Do you know an effective poverty-fighting organisation?

Earlier this week ConservativeHome attempted to define social justice and in response to a posting by John Hayes MP there was a lot of visitor concern that the Tories might be embracing out-of-date perspectives in its use of the social justice term.

Perhaps the best way of understanding the idea of social justice is to look at the kind of poverty-fighting groups that the Centre for Social Justice awarded last year.  David Cameron is pictured presenting an award to the Shannon Trust.  The Shannon Trust recruits literate prisoners to mentor illiterate fellow prisoners in one-to-one teaching.  It is a highly effective programme that tackles one of the main things that stops offenders prospering when they leave prison.  Other groups awarded including a Bristol-based charity that helps build healthy marriages and a homelessness charity that helps people develop the skills they need to become independent of the state.  The CSJ Awards programme is non-partisan and Labour's Salford Council received an award last year.  Members of the judging panel include Frank Field MP and Theresa May MP.

The CSJ has now launched its 2006 Awards Programme and is looking for good poverty-fighting groups to apply for a share of a £25,000 prize fund.  If you know of a worthy organisation please tell them about the CSJ Awards by directing them to this pdf.  Applications must be received by 12th April.

Comments

[Frank Young]

I've passed this on to the Head of my school. We educate and provide free boarding to a large number of children with desperately sorry backgrounds and frequently give them an opportunity to change their lives.

[William Norton]

Do you know an effective poverty-fighting organisation?

The Labour Party have developed some radical and innovative approaches in their long struggle against personal poverty - in particular some startlingly successful ways of overcoming a poor credit rating and lack of access to loans - but somehow I don't think this is what the Editor is driving at...

[johnC]

I should think any of the blue chip companies in the FTSE 100 could share this award. They generate wealth which is shared by employees, shareholders and society in general through taxation as well as providing employment and improving the quality of life through their products and services. But again, I don't think this is what the Editor is driving at either....

[Editor]

I take your point johnC. I think the CSJ is interested in any company that has made an exceptional contribution of poverty alleviation.

You might like this from Michael Novak...

"The reason is simple: The business corporation is the strategically central institution of social justice. If the business corporation fails to meet its moral responsibilities, the odds against the rest of society doing so shrink to next to zero. Take one obvious example: the business corporation is strategically central to the creation of new wealth — and new industries — and new jobs; no other institution even comes close. The workers of a corporation depend on its success for their jobs, their career opportunities, their job training, their pensions, and their health care — even their friendships. When women and men enjoy their work, grow as human beings in it, prosper from it, they are happier in the rest of their lives.

On the other side, when corporations go badly, human misery increases. If human conditions at work are poor, the rest of life tends to sour with it."

http://www.nationalreview.com/novak/novak081602.asp

[Rebel]

This: http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/
is what the 'social justice' agenda will bring

Compassionate Conservatism=Socialism

[malcolm]

'Compasionate Conservatism= Socialism'.Utter rubbish.You used to be sensible Goldie.What's happened?

[matt wright]

My initial view is the same as one of the other commentators ie the award should go to business. Entrepreneurs are the poverty busters and if we don't rediscover this our economy is going down the tubes fast. When I talk to Labour colleagues in private I am astonished at how they share my view about the dis-benefits of the welfare state. The biggest enemy of the working class has been the modern welfare state and its cycle of dependency, which has effectively made them non-working class and stole their ethos of duty and ethics,

Matt

[Sam Coates]

Giving £10,000 to one of these organisations helps society far more tangibly than investing into a business start-up, surely?
Cameron's emphasis on social enterprises is to be welcomed.

[Yet Another Anon]

>>>>Do you know an effective poverty-fighting organisation?<<<<
The Open Source Foundation, Oxfam; indeed good provision of infrastructure and public transport links so the companies that do this as if you are stuck in some backwater and unable to get anywhere you are far more likely to end up in poverty, libraries and universities - as the bible says "Know Ye the Truth that the Truth Shall Make You Free".

State provided personal healthcare just tends to encourage hypochondria and dependency and so is to be avoided.

[johnC]

Tim, I've only just seen your response to my comment. I'm delighted to see you quoting Michael Novak. He would be top of my reading list for a new 21st century Conservatism.