Poverty perceived through poetry

Tallaght children and youth got on stage and explored the theme of poverty through poetry, in an event launched at the centre for Childhood Development Initiative (CDI).

The publication “Perspectives on Poverty” collected poems written by Tallaght children and young people aged between 8 and 15 and gave a “deep and moving” insight into how they perceive and reflect on poverty.

The project has been developed by CDI under the guidance of poet and creative writing teacher Clifton Redmond, and it was launched during End Child Poverty Week 2024.

Three of the young poets – Nico, Hunter, and Kai – read their works aloud to an audience of 40 attendees on Tuesday, September 4, at St Mark’s Family and Youth Centre in Fettercairn.

“I think poetry helped us express ourselves and our feelings about certain topics and show our creativity,” said Nico.

“We were asked to create characters, put ourselves in their point of view, and use that as the basis for our poems,” said Kai. “One character explored how we might feel if we were living through poverty ourselves.”

CDI described it as a “special moment of shared creativity and reflection.” The young poets’ courage and honesty in opening up and sharing their thoughts were praised by both CDI and Clifton Redmond.

“I hope that all the children and young people who took part in the project are very proud of themselves,” said Catriona Rogers from CDI’s Board, who presented the books to all poets following the reading.

“I loved working with these young people who had such enthusiasm to learn and share,” said Mr Redmond, an Irish Chair of Poetry Award Recipient. “The process of writing these poems transformed them and had a lasting impact on me as well.”

“Creativity is an invaluable way to tap into thoughts and experiences which we might otherwise find hard to articulate,” he added.

As the event wrapped up, attendees enjoyed pizza and a chat.

Based in Tallaght but operating nationally, the Childhood Development Initiative works to break the cycle of child poverty and improve outcomes for children in disadvantaged areas of the country.

The idea for the publication came from their previous research into the experience of poverty, which already revealed insights from children, young people and their parents.

“Building on these findings, CDI recognised the need to delve deeper into understanding poverty and stress, and acknowledged the power of creativity to do so,” said CDI’s Pauline Minsky.

Staff and volunteers from Jobstown’s Citywise Education and Tallaght’s Foróige also took part in the project by supporting the young poets through the writing process.

“Youth work is all about finding ways to build self-esteem, independence, and critical thinking,” said Andy Leeson from Foróige. “This poetry project was a new but very positive experience for the participants and gave them a great sense of achievement.”

The publication was made possible through the Participation Grant funded by Child and Family Agency Tusla.