helping them to get what they’re entitled to, by supporting each other in overcoming stigma and by coming together with others for mutual support and to add all our voices to the demand for change.

We are great believers in think global - act local and so…..

We run a free, independant and confidential advice service covering both Money Advice and Welfare Rights e.g. Disability Living Allowance, Tax Credits, Housing Benefit & Council Tax, as well as advice on housing issues, homelessness, and a whole range of other issues. Our advisors undergo a comprehensive training programme, both ‘in-house’ and by accessing a range of professional external training.

We also offer training to other organisations, e.g. poverty awareness training for local health care workers, training on welfare rights entitlements for addiction workers, etc.

In addition we perform a community development role in supporting other local groups e.g. we can facilitate meetings and events, offer advice on setting up and meeting skills and provide a free, comfortable meeting place with access to computing facilities, etc..
We also actively support people getting together to discuss and take action on poverty related issues by campaigning, awareness raising and by organising events, such as the ‘Sold Down the River?’ Community Conference.

We work in partnership with other organisations on a variety of initiatives, e.g.’ Oxfam’s UK Poverty Programme, Govan Resident’s Association and Community Council and Friends of Thornwood Community Park

We are also involved in a variety of networks and have responded to a range of consultations on related issues, as well as being actively involved in the development of wider anti-poverty initiatives, such as the Stand Together, Oppose Poverty Weekend of Action, and the West of Scotland Anti-Poverty Movement.

We are involved in and support anti-poverty research, such as our joint research project with Oxfam’s UK Poverty Programme and the University of Glasgow, on the impact of regeneration policies on people living on low income in our community.

We actively encourage local people to become involved in all aspects of WestGAP’s work and support all workers to attend seminars, conferences and training as part of their/our own personal development.

We see the empowerment of everyone within WestGAP as an end in its own right., and are committed to the ongoing creation of a safe space where the experience of poverty is the norm and not the exception, and where no-one is afraid to talk about the realities of their own life.