Listening Post – Maria & Lee

Following the launch of the Leeds Poverty Truth Commission’s Humanifesto on the 2nd February, we’re posting a series of blogs this week featuring some of the films and audio clips used at the launch event.

This is the third of three ‘listening posts’ recorded for the Humanifesto launch with two of our Commissioners in conversation about an one of our focus areas.

In this recording Maria Crosby, a grandmother from Meanwood, talks with Lee Hemsworth, Chief Officer for Customer Access at Leeds City Council, talk about the 14 page notification letter Maria received about her Benefits, Lee’s and his team’s response, and how meeting turned ‘them & us’ into simply ‘us’.

Listening is one of the most fundamental things we can do to overcome the stigma of poverty. By listening deeply to each other we can build genuine empathy and connect at a foundational level with each other, building relationships that can rehumanise us all. These ‘listening posts’ are audio recordings with no visuals to distract from listening to the voices in conversation.

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