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Activities to develop an understanding of what it means to be poor in the United States.

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Objective

To develop an understanding of what it means to be poor in the United States - and to begin to make meaningful connections between the official poverty numbers and the real-life situations they represent.

Introduction

Most people in the United States of America have what they need to live in comfort. Most people have enough food to eat, enough clothes to wear, and enough shelter to be safe. However, in the United States today, there are 38.1 million people living in poverty.

People are said to be "living in poverty" when they do not have enough of what it takes to fulfill basic human needs. A person can be poor when he or she lacks the essentials of daily life, such as a sufficient amount of food to keep them from being hungry. A person can be poor if he or she works hard at a job but doesn't make enough money to buy the things needed to be healthy and secure, such as proper clothing to keep them warm in cold weather or health care to help them when they are sick.

Who is poor in the United States? This is how those living in poverty would answer. We are White. We are African-American. We are Hispanic and Native-American and Asian, too. We are young and we are old. We live in cities, suburbs and in the country. We go to work and go to school and go to church. We are concerned about raising our children well. We help others who are in worse shape than we are. We sometimes depend on the kindness of others. We are nearly one out of every five children in America. We are one out of every ten families in America. We aren't all the same.

Activities

Getting Involved

Ask your group to share the day's activity with their families at home around the dinner table. Have them talk about who is poor in America today, the conditions that impact the lives of the poor, and the ways their own families can help those in poverty find a way out. Then have your members discuss their families' solutions in the group setting. Compare and contrast the differing views - and use the conflicting perceptions as an opening to a wider discussion of how America views the problem of poverty.

Explain to the group that, right now, there are people in their community living in poverty, for whom hunger is a daily occurrence and whom they can help by organizing a food drive at their school. Have your group create posters or flyers that they can distribute, telling about the problem of poverty in their community and asking others to donate food items to aid the hungry in their community. Contact a poverty-relief organization in your community to distribute the goods, then celebrate and publicize your group's good effort through the local media. Such drives that include families and involve community organizations help reinforce the notion that different groups can work together for the good of the whole.

For more information about getting involved in your community, visit our Act page, or find a CCHD-funded group near you.

To learn more about fight against global poverty, visit Catholics Confront Global Poverty, a joint initiative of the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services.

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Objective Introduction Most people in the United States of America have what they need to live in comfort. Most people have enough food to eat, enough clothes to wear, and enough shelter to be safe. However, in the United States today, there are 38.1 million people living in poverty.

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Activities to develop a deeper understanding of the daily challenges faced by those living in poverty

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Focus

Social Awareness

Objective

To develop a deeper understanding of the daily challenges faced by those living in poverty - and how to bring attention to the need for lasting solutions to the problems of poverty in the United States.

Introduction

Have you ever experienced poverty? Some of us have lived it firsthand. Others of us have only passed it on the street. How closely you have seen poverty, touched it, experienced it, colors your perception of what it is like to actually live in poverty.

What does it mean to be living in poverty in America today? Ask your group to take turns reading these quotes from people living in poverty. To emphasize and add drama, turn off the lights and shine a dim flashlight on the group members' faces as they read, avoiding their eyes.

Right now in the United States, 38.1 million people are living in a state of poverty. And of that total, more than 11.9 million are children under the age of 18. According to the US Census Bureau, people under the age of 18 have a higher poverty rate than those in any other age group. That's nearly one out of every six children in America, living in a state of poverty, "scared and afraid, not knowing what tomorrow will be like."

Activities

Get Involved

Encourage your group members to extend their community education campaigns outside of the classroom by writing letters to the editors of local newspapers, sharing information uncovered by their research on children living in poverty in America today. Have your group contact a local reporter to cover the community education campaigns created by your group - and to report on their efforts to bring awareness to the issue of children in poverty. Or have your group members identify legislators at the local, state, and federal level, to share their campaigns or research findings - and suggest actions that legislators could take to help bring awareness of and solutions to the problems of poverty in their communities.

Or sponsor a school debate on living wage laws, gun control, drug control laws, or other issues impacting the quality of life in poor communities in your area. Such point-counterpoint dialogues can be a positive means of opening new avenues of insight into the greater problems of poverty - and of discovering new pathways to solutions.

For more information about getting involved in your community, visit our Act page, or find a CCHD-funded group near you.

Explore Poverty USA

Stories of Hope: Read about how local groups are helping to fight domestic poverty and making a difference. Read the stories.

Poverty Quiz: Test your knowledge of the current state of poverty in America with this self-corrected, online quiz. Take the quiz.

Poverty Facts: A collection of facts about the state of poverty in America that illuminates understanding, including the Top Ten Poverty Rates of U.S. cities, counties and states. Get the facts.

Additional Resources

Videos

Watch and share these videos about how communities are confronting poverty across the country.

To learn more about fight against global poverty, visit Catholics Confront Global Poverty, a joint initiative of the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services.

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Focus Objective To develop a deeper understanding of the daily challenges faced by those living in poverty - and how to bring attention to the need for lasting solutions to the problems of poverty in the United States. Introduction Have you ever experienced poverty? Some of us have lived it firsthand.

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Our Our Street: Our First Talk About Poverty

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Our Our Street: Our First Talk About Poverty

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A gentle introduction to the issue of poverty, On Our Street explores the realities of people living with inadequate resources. Using age-appropriate language, this book addresses mental illness, homelessness and refugee status as they are connected to this issue.

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American photographer Peter Menzel and writer Faith D’Aluisio have traveled the world documenting that most basic of human behaviors—what we eat. Their project, “Hungry Planet,” depicts everything that an average family consumes in a given week—and what it costs. The pair released their book “Hungry Planet: What the World Eats” in 2005, showcasing meals in 24 countries.

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In an unprecedented effort, sixteen of the world’s foremost photographers traveled to thirty nations around the globe to live for a week with families that were statistically average for that nation.

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The Stack of the Deck_ An Illustration of the Root Causes of Poverty

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This lesson explores the connections between poverty and unemployment. Discovering that there are not enough living-wage jobs available for everyone who wants o

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Poverty and Unemployment: Exploring the Connections

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Poverty and Unemployment: Exploring the Connections

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Poverty and Unemployment: Exploring the Connections

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This lesson explores the connections between poverty and unemployment. Discovering that there are not enough living-wage jobs available for everyone who wants one, students begin to see how poverty is caused by systemic factors, not individual shortcomings.

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“Issues of Poverty” is comprised of four lessons with two overarching goals. First, the lessons aim to help students understand that poverty is systemic, rooted in economics, politics and discrimination. Second, the lessons provide evidence to show that poverty, far from being random, disproportionately affects Americans who have traditionally experienced oppression—African Americans, Latinos, immigrants and children.

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Millions of Americans live in poverty. Some are thrown into poverty by illness or unemployment; others live in a seemingly endless cycle of poverty that spans lifetimes and generations. A disproportionate number of children-many of them our students-live in poverty. In 2010, 22 percent of children in the United States lived in poverty. The numbers for African-American and Latino children were even higher.

Too many people blame the individuals for the socio-economic inequality from which they suffer. But the causes of poverty-and the factors that make it so difficult to eradicate-are far more complex. They are embedded in economics, politics and discrimination.

"Lessons in Poverty" is comprised of four lessons with two overarching goals. First, the lessons aim to help students understand that poverty is systemic, rooted in economics, politics and discrimination. Second, the lessons provide evidence to show that poverty, far from being random, disproportionately affects Americans who have traditionally experienced oppression-African Americans, Latinos, immigrants and children.

Lesson 1 has students compare the government definition of poverty with the actual costs of living in their own communities. They come to see that someone can work fulltime and still live in poverty.

Lesson 2 explores the connections between poverty and unemployment. Discovering that there are not enough living-wage jobs available for everyone who wants one, students begin to see how poverty is caused by systemic factors, not individual shortcomings.

Lesson 3 defines the cycle of poverty, and distinguishes between short-term need and long-term poverty. Students identify which groups of Americans are most frequently trapped in poverty, and explore why it is so difficult for them to escape its grip.

Lesson 4 addresses the connections between race and poverty. Students focus on one close-to-home factor that perpetuates inequality: Advanced Placement courses. They question who has access to AP courses, think about how access or lack of access affect a student's opportunities, both in school and beyond.

We encourage teachers to tailor the lessons to their students, to be sure that students who are experiencing poverty don't feel stigmatized and to encourage students who do not know poverty first-hand to develop compassion for those who have been less fortunate. We also encourage students to take action to address issues of poverty and inequality.

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"Issues of Poverty" is comprised of four lessons with two overarching goals. First, the lessons aim to help students understand that poverty is systemic, rooted in economics, politics and discrimination. Second, the lessons provide evidence to show that poverty, far from being random, disproportionately affects Americans who have traditionally experienced oppression-African Americans, Latinos, immigrants and children.

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Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña tells the seemingly simple
story of a boy riding a bus with his grandmother. CJ’s observations and
ultimate destination will inspire your family to volunteer.

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With humor and warmth, this children’s picture book raises awareness about poverty and hunger

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Gently told and powerfully illustrated in rich hues, The Lady in the Box deals candidly with the issue of homelessness.

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This beautiful new book will encourage conversation about the long-term impacts hunger and poverty can leave on a family.

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A homeless boy who lives in an airport with his father, moving from terminal to terminal trying not to be noticed, is given hope when a trapped bird finally finds its freedom.

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Rafael is hungry―because someone stole his lunch.

The Lunch Thief can be used for curriculum centered on nonviolence and peacemaking.

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A gentle and age-appropiate introduction to two key issues of our time—hunger and homelessness—from a kid's point of view. This empathy-building book is good for sharing at home or in a classroom.

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Molly and her mom don't always have enough food, so one Saturday they visit their local food pantry. Molly's happy to get food to eat until she sees her classmate Caitlin, who's embarrassed to be at the food pantry. Can Molly help Caitlin realize that everyone needs help sometimes?

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Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

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Esperanza thought she'd always live a privileged life on her family's ranch in Mexico. She'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp.

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All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. Though Jeremy’s grandma says they don’t have room for "want," just "need," when his old shoes fall apart at school, he is more determined than ever to have those shoes, even a thrift-shop pair that are much too small. But sore feet aren’t much fun, and Jeremy soon sees that the things he has — warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend — are worth more than the things he wants.

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Half of me was thinking, Georgina, don't do this. Stealing a dog is just plain wrong. The other half of me was thinking, Georgina, you're in a bad fix and you got to do whatever it takes to get yourself out of it.

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A 2021 Newbery Honor Book

A boy on the run. A girl determined to find him. A compelling fantasy looks at issues of privilege, protest, and justice.

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Dolly Parton lends the lyrics of her classic song "Coat of Many Colors" to this heartfelt picture book for young readers.

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But now Cora is a middle schooler, a big sister, and homeless. Her mother is trying to hold the family together after her father's death, and Cora must look after her sister, Adare, who's just different, their mother insists. Quick to smile, Adare hates wearing shoes, rarely speaks, and appears untroubled by the question Cora can't help but ask: How will she find a place to call home?

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Unsparing and realistic, Free Lunch is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. Rex’s voice is compelling and authentic, and Free Lunch is a true, timely, and essential work that illuminates the lived experience of poverty in America.

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The heartwarming and memorable Newberry Honor-winning book about finding family in the unlikeliest places, featuring artwork by beloved illustrator Garth Williams. This classic middle grade novel is a welcome and meaningful read, especially at Christmastime.

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In the vein of The Glass Castle, Breaking Night is the stunning memoir of a young woman who at age fifteen was living on the streets, and who eventually made it into Harvard.

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An inspiring novel about a poverty-stricken kid with grit and his attempt to “rise above it."

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Poor Kids (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

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Teaching with Poverty in Mind by Eric Jensen

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Teaching with Poverty in Mind by Eric Jensen

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Disrupting Poverty: Five Powerful Classroom Practices

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Disrupting Poverty: Five Powerful Classroom Practices

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Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap

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Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap