The Empathy Fix

Poverty is bad for everyone. Being at the sharp end of disadvantage is shameful, reduces brainpower, and hampers positive action. It increases crime, burdens healthcare systems and raises taxpayers’ bills. While the ultra-rich bask in the glory of superstar status, people in poverty are cast as second-rate citizens. Deeply engrained prejudice and punitive policies lead to vicious cycles of deprivation. Positive psychology that emphasises personal strengths can be empowering for some, but also feeds toxic narratives of failure and defeat.

The flipside of taking credit for individual success is that the inability to achieve it is attributed to personal shortcomings. Writer and researcher **Keetie Roelen** exposes the realities of poverty and reveals why policies don’t work. She offers a radical rethink of current efforts to tackle poverty, what it means and how we break the cycle. Keetie provides the tools to relate to poverty, realise why current interventions often don’t work, and to respond to the situation in a way that gives everyone a sense of dignity and agency.

**Keetie Roelen** is a leading thinker in poverty and social policy and a longstanding advocate for social justice. She currently works as a Senior Research Fellow and Co-Deputy Director at the Centre for the Study of Global Development at The Open University, the largest university in the UK. She is the author of *The Empathy Fix: Why Poverty Persists and How to Change it*.

Presented by Conway Hall.

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.