A new campaign run by CSV, the UK’s largest volunteering charity and the Campaign to End Child Poverty, a coalition of over 70 organisations, will recruit 35,000 volunteers to help tackle child poverty. ‘Dare to Care’ will recruit volunteers to make time to work with children from deprived backgrounds and will raise awareness of the experiences of children living in poverty. The charities will be joined at the launch by Third Sector Minister, Ed Miliband. (Thursday 21 June 2007).

Around 1 in 3 children (3.8 million) live in poverty in the UK, many well below the poverty line (1). The UK has one of the worst rates of child poverty in the industrialised world but efforts to change this can be successful.
 
The launch of Dare to Care will take place at 10am on Thursday 21 June at the grounds of Rochelle School, part of the Arnold Circus social housing scheme in Tower Hamlets and will involve young volunteers as well as pupils from Virginia Primary School (2). The Minister and campaign leaders will help plant vegetables at an allotment used by the primary school to teach pupils about healthy eating – something which is a challenge to many families struggling on low incomes.
 
The aim of the campaign is to show how volunteers can make a direct difference in helping to tackle child poverty. Children living in poverty are likely to have worse health, have more road accidents, lower aspirations and educational achievements than their peers and the campaign aims to help readdress this cumulative 'poverty of experience', which millions of children are currently experiencing. 
 
Dare to Care will have five themed months, including Education, Family Support, Health and Time for Money. Each themed month will be overseen by a different leading children's charity (3). The campaign will start in October to coincide with CSV Make a Difference Day, which is the UK's biggest single day of volunteering. The campaign will receive £1.25 million funding from The Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office.
 
Working together with the Network of National Volunteer Involving Agencies and End Child Poverty members the campaign will run a small grants programme to enable community groups, charities and schools to organise local initiatives. The CSV Action Network through BBC local radio stations will mobilise citizen volunteers by organising events throughout England.
 
Dame Elisabeth Hoodless, Executive Director of CSV, said: "What is needed is direct action by individuals and communities to tackle poverty of experience and skills that can transform the life of a child. Volunteers can improve the reading age of a child in a school; support the families of children on the 'at risk' register and help families to run more fuel-efficient homes. Our experience is that volunteers' practical help inspires parents to prepare nutritious meals on a budget and claim their rights and benefits. Citizen volunteers can provide a homework tutor, a shoulder to cry on and support for the whole family."
 
Martin Narey, Chair of End Child Poverty, said: "The UK has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the industrialised world despite being one of the wealthiest nations.  Children who grow up poor are more likely to leave school without qualifications and have fewer employment opportunities.   Volunteering in projects to support children experiencing poverty can really make a difference. We need ending child poverty to become everyone's business to create real change."

Ed Miliband, Minister for the Third Sector, said: “Government must continue to invest in direct measures to tackle child poverty through higher incomes and better services in order to meet our goals. This programme will complement that investment by raising levels of understanding about what it means to grow up in poverty and mobilising volunteers that do great work to support and mentor children from deprived backgrounds. Dare to Care is a powerful example of the Third Sector speaking with one voice on a crucial issue, and I am confident the passion and commitment of these organisations will inspire people to give their time to change lives and strengthen their communities.”

Dare to Care will build on CSV's own experience of involving citizen volunteers in tackling child poverty, which sees volunteers working with children in care, in schools or on the 'at risk' register.  It will also draw on the expertise of Barnardo's, The Children's Society, NCH and Children's Links, members of the Campaign to End Child Poverty who are each leading a themed month.

You can volunteer for Dare to Care from October. To register your interest in advance, visit: www.csv.org.uk/daretocare. 
 
The launch is taking place at Rochelle School in Arnold Circus, Tower Hamlets, E2 7ES at 10am Thursday 21 June. 

Directions: Nearest tube station Old Street: Take the ramp at Exit 2 and go along Old Street until you reach Shoreditch High Street. Turn right, cross over at the lights and take first left onto Calvert Avenue. Arnold Circus (with bandstand) is at the end of Calvert Avenue. Rochelle school is to the right of the circus. (10 mins walk from Old Street tube). Click here for map.
 
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To attend or for further press information contact: Paul Donohoe, CSV Press Office on 020 7812 0037 or 07779 624385 / or Jason Tanner 020 7812 0038 / 07941 433 598  www.csv.org.uk/press

Any press enquiries for Third Sector Minister Ed Miliband, or the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office, please contact: Campbell McDonald, Cabinet Office Press Office on 020 7276 0311.

Notes for editors
 
1. In 2005/06, there were 3.8 million children living in UK households with below 60 per cent of median household income on an After Housing Costs basis, 2.8 million Before Housing Costs. This represents a fall of 0.6 million since 1998/99 on both a Before Housing Costs and After Housing Costs basis. The Households Below Average Income statistical report, Dept for Work and Pensions (May 2007). In 2005/6 there was an increase of 100,000 children in poverty.

2. Virginia Primary School serves a mainly Bengali Muslim population. Ninety-seven per cent of pupils are of minority ethnic origin with 91 per cent having family origins in Bangladesh. Approximately 97.5 per cent of all pupils do not have English as their first language. The main languages other than English are Sylheti, Bangla, Vietnamese/Chinese and Somali/Urdu. Around 50 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Ofsted Inspection Report 2004 (latest).

3. The 4 main children's charities involved in the campaign are Barnardo's, The Children's Society, NCH and Children's Links.   

4. CSV (Community Service Volunteers) creates opportunities for people to take an active part in the life of their communities through volunteering, training and community action. Last year 227,000 people gave 5 million hours of their time as volunteers through CSV. CSV trains 12,705 people of all ages. www.csv.org.uk

5. End Child Poverty is a coalition of over 70 organisations working to eradicate child poverty in the United Kingdom. It is formed from children's and other charities, social justice groups, faith-groups, trade unions and others concerned about the unacceptably high levels of child poverty in the UK.  www.endchildpoverty.org.uk  

6. The Office of the Third Sector is committing £1.25 million towards the operation of Dare to Care in England

Notes on the Wonder Garden at Rochelle School, Arnold Circus

Arnold Circus is part of Boundary Estate, constructed from 1890. The estate was one of the earliest social housing schemes. It was built by the London County Council as the world's first ‘council housing’, replacing the Friars Mount slum.

The estate consists of multi-story brick mansion blocks, surrounding the central mound. By modern standards, each unit is small and lacking in amenities. (Source – Wikipedia)

Whilst digging the garden volunteers came across oyster shells. Though considered a delicacy now, in the Victorian era oysters were affordable food for poor Londoners.