Do Charities Really Change Anything?

In decades of austerity, neoliberal governance, and cuts to public services, we’ve seen a steady increase in charity provision replacing public services. Is this a viable way to improve society, or do charities just paper over the cracks and support a failing government? Why do charity workers in Bristol keep going on strike?

In this event we’ll discuss why modern capitalism seems to love charities, the hidden harms that reliance on charity can cause, and whether there are better ways to fix the world’s problems.

If you have time, we suggest reading this OpenDemocracy article, which argues that “charities have become more than a safety net. They are a permanent feature of the government’s refusal to meet people’s basic needs.”

You could also check out this report about Second Step employees in Bristol going on strike against the charity.

What to expect

After an introductory talk, we will discuss the topic in small groups, with some time to feed back to the whole room.

Most of our events have somewhere between 10-30 attendees.

We aim for every event to be accessible to everyone, regardless of any prior knowledge!