The first of the Lancaster Action Forum plans!

The Lancaster group, facilitated by Torrence Harman and Lorraine Justice, came up with a number of very well thought out plans. Because they put so much effort into communicating their ideas and suggestions, I am going to post just one, in their own words, each day. My hope is that this will allow time to read and really absorb what their strategies involve. It's the best substitute I can make for their actual presentation.

Action Item
FROM POVERTY TO PROSPERITY
(Lancaster Visions Group: Proposed 3/27/10)


Goal:

To create opportunities for those in poverty (especially young people) to be exposed to/interact with role models who have moved from poverty to prosperity with the goal to motivate, inspire and support those in poverty towards productive lives and financial stability.

Implementation:

Identify local community persons who are knowledgeable about families and individuals who have prospered here and whose children are employed and working in various capacities successfully in other areas to come and share their success stories at the local level.

Through Guidance Services at the local high schools that track young people whose backgrounds suggest poverty but have achieved success by attending community colleges, four year colleges, vocational training programs, armed services, apprenticeship programs – thus leading to successful careers and meaningful lives.

Through Departments of Social Services who have familiarity with those persons/families who have availed themselves of employment and educational opportunities leading to more stable life styles.

Through local churches who have direct access to families they have helped financially as well as spiritually to a better life – one no longer in poverty speaking to interested groups in their churches.

Identify and establish opportunities for the above to share their stories (motivational – from poverty to prosperity) with young people in this area. For example:

*At Career Days at the local high schools.

*Through church sponsored events targeting those in youth programs in local churches.

*Reinforce and support youth motivated to make good decisions about education, health and employment with programs such as:

Local health personnel, willing to lead discussion on the values of maintaining good health and the dangers of young ladies having babies too early for themselves and their young children.

Local employers and others willing to speak with people of limited means and potentially stunted employment futures giving them pointers to possible employment opportunities and ways to advance in their companies. Other speakers providing pointers on resume building, interviewing advice, dressing for employment, etc.

*Reinforce and support families/parents motivated to encourage and support their children in their efforts towards education, training, financial stability, independence and good decision making with efforts such as:

Programs on availability of scholarships and other resources to enable continuation of education and/or achievement of certifications

Programs on effective parenting, child and youth development and motivation

Background & Rationale for the Proposed Action Plan

Poverty has many definitions. The U. S. Census stated that in 2005 the poverty line for a family of four was $19,350 per year and for an individual, $9,750. Living on less than this means living in total poverty. Poverty can lead to dependency, hopelessness and despair. Generational coping methods can perpetuate the cycle of poverty and dependency.

The Northern Neck has its share of poverty. Poverty here stems from many things. There never seems to be enough income to insure a decent living. People in poverty suffer from economic deprivation and therefore poor quality of life. To understand how people feel, the following areas should be examined with the question “What it is like . . . .

1. To be hungry?
2. To be homeless or living in substandard homes?
3. To have inadequate or no health care access?
4. To experience poor educational quality?
5. To be in an environment where labor market opportunities are lacking with a high percentage of adults in rural areas unemployed.?
6. To live in a neighborhood with a poor quality of life and few or no role models to demonstrate ways to better their conditions of life?

The list could be expanded with statistics showing more than 1 in 6 persons in rural areas listed as being poor.

Question: Is there a proven method to move from poverty to prosperity? The answer is “Yes!” There are people from this area that have succeeded despite all odds. As former first lady, Hillary Clinton stated, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Education and meaningful work opportunities are paths one must take and use to get out of poverty. The key is to help motivate our young people to see that such paths are within reach and achievable by being exposed to real life success stories who share what is needed to reach the goals of an improved, stable and prosperous way of life.

The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Poverty Reduction Task Force states that learning and skill development is a cumulative, lifelong process. Thus, preschool intervention that helps develop cognitive and socio-emotional skills have a higher return on families’ movement out of poverty than trying intervention later. Quality education beginning in pre-school or earlier makes the path into life learning and the way out of poverty much more likely.

People in poverty must buy into the concept that education and work leads to a better, more productive life. Parents, in particular must guide their children to accept the role of education as their way to a better life. Even if it appears that education hasn’t helped their parents, children must be taught to buy into the concept that a better life comes with being prepared academically. Families who have been able to help guide their children to use education and skill building as their road map to a better life in our area have been successful. Many of these families have children who completed high school, attended community colleges, four year colleges and graduate programs, joined the armed services obtaining training in various skills needed in the world of work, attended vocational schools and apprenticeship programs as well as on the job training, etc. Many of these persons who return to visit family members and some of these same people who now live and work in this area may be willing and would be very effective to speak with groups of people, especially young people, to demonstrate ways they used to move from poverty to prosperity. These people need to be people willing to help people in poverty to move to prosperity without making those in poverty feel like second class people. People in poverty must feel and understand that those trying to help are sincere and focused in their desire to help.