Governance

Who: Everyone. People who care about seeing poverty in the UK ended and want to take action to make this happen.

What: A space to share ideas, mobilise action and develop through training.

The Assembly is the biggest and most important space in the movement. It shows the breadth of people who care about building and strengthening the movement to end poverty in the UK. Everyone is welcome, whether you come by yourself, with a group or representing a network or organisation. No membership is needed to join in with Assembly gatherings – it’s an open space. The Assembly will meet online, in person and in virtual spaces for ongoing collaboration.

How do I join? Come along to an assembly gathering, or sign up to receive updates at letsendpoverty.co.uk.

Who: 11 appointed people, chosen through an open application process, in addition to two recruited co-chairs.

What: The group who have strategic oversight of the movement, making strategic decisions about priority and action.

The Enabling Group provide a strategic role in the oversight of movement activities. They help the movement make choices that support our aims and keep moving in a positive direction. They are accountable to the Assembly, reporting back to them on progress and key decisions. Members of the Enabling Group are recruited through an application process, where individuals can apply for a particular seat on the group. A panel will then build a balanced group where members represent a diverse range of experiences and perspectives. Diversity, in terms of lived experience, ethnicity, geographical location and gender, will be prioritised.

How do I join? Applications for the Enabling Group are now open. See more information below.

We are also currently receiving expressions of interest in the role of co-chairs of the Enabling Group. Please click here for more information. 

Who: Volunteers from across the movement.

What: Flexible and responsive groups focused on carrying out a specific action or task for the movement.

Working groups are the action focused groups of the movement, supporting everyone in the assembly to take action or develop a specific tasks. Each group has a specific action or task to complete, e.g. engaging with a specific audience, or coordinating a campaign action or event. Working group members are volunteers who can give some of their time and expertise to the task. Anyone can volunteer, and each group has two co-chairs who will coordinate the groups.

How do I join? Sign up here to be part of the movement and we’ll send out updates about how you can get involved.

Who: 7-15 people who have volunteered their time to the movement.

What: Carrying out the day to day tasks of the movement.

The delivery group take care of the day to day running of the movement, carrying out tasks such as communications, events planning and logistics. The delivery group is mostly made up of staff from supporting organisations, and at times some volunteers. The delivery group will have a voluntary membership, which may flex depending on the movement’s activities and the capacity of members to contribute.

How do I join? If you’re part of an organisation who want to contribute some time to the delivery of Let’s End Poverty, click here to sign up and express your interest.

• Focus on growing Let’s End Poverty in the initial stages
• Work together to listen to movement members and advise on key decisions
• Bring different perspectives and experiences into decisions about resources and priorities
• Be accountable to the Assembly and report back on decision making

The Enabling Group is a team of volunteers who provide a strategic role in the oversight of movement activities for Let’s End Poverty. In the early stages of Let’s End Poverty, their role will particularly focus on growing Let’s End Poverty to be a movement which encourages grassroots leadership and is prepared to make the most of opportunities for action.

The Enabling Group will help volunteers and organisations supporting Let’s End Poverty to make choices about central resources that support the aims of the movement and keep the wider movement heading in a positive direction.

Movements are built by their members, shaped by their energy, experiences and resources. No one group will portray the full breadth of activity and opportunity across the Let’s End Poverty movement. The role of the Enabling Group will be to listen to people participating in the movement, take an overview of the activities happening across the movement and explore together how resources and energy can be prioritised to make the most of the opportunities that are available to progress the aims of Let’s End Poverty.

The Enabling Group are accountable to the Let’s End Poverty Assembly, reporting back to them on progress and key decisions, and relate to the Finance Group on the oversight of budget and spending. The Enabling Group do not have final decision making powers on spending of movement resources, but help to guide organisations offering finance and resource to the wider movement.

• Two co-chairs and 11 appointed members
• There are 11 spaces reserved for particular perspectives and groups
• Volunteers who bring leadership expertise and experience

The Enabling Group has two co-chairs and 11 appointed members. Each member takes on a reserved space allocated for someone who brings a particular perspective or experience. People in the Enabling Group are not delegates or representatives of these groups or people who meet these characteristics, but they will bring a distinctive perspective given their experience in this area.

These spaces have been chosen to ensure a wide range of perspectives are listened to in decision making, but also to ensure priority for traditionally excluded groups. Whilst some of these groups and experiences may be represented by multiple people within the Enabling Group because of members diversity of experience, spaces are reserved to ensure that as the group is brought together, particular perspectives are given a platform in decision making.

The 11 seats are:

1. Faith groups (excl. Christian groups)
2. Churches
3. Unions
4. Frontline services (debt advice, food provision etc)
5. Disabled communities
6. Scotland
7. Wales
8. Northern Ireland
9. Racially minoritised groups
10. National charities
11. Community Organising groups

When reviewing applications for the Enabling Group, we are particularly keen to hear from people from traditionally marginalised communities. We are keen to ensure as many spaces as possible are held by people currently experiencing the ongoing struggle against poverty, and through recruitment, we will ensure that the group is balanced between people currently experiencing the ongoing struggle against poverty and people whose expertise comes from professional and voluntary work.

Enabling Group members will:

• Show enthusiasm and commitment to building a movement to end poverty in the UK.
• Demonstrate understanding and experience of movement building and taking action for positive change.
• Demonstrate leadership skills to mobilise networks and communities for the movement.
• Commit their time and expertise to supporting the movement to grow and strengthen over an initial year, with potential to commit further time at the end of this first year.

Enabling Group members will be expected to commit a minimum of 8-10 hours per month towards their role, including attending Enabling Group meetings and preparation/follow up from meetings. Other responsibilities might include:

• Representing the Let’s End Poverty Enabling Group at events and meetings
• Supporting Let’s End Poverty to reach out to new groups and communities to include them in the movement
• Attending team building events and activities to get to know other Enabling Group members

Enabling Group members may also contribute to Let’s End Poverty by mobilising people within their communities to get involved with movement activities.

Members of the Enabling Group will initially serve in their role for one year. At the end of this time they will be part of reviewing the ongoing work of Let’s End Poverty and how this can be best supported. This process may include an invitation to commit to further time on the Enabling Group to support the movement to continue.

Enabling Group members will be supported with training in organising and movement building, and opportunities to get to know and develop productive working relationships with other members of the Enabling Group.

The Enabling Group will be led by two co-chairs, who will facilitate and guide the group’s work.

The Enabling Group will work closely with the Delivery Group, made up of volunteers and staff from supporting organisations, who are responsible for the day to day activities of the movement. Enabling Group members will be supported by staff to carry out activities and be supported with logistical arrangements for Enabling Group meetings.

If Enabling Group members are expected to attend in-person events to carry out their role, they will have reasonable expenses covered.

Members of the Enabling Group are recruited through an application process, where individuals can apply for a particular space in the group. The application process will include answering 3-4 questions about the applicants experience, leadership skills and commitment to ending poverty in the UK, as well as an interview will a small panel of people. Applications can be submitted in writing or by voice note or video once applications are open.

In order to apply for a particular space, an applicant needs to share with the recruiting group how their experience applies to the seat they are applying for. For example:

• Having volunteered in a frontline service organisation, e.g. foodbank, debt advice.
• Involvement or leadership in a certain group e.g. place of worship or faith organisation, participation in a community organising group or union.
• Personal lived experience of being part of a certain community, e.g. racially minoritised community or people living with disabilities.
• Geographical location, e.g. living in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
• Professional role in an organisation, e.g. working for a national charity.

A panel will then build a balanced group where members represent a diverse range of experiences and perspectives. When reviewing applications for the Enabling Group, we are particularly keen to hear from people from traditionally marginalised communities. We are keen to ensure as many spaces as possible are held by people currently experiencing the ongoing struggle against poverty. Through recruitment, we will ensure that the group is balanced between people currently experiencing the ongoing struggle against poverty and people whose expertise comes from professional and voluntary work.