a.k.a. poverty sucks so let’s do something about. Today is blog action day and thousands of blogs are joining together and posting on poverty to bring awareness to this issue.
(you can get this dope shirt here)
For weeks I’ve been struggling with a topic – aside from poverty of course – because it’s so large. It just affects everything, from quality of life, to health to education. And it’s just everywhere. And the closest I’ve come to living in poverty was my year of service through AmeriCorps*VISTA. For one year, I made $800 a month and paid $550 of that to live in a not so safe neighborhood. But it wasn’t for real poverty because I definitely had a car, I could always drive home to the comfort (and luxury) of my mom’s house in CT and it was temporary. I felt empowered enough and was educated enough to navigate the food stamp system and other social welfare programs that I needed, but that my pride prohibited my from participating in.
The one situation where I truly felt poor (and helpless) was when I eventually got sick. For weeks, my ears were just ringing and I couldn’t figure out what it was. Eventually it began to impact my self so I was just looking and feeling like hell when my boss told me to go the doctor – something I would have done if I had health insurance. (Americorps gives you life insurance and the bomb burial plan, but no health insurance). Once again my pride got in my way b/c I definitely didn’t want to go to the free clinic, but my body won that battle and I trekked down to the clinic. I waited forever just to be told that I was on the waiting list and to come back in a month. Not cool. Thankfully a friend had had the same ailment and told me how to get rid of it so I didn’t have to wait the month for health care that I needed now.
That one experience reinforced the idea that living in poverty totally sucks and humbled me. Later in life when I dealt with clients in the health care system, it gave me a little more patience, but really just strengthened my argument that poverty sucks.
But what can we do about poverty?
Well, we can volunteer to help those who are currently living in poverty out. I did AmeriCorps*VISTA and volunteered with a nonprofit that helped low-income Boston public school children apply to college and supported them through the college process. VISTA is hardcore, but in the end it was worth it. (Plus they totally paid off my Perkins loans and gave me an educational stipend that totally helped with the enormous loans I acquired in grad school). AmeriCorps also has the City Year program which is also pretty dope. If you want to go international with it, there’s also Peace Corps, it’s a two year commitment but everyone I’ve known who has done has absolutely loved it.
But I need to get paid! I feel you, making approximately $10,000 isn’t going to cut it for most. There are programs like Teach for America or New York Teaching Fellows that not only allow you to work in impoverish neighborhoods, pay you a salary and also hook you up with a free masters. If you don’t want to make a career switch, you can always volunteer. Use your passion and skills to help others. Have a way with words, volunteer to do some grant writing or proofreading for a nonprofit. Good with children, spend some time playing with kids at a domestic violence shelter or hospital. No matter what you do, you can always help.
So poverty sucks, what are you gonna do about it?
peace,
e.
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Great post Eva! I love that you didn’t just present the problem but you provided ways to actually combat it. I’m definitely going to check out the AmeriCorps site.
Thanks Lady D. AmeriCorps is dope but not for the faint of heart. Check it out and let me know what you think.
E! Girl, don’t you know pride will have you broke and hungry? Betcha do now huh, lol. Living in poverty takes a level of skill that the priviledged don’t have. Survival becomes an art and once you are thrusted into that mode it really is a life changing experience, like you said.
Thanks for the info on these different avenues.
Nice E…burning ignorance to the ground. As a former TFAer, I can testify that poverty is no joke. America is a 1st world country, but there are people who go to bed without heat (forget A/C), water, electricity, proper health care and other basic necessities. Poverty is like a disease…it’s going to require serious care to ride the USA and rest of the world of it. Ignoring it will not make it go away… We all have to do something…community service, educating others, etc.
Great post! While there are tangible things we can all do to help ease the burden of poverty, in my view, it is one of those things that will always persist. In a capitalist society such as this, there will always be those that have to suffer in order the haves to keep what they have. The system is designed that way. Is it right? Of course not. However, like you said, as long as we consistently give back to communities we came from, and those we didn’t, we can help make life better for someone, at least.
Hi, Do something for help the hungry people in Africa and India,
I added this blog about them:
in http://tinyurl.com/5qlbzs
I went to the City Year open house, and it really is a great program: they offer money for college/loan reimbursement, a free monthly MetroCard (for those in NY), a cell phone and some other great perks. The current participants had a lot of great things to say.
They are currently accepting applications at the various locations in numerous cities!
http://www.cityyear.org