APLE is a national collective of individuals and organisations with lived experience of poverty.
We aim to create a sustainable, grassroots network across the UK to raise awareness of poverty, challenge the stigma surrounding it and contribute to its eradication. As a network, we promote the voices of those with lived experience of poverty and we work collaboratively with others to influence change.
Our Values: As part of the APLE Collective everyone in the network has an equal opportunity to have their voice heard.
Commitment to equality.
Respect the dignity of people from all backgrounds and actively seek to promote equality and diversity in our work.
Led by lived experience.
Work together at a national, regional or local level to promote the voices and influence of those with lived experience of poverty on the decisions that impact them and to raise awareness of and reduce the stigma associated with poverty.
Learning Together
Build the capacity of individuals with direct experiences of poverty to share their insights through peer support, training and knowledge sharing.
In line with our commitment to equality and diversity, we actively seek to amplify the voice, challenge discrimination and take action against the oppression of people who hold protected characteristics under the 2010 Equality Act, including socio-economic disadvantage. As such, we align ourselves with JRF’s mission to support the work of anti-racist organisations.
Annual Report 2023-2024
In this report, you’ll discover more about our journey, from becoming a CIO to another successful APLE Month, commemorating the International Day to End Poverty, collaborating with the Trussell Trust, and speaking at conferences nationwide.
This International Day for the Eradication of Poverty let’s commit to ending social and institutional maltreatment and work together to build just, peaceful, and inclusive societies.
Addressing poverty with lived experience means valuing the power of voice, listening, taking action and making change together. Taking Voice Seriously is key to addressing epistemic justice. Taking Voice Seriously builds on the work of APLE Collective, which has demonstrated the participatory imperative behind lived experience activism.
APLE Collective promotes APLE Month every June to celebrate the voices of those with lived experience of poverty. The 2024 theme, “Taking Voice Seriously,” emphasises the importance of listening and action. Events include a collective gathering, the Dignity For All Conference, Volunteers Week, Empathy Day, and Learning Disability Week, highlighting efforts to address poverty and inequality.
CAP and 16 other organisations have written a joint letter to DWP ministers calling for urgent action to help people in the UK who don’t have enough to live on going into this winter.
The digital divide may have shifted since the pandemic, but it still deeply impacts those living in poverty.
Access to technology and the internet remains a major barrier, keeping many disconnected from opportunities. We’re standing firm with our partners and allies to tackle this issue head-on, ensuring no one is left behind. The fight to close the digital gap is not over!
APLE Collective have been working in partnership with larger charities and organisations focused on our mission to address poverty with lived experience.
APLE Collective’s Themes from Welfare Experiences Workshop – Expert Citizens, ATD Fourth World. Thrive Teesside. Croft, T; Goldstraw, K; Herrington, T and Parkes, P APLE Collective have been working with Kings College London on a Read more…
Above is an estimate on how much someone with a disability who is having to seek help from the welfare system could lose if the reforms go ahead. To put the figure into context, my Read more…
The theme for the 2024 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is “Ending Social and Institutional Maltreatment: Acting together for just, peaceful and inclusive societies.” This theme highlights the vital need to tackle the Read more…