Canada

ATD Fourth World has been active in Canada since 1982 with a team of permanent volunteers in Montreal. In 2004 a second team was set up in Toronto. In Quebec there are ATD Fourth World groups in Montreal, Rouyn-Noranda, Sherbrooke, and Thetford-Mines.

The principal areas of activity in Canada are the following:

Cultural activities and exchange of knowledge:

  • The Festival of Shared Knowledge, which takes place each year in a disadvantaged neighbourhood of Montreal, provides an opportunity for people from all backgrounds to meet each other while taking part in various workshops (theatre, embroidery, tales, mosaic, etc.). Held with a family atmosphere and in an outdoor setting, the festival helps to break down the isolation of people living in poverty and to combat prejudice. * The Fourth World People’s University allows people living in poverty to meet, to express themselves, and to reflect together on poverty, and on the social structures that force them to live in poverty. It is also a place of dialogue between people who live in poverty and those who do not. * The history of the very poor, their ideas and experiences, as well as the activities and projects that target their participation, are collected and circulated in the press review Pauvreté et Droits Humains (“Poverty and Human Rights”), the bulletin Actualité Quart Monde (“Fourth World News”), our involvement in various other publications, and the people’s testimonies which form part of the [17th October celebrations-

Uniting against poverty:

  • The international celebration of the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty is an opportunity for people living in poverty to speak out in their own voices and with their own ideas. This is a special time to pay tribute to the courage of people facing poverty, and to insist that they are co-participants in the fight to eliminate poverty.
  • ATD Fourth World is developing partnerships with groups that try to make contact with the poorest people in cultural, educational, political and community spheres. Regional groups (e.g. in Rouyn-Noranda, Thetford-Mines and Sherbrooke) provide a space for meeting, support, solidarity and action. ATD Fourth World is an active member of the Collective for a Poverty-Free Quebec.

Enlightenment through Art

An Exploration of People’s Spirit through their Neighbourhoods November 27 - December 18, 2011 - paintings by Urs Josef Kehl

October 17 2011 International Day for The Eradication of Poverty York Region

Movies
Some photographs from Oct 17 2011 and some others that also depict the theme…all pics and footage from York Region, Ontario, Canada.
Oct 17 is recognized as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty by the United Nations in 1992 and (…)

Essence of the Fatal Rose

I wanted to capture the essence of a woman that I kept seeing repeatedly sleeping outside near City hall. I first painted the boxes piled together she used to protect herself from the wind and store her belongings. I then sculpted her form as (…)
 
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Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated.
To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty.

Joseph Wresinski