Things to
Think About
On November 24, 1989 the Canadian
House of Commons unanimously passed a resolution that: "this
House seek(s) to achieve the goal of eliminating
poverty
among Canadian children by the year 2000." There are now
500,000
MORE poor children.
(Campaign 2000, Report Card, 1997)
Before we figure out how we will fight
poverty we first have to figure out what poverty
is:
Have you ever felt ashamed or been
teased by your friends about wearing the same clothes over
again because your family didn't have the money to get you
new ones?
Have you ever had to miss going out
with your friends because you didn't have money to do what
they wanted to do?
Have you ever felt afraid to go home
because it was not a safe place to be?
Do you ever feel ashamed about your
family because they are on welfare?
These are just a few examples of
people's experiences of poverty. But poverty goes beyond
money, which some people don't know. When we think of
poverty often we imagine famines in Africa, homelessness and
destitution. That is one extreme of poverty.
Being poor is also about having
parents who are not around because they are working to try
and provide for their kids. They may not have the time or
the energy to be involved in your life. It may also be about
not having parents, growing up in foster care or living in a
group home. Poverty is also emotional: some people have
their material needs provided for (food, clothing, shelter)
but may be emotionally neglected.
Often being poor is about not even
knowing what is available to you. Poverty can limit your
ability to dream or imagine a better life for
yourself.
More Food for
Thought
Children who have access to a computer
at home are at an advantage academically and socially. They
learn to be comfortable with new technology. They can access
information for homework assignments and gain better skills
when job hunting.
Children whose parents read to them
have stronger written and verbal skills and are at an
advantage when they begin school.
Recreation is one of the ways children
build confidence, independence and learn how to interact
with others. Children, who don't have access to recreational
activities such as playing sports, taking swimming lessons
or learning a musical instrument, are often weaker in these
areas.
Children whose parents show an
interest in their education and help them in their homework
do better in school.
Travel is one of the ways people learn
about new cultures and experience adventure. Children whose
parents can't afford vacations have less opportunity to see
new places, meet new people and experience new
cultures.
Children who have at least one caring
and consistent adult in their life are more resilient, deal
with stress better and have higher self-esteem.
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