This week, in a conference hosted by the European Anti Poverty Network, I heard a powerful testimony from a man who had been rough sleeping for 30 years. 10 years ago, he started to speak out about the personal and structural indignities and struggles he had. Speaking out brought him to a place where he could change various things in his life and move forward. He had been empowered by the experience of being listened to, of being valued and of his dignity being recognised. His life had been precarious, but he then saw hope, and that brought change. In the coming week we will have our Annual Conference and General Meeting in Oslo. Our theme will be precariousness and how Diaconia responds to and prevents the precarity that blights millions of people across Europe. We need to talk about how we bring hope, how we bring empowerment and perhaps most importantly, how we really listen to those with precarious circumstances. It is by listening and acting on what we here that change will happen. You can follow our discussions on social media – look for the hashtag #Eurod17 @eurodiaconia
Have a good weekend,
Heather