Young SVP launches Survive on 5 Challenge

Young SVP has launched its Survive on 5 Challenge to take place during the week of Monday 2nd – Friday 6th March 2020

The concept

Survive on Five is a new challenge from SVP.  We’re asking you to challenge yourselves to survive on just €5 a day for all your food and drink costs.

This will not be easy. You will have to think about and calculate every item you consume. However, this is the reality of hundreds of thousands of people in Ireland every day.

The purpose

This challenge will help you get a better understanding of the daily constraints that a person on a low income in Ireland  faces.

According to our most recent statistics, 428,171 people in Ireland go without adequate food on a regular basis. This means missing meals and not being able to afford proper meals. Young people and single-parent families are consistently one of the most at-risk groups and are more likely to experience poverty than other groups.

Without social welfare payments (pensions, child benefit, job seekers, disability), nearly half of the population of Ireland would be at risk of poverty. SVP helps tens of thousands of people experiencing poverty every year, and campaigns to end poverty in Ireland.

The message

You can help us raise awareness of this by sharing your experience of the challenge with others through social media and blogs.

The challenge (and rules)

• You can consume no more than €5 worth of food / drink per day OR €25 worth over 5 days. This includes all items you eat at home, in school, at friends, while out and about etc. All items need to be accounted for.
• All food you take from fridge / presses at home must be factored in, including things like salt, butter, jam, teabags etc.
• You cannot accept donated / ‘free’ food from others – you must calculate the cost of all items eaten.
• If you are feeding a guest (friend, neighbour or family member etc) you must include this in your budget, even if it just a cup of tea / a biscuit.
• The challenge should be taken within your family’s budget, not as a separate / additional cost to your family – ie do not ask for a €25 allowance to take the challenge.

Welcome to the #Surviveon5 challenge

Read our #Surviveon5 Blogs for tips and to see how we got on.

The other stuff

FAQs

Please register by emailing us at youth@svp.ie.

You will not be on your own

• Young SVP groups from around the country are invited to take part and encouraged to share experiences (positive and negative) throughout the week.
• This will not be easy; you will have to think about and calculate everything you consume.  
• If you cannot manage the challenge it is important to share that too.
• Let us know how you get on via social media / write a blog / organise an event…use the hashtags #Surviveon5 and #YoungSVP and tag us @Young_SVP.

Consent for SVP to share your posts is assumed when you use the relevant hashtags / tag us. Please remember your posts may be seen / viewed by a wide audience, use language etc appropriately.

PLEASE REMEMBER SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCES OF THIS CHALLENGE WILL HELP RAISE AWARENESS OF HOW DIFFICULT IT CAN BE TO LIVE ON A LOW INCOME.

For many of us this is a challenge we will opt into for 5 days, for others it is an ongoing reality - please remember you can ask SVP for help if you or your family need it.