In recent classes, one of the main topics of discussion has been how most of the areas that we are discussing and thinking about donating too are linked. Poverty seems to be one big intertwined web with one thing leading to another which will then lead to another and so on until we are right back where we started. This interconnection between themes of poverty is known as the “cycle of poverty.” So, let's start at education; lower levels of education and training leads to less employment opportunities and lower paying jobs. As a result, families will not have enough money to buy food or possibly pay for their home, leading to food insecurity and homelessness. In order to stay afloat, some will resort to criminal activity such as the sale of illegal drugs or theft which can then lead to addiction, jail time, and the breakup of families resulting in an even worse future for the next generation and now we are back in the beginning. This cycle is the unfortunate truth for many families as they are not facing just one problem, they are encountering a broad spectrum of challenges which they were born into and must fight to overcome. So, how as a class can we help break this endless web of poverty and where should we begin?
To help people overcome the odds and break out of the cycle of poverty, we must provide worthwhile means, not handouts. If we simply gave people food and gave them a job that they could not handle and would eventually lose, we would only be helping them for a short term and they would end up right back in that web where they began. For impoverished people to exit the cycle, we cannot simply take them out by throwing money at them, we have to guide them and empower them so that they can break themselves out. A good starting place to help families break out of the cycle would be to ensure the children’s health and education. If we educate children at a young age and help educate them for several years, they will be much more likely to get a higher paying job which will them give them the ability to pay for their food and rent without the help of others and without resorting to criminal activity. However, is education enough, or should we try to find more direct and personal ways to affect the lives of impoverished children? Please read this article that has helped me formulate my opinion.
One of the most important factors in my development is the role models that I have had whether they are coaches, parents, or friends. I aspired to be like the people around me which is why this article caught my eye. Most of the people around these children do not have an education and may have a drug addiction or are a part of a gang. These are the people that surround the children, so this is who they look up to; these people are their role models. Therefore, a more direct and personal way to change their lives is necessary. Programs like Friends of Children and Big Brothers Big Sisters are changing the lives of countless people not just by giving them money, but more importantly by developing relationships with those people who need better role models. Children would be able to turn to their “friend” whenever they are in need of advice and this will give them the internal capacity to utilize every opportunity that they are given. Programs such as Haven and Oasis are nonprofits in Broome County that provide children with a safe place to go after school. These two programs give children the opportunity to participate in after school activities and the people surrounding them can become their role models and help nurture and mold them for a better future. I believe that these two programs can help people do the daunting task of breaking out of the cycle of poverty.
Breaking the cycle of poverty may seem like a dream to many, but with the help of others, including ourselves, it is not a dream, it is a goal that can be accomplished. We must empower individuals and give them the ability to help themselves, which all starts with a good education and role model. Please share your ideas with me about how you think people can exit the poverty cycle and here are some questions that can serve as a starting place.
Do you think that childhood education is a good place to start to help families break out of the cycle?
Are there better ways that can get faster results?
Would donating to an organization like Haven or Oasis be an effective way to stimulate change in Broome County?
Hi Chris, great job. The cycle of poverty is something I often think about when I can't fall asleep at night which then makes for a very, very long night.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I'll go ahead and answer your questions. First, I think childhood education is a good place to start to help families break out of the cycle of poverty. However, even if you give a child access to education, that doesn't mean it'll be a good education. The quality of public schools is dependent on taxes so that means if an area is poorer, it is more likely to have a worse school. This is especially true when considering athletics and arts programs. If a school can't afford textbooks in decent condition, they probably won't have music, art, theatre, or athletic programs. This then translates to issues when applying to colleges. Just because you have good grades, doesn't mean you'll get into a good school or a scholarship. You're expected to be well-rounded. How can a person be well-rounded if programs they could participate in to make them so aren't available? How can someone get an athletics scholarship if they're never given the opportunity to excel in that sport? To tell children in poverty that if they just go to school and work hard then they won't be poor anymore is unrealistic when the barrier to entry into college is so high, especially for those who cannot afford it. Additionally, many children in poverty get part-time jobs while they're in school or have to drop out to work and help support their families. How can someone succeed academically if they're exhausted and overworked? While education is very important and can definitely help break the cycle, it is not a comprehensive fix for a complex issue.
On your second question, yes. I think the government needs to invest a lot more in public education. What's the point of education if it's not decent with a variety of opportunities to learn and then succeed post-secondary school.
And on the third, while Haven or Oasis could stimulate change and affect the lives of many children in Broome County, a systematic change needs to occur in order to create comprehensive opportunities that lead to greater change for those in poverty. There needs to be support at home and in schools for students that is realistic. There needs to be a way to ensure children don't go to school hungry or get the care they need when they're sick. And there needs to be a way for students to participate in programs that make them strong candidates for universities and especially scholarships that allow them to attend those universities.
Chris
ReplyDeleteTo answer your first question, yes I do think that childhood education is a good place to start to break the cycle of poverty. Today in class, I was put in a group that firmly believed in the fact that while all issue areas are interconnected, education is the root of many, and by ensuring better education will ensure less homelessness, less alcoholism, etc. They really made me understand the importance of youth education in relation to other issues. I really like the point that Gilda made in her comment. It isn't enough to make sure everyone has access to education, for those that live in low-income areas, we need to ensure that they have access to quality education as well.
As for your question about getting faster results through another method, I think that it is important to combine relief efforts for immediate needs, such as homelessness and hunger, with relief efforts for the long term like education. Combining both will ensure that we don't neglect any current issues, or avoid addressing future problems. I don't necessarily agree with Gilda's comment about the government investing more in public education, because more funding doesn't always solve the issue. In my opinion, it would be more beneficial to analyze our current system of education (which is constantly being done through testing), and find what programs are working, what aren't, and reallocate funding based on that.
To answer your third question, I think that Haven and OASIS are the ideal type of organizations that we could donate to. They focus on engaging youth, setting positive examples, and providing role models for children who would otherwise might spend there time engaging in self-harming activities. I am very glad that we chose youth education/outreach as our issue area, and I hope that we can continue to discuss the questions that you posed in class.
I firmly do believe that childhood education is a great place to start in attempting to break people out of the poverty cycle. As written in my person reflection this week, I went into great detail about why I believe that funding childhood education is one of the best decisions our class can make because it addresses a plethora of other major social issues as well; which you briefly touched upon in your introduction. The interconnectedness of poverty and the lack of proper education is daunting and is a real issue here in Broome County so I was glad to hear that the issue area of focus for our class is in youth education/enrichment.
ReplyDeleteAs for your question about whether there would be a faster method to ending this cycle of poverty; I am unsure. I do believe that youth education is a good place to start but it does take a few months to years to see positive results that can affect other factors such as homelessness, poverty, and food shortages. However, I think that leaving the greatest impact on society far outweighs the quickness at which we can attempt to achieve this with our class money. Yes addressing these major social issues does take time, but if the change that can come out of it is great, then I think it is worth the investment. That is why I think that investing in children is smart because children really are the future and if we invest time and money in children now, they will have a greater chance of success and being able to escape the poverty cycle.
To answer your third question, yes I do believe that donating to an organization like HAVEN would be an effective means to stimulate change in Broome County. Coincidentally, I mentioned donating to HAVEN in my reflection paper and I will list a few short reasons why I think that HAVEN is a great organization. Not only does HAVEN provide after school tutoring and education enrichment programs for high school students, but they also have counseling sessions, a place to teach kids social norms in social settings, an outreach center, a community service center, and more. It also helps that HAVEN is conveniently located right across from Binghamton High School so transportation would not really be an issue.
The cycle of poverty is definitely real and we need to get as many people out of it as possible. Education, I feel, would be the best way to remove people from the cycle. If people can get a high school diploma they are much more qualified for a job than those who drop out. If these graduates can then get a college diploma than they will be even better candidates for employment. The education system aid will not get quick results, but will have greater effect in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Oasis or Haven would be good places to allocate funds. They seem like they are helping students and are able to get members of the community out of the cycle of poverty.
One point I would like to make is that if more people get skilled jobs over unskilled jobs, from receiving an education, than America can produce high priced goods and trade with low skilled and low price goods from other countries. This will cause companies that are low skill to move out and the future generations will have skilled jobs stay in America causing them to receive higher wages. The education aid is a form of investing in the future.
I completely agree that education is the foundation for a successful life and a lack of education is certainly the basis of many other problems that may exist in societies including poverty. A point you made that I am truly passionate about is that it takes more than handouts to solve these issues. In discussing the issue of homelessness in class, a point I mentioned in my group is that working toward creating more homeless shelters may provide a roof over the heads of only some of the homeless population and only for a temporary period of time. On the other hand, providing an education to children starting at a young age will provide them with life skills that they need to succeed in a career and make positive and healthy decisions to break this cycle of poverty.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of how to go about providing this education, I believe the example you shared was perfectly reflective of the type of way to create this impact. The use of mentors is a realistic method that has been proven to show results based on the success stories coming from the many organizations that provide this throughout the nation. Though traditionally, many people think of education as learning the basic subjects in the classroom, there are many ways to learn and by example is one. Not only do these mentors help encourage them to do well in school, but they also guide them through life decisions, teach them basic skills that parents may not be available to do, and help them set goals for their future regarding careers and college. I believe programs such as Haven, Oasis, and others are exactly the types of programs that will be able to provide this support that children need to succeed in the future and break the cycle.
I am currently also taking an Intro class to Social Work and it is amazing how closely the topics of both this Philanthropy class and my Social Work class relate. Specifically, this week my SW class is looking at homelessness and poverty in the United States, so I wanted to share a few snippets of reading and statistics that I found compelling in relation to your post on poverty and our decisions in class this week.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the authors of my textbook the median annual salary of someone in the United States with a master's degree is $46,679, but that rate drops significantly to $12,269 for people who do not complete high school (296). I think this statistic is significant regarding our decision because as Gilda mentioned, dropping out is unfortunately a scenario that low-economic students face if they need to help their family with bills. With that being said, engaging students in their school work and extra curricular activities is significant. Also, empowering them to continue schooling or skill training with career planning programs is an important characteristic we may want to look for in an organization beyond just after-school activities. The book also mentioned that "in 2005, an individual under age sixty-five in the United States was considered poor if his or her annual income was less than $10,160" (301). That's only a little bit more than what we are donating as a class... and most likely not at all enough to manage rent, utilities, or medical, food and travel expenses...especially with children too. Finally, a really important point the textbook mentioned was that poverty is considered to be somewhat higher in rural areas at 14% on average whereas urban areas were listed in the text as 12% (304). This is important for us in Broome County because many of the school districts, including the school I attended in Windsor, are rural districts with a significant amount of low-income students.
I am very happy with our decision to consider youth services organizations because it is something that is really passionate to me as a first generation student in my family, and I do think it is a meaningful way to help our future graduates break the cycle. I also think that because of the inter-relatedness of all of our focus areas, it is very likely that some of the organizations we consider will include mental health and youth homelessness programs.
https://books.google.com/books/about/Social_work.html?id=dEVHAAAAMAAJ (Link to Textbook)
This is also an interesting link we looked at in my Social Work class. It simulates what it is like to live on a fixed income and the challenges that families face, I encourage you all try it out: http://playspent.org/html/
Great post Chris! I like that your post focused on education and youth services because that is the sector that our class will be involved with for the rest of the semester.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that focusing on childhood education is a good way to start to help families break out of the cycle of poverty. Kids are certainly the most impressionable group of people and how they are treated and who they are surrounded by directly impacts the person they grow up to be. I believe that targeting childhood education can be seen as a sustainable way to address the cycle of poverty. If a child learns about healthier eating habits at school or in a program, they may grow up to teach their kids the same thing. It is possible that they could even go home and show their parents what they learned and it could change how they eat at home. Providing a quality education for students when they are younger helps set them up what they face in the future. According to the New York Times about 1 in 10 young male droupouts is in jail or juvenile detention, compared with 1 in 35 young male high school graduates. Providing children with a quality education also can provide with the spark or motivation to pursue a particular career path or continue to college.
I was extremely fortunate to attend a school system that had high academic standards and plenty of after school activities to choose from. I agree with what Gilda said in her comment about considering athletic and arts programs. Some students are motivated to go to school because that is where they can go to art class or because they know they get to go to basketball practice afterwards. I believe Including a focus on a well-round education and extra activities will lead towards more success for the students as a whole.
NYT Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/education/09dropout.html
Good work Chris, the cycle of poverty is truly a real and devastating issue that has been a problem since the dawn of man.
ReplyDeleteI believe education is the best solution to escape poverty, but it is also, potentially the worst. In my reflection essay, I tackled the notion that perspective is the means by which success is achieved. You may be the world's greatest piano player, but if do not have the presence of mind to realize your potential, you will never achieve your dreams or desires. Children are by means, the easiest to make a lasting impression on as well. They can idolize or follow professors and businessmen of great knowledge, striving to improve themselves each and every day, or they can become addicted to drugs, hang around the wrong crowd, and end up in prison or simply, unhappy. Furthermore, since education is highly regulated, mandated, and the place where most children spend critical time during their youth, it would appear foolish to ignore such an easy medium to improve the welfare of our future. The United States' education system should focus more personal development, rather than simply regurgitating knowledge on a piece of paper. With nearly 60.2% of parents with children in 2014 working, children are missing out on the critical dichotomy between intellectual and personal development. The state needs to step in and create programs that engage children in how they think, and why they think it. Children have such creative, inspiring, and full perspectives on life, we should nurture and feed their potential, not stifle it!
Education can also be a horrible solution to poverty. In every society, there exists a hierarchy. There are rich people and poor people, smart people and not-so-smart people, etc. Poverty is a measure of an economic situation. Money. Now if we assume education is both a cause and solution, then it will be just that. Providing education to the poor is a short-term solution. As those on the lower end of the bell curve rise, the average rises. Those who were average are now poor, and the whole competition of the world has to compensate. Individually a family may be able to escape, but it does not solve the overlaying issue. The cycle never truly ends.
Interesting Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-laracy/is-higher-education-livin_b_776075.html
Hi Chris, good post. I enjoyed the read, and I enjoyed talking to you about this in class on Tuesday. I enjoyed your mentor discussion. it reminds me of Barack Obama's "My Brother's Keeper Initiative" which encourages mentorship throughout school years. Perhaps this is a program that Broome County could proscribe to. Continuing, a program that I volunteered with, the BU Buddies Program, provides college age mentors to students in Binghamton's Alternative High School. I felt that there we had a good effect on the students. Many of the struggling students in the area just lack guidance, because there parents never had guidance and so on. It truly is a cycle. I hope that as a class we can use education to break the cycle or at least do some damage to it.
ReplyDeleteChris, thank you for the informative and thought provoking blog post. Poverty is undoubtedly a large problem that faces our society, and humanity as a whole. It is clear that there is a link between poverty and problematic behaviors such as drug use, violence etc. To start off, I think that yes childhood education is a great place to begin breaking the cycle of poverty.
ReplyDeleteEducation is something I hold to be extremely valuable. I think that the more education a person receives, the more likely they are to find a job or career that could better their situation. I think that we are both examples of this thought process seeing that we are both receiving a higher education ourselves. That being said, the education process starts early. The first several years that a child is educated can impact their outlook on education for the rest of their life. So if a child attends a program in which education is enforced and they have a mentor whom they look up to telling them education is good, they may want to stay in school longer. To answer your question about there being a faster, more effective method to reducing poverty, I don't know. I am not sure if education is the best method or if there are better methods, what I do know is that education is a great places to donate regardless.
That being said, in no way do I think education is enough to eradicate poverty. As Gilda stated, education tends to be of low quality in poor areas. This presents a problem to strictly focusing on education. Another thing that may need to be addressed is culture. For example, the US Census Bureau calculated that families raised by single mothers have a 44.4% percent chance of living in poverty. Something like that may need more than education to fix.
That being said, I believe that giving towards education is extremely valuable. Educating someone is giving them knowledge and skill that will benefit them for their whole life. For that reason I think it achieves a long term benefit. Although there are problems with solely focusing on education, it is important to note that there are problems that arise when focusing on any issue area. At the end of the day, focusing on education is worthwhile and I believe it is a positive step towards erasing poverty in Broome County.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts on this topic with us. I feel a very similar way as you do, that early childhood education is a very good place to start to help break people out of the cycle of poverty. Education is the foundation on which we build our lives, and without a good education, it is much like trying to build a house on the sand. Improving education can allow for people to break out of the cycle that faced earlier generations and can have the effect of exponential growth. A person who breaks the cycle will hopefully try to help provide others the opportunity they had and so on.
I also agree with the notion that this must be an individualized effort. Having good role models who take an interest in the lives of young people is crucial to their development as people; and as you shared, we all probably have numerous examples of role models who had a hand in shaping our development. HAVEN is an organization I have taken an interest in as we’ve progressed into the semester because it seems to me they offer programs that can help the development of youth as individuals and as students. They are definitely on my short list of organizations that peak my interest.
One thing I would like to mention though is that I also believe that Gilda had a point in her earlier comment. There is a substantial issue with the quality of education many children are receiving in public schools. In order for us to impact this cycle of poverty through education, the education children receive in school needs to be dramatically improved, especially in poorer districts. This is a difficult task because it is hard to improve when there is no money to do it with, which is why there also needs to be a concentrated effort by the government especially to make education a priority and finally do something about many children in this country getting a sub-par education. With an issue like education, philanthropy and organizations cannot completely solve this problem without a much more concentrated effort in this country to improve the educational system.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis cycle of poverty is really an endless one. There are many "beginning" points that we have acknowledged as a class. These could be food insecurity, homelessness, unemployment, mental health...the list goes on and on.
ReplyDeleteI agree that in order to really help implement a change in people's lives, we cannot simply give handouts. We need to teach these individuals how to change their lives and show them what it is that causes them to continuously fall back into this cycle of poverty. This is why I agree that a great starting point is educating the youth, because if we help to educate these children, they have less of a chance to follow in their parents’ footsteps and more of a chance to succeed in life.
I agree with the fact that what you are surrounded with becomes what you turn into. Similarly to David Brooks' comment on how when working with hedge funds Jason Trigg will slowly lose focus on his philanthropic mission because of how he has chosen to surround his life with hedge funds and money; if we surround these children with a positive environment where they can learn and grow, this is what they will turn into...young adults with open minds.
Because of these things, I feel that child education is a great place to start when trying to tackle the daunting task of breaking the cycle of poverty. I feel that donating to an organization like Haven or Oasis be an effective way to stimulate change in Broome County, because with their help we can change the lives of many children in the area.