Everyday rights — like safe housing, decent work, and the right to family life — are human rights too. This belief guided the creation of ATD Fourth World’s Human Rights Summer Festival, a joyful gathering that combined meaningful conversations with moments of creativity, community, and fun.

Thanks to a grant from Amnesty International UK and training support from Architecture Without Borders UK, we were able to deepen our understanding of human rights — particularly Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ESCR), or “everyday rights” — and share this learning in a way that was accessible, inclusive, and energising.

Building on a strong foundation

For more than ten years, ATD Fourth World has hosted monthly Understanding Poverty meetings at our London centre in Addington Square. These gatherings bring together activists with lived experience of poverty to exchange ideas, build knowledge, and strengthen connections with wider networks.

This long-standing space was the perfect setting to deliver Amnesty’s Human Rights training programme. Across several months, activists with lived experiences of poverty — some seasoned campaigners, others just beginning their journey — came together both in-person and online to learn and collaborate.

Together, we:

• Explored the fundamentals of ESCR.
• Examined the deep links between poverty and human rights.
• Identified duty bearers and their responsibilities.
• Discussed strategies for responding to human rights violations.
• Co-produced a plan to share this knowledge with a wider audience.

The training was deliberately hybrid, balancing the energy of in-person sessions with the accessibility of online participation. This ensured that people living outside London or facing personal barriers could still take part.

The result? A collective vision to host a festival to celebrate human rights, centre lived experience, and invite the wider community to join the conversation.

A Festival of Rights and Community

On Saturday 19 July, that vision became reality at Muswell Hill Methodist Church, which opened its beautiful grounds for the occasion.

In true festival spirit, the day was buzzing with activity. The event featured:

• Art and Expression: Exhibits included poetry and photography created by people with lived experience of poverty, and a banner-making table allowed participants to channel their creativity into powerful messages on issues from poverty to women’s rights to Palestine.
• Spaces to Connect: Our “public living room” — inspired by Camerados — offered sofas, board games, and conversation, while children enjoyed colouring sheets illustrating everyday rights, as well as drama games led by Act Out Performing Arts.
• Community Conversations: Two discussion circles invited participants to reflect on the role of community in human rights action, and to explore the meaning and interconnection of everyday rights.
• Festival Fun: Glitter, temporary tattoos, and a lemonade stand added playful touches for all ages!

Inspiring Conversations

The day also featured thought-provoking panel discussions:

• “A Human Rights-Based Approach to Poverty” with Koldo Casla (University of Essex) and Susanna Hunter (Growing Rights Instead of Poverty Partnership).
• “A Crime to be Poor: The Criminalisation of Poverty in the UK” with Lyle Barker (Liberty) and Susan Elvidge (ATD Fourth World activist).

These conversations grounded the festival in real-world issues and highlighted how human rights frameworks can strengthen the fight against poverty, both locally and beyond.

Partners Who Made It Possible

The Human Rights Summer Festival was truly a collaborative effort. We would like to thank our partners:

• Muswell Hill Methodist Church, who graciously hosted us and welcomed the community into their space.
• Act Out Performing Arts, a local drama school, created a playful and welcoming environment for children and families in the garden.
• Trampoline Café, a social enterprise that supports London’s refugee community by providing culinary training programs, provided delicious food inspired by Uzbekistan for our guests — from savoury Bichak pastries to warming Kichiri rice and mung bean stew.

Looking Ahead

The Human Rights Summer Festival was more than a one-day event — it was the culmination of months of learning, co-creation, and community-building. It showed how human rights education can be transformed into something vibrant and inclusive, and how activism can feel like a shared celebration of dignity.

We look forward to building on this momentum — continuing to connect poverty and human rights, and creating more spaces where everyone’s voice can be heard.