Bridging the Opportunity Gap: Creating New Opportunities for Children and Breaking the Cycle of Poverty
There is no question a correlation exists between poverty and opportunity. However, what that correlation looks like depends on whom you ask. For some, poverty should not exist because everyone has the same opportunity. After all there are plenty of examples of individuals who have “pulled themselves up from their own bootstraps.” Yet others point to the lack of opportunity as the very reason why the cycle of poverty continues.
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Regardless of what you believe, we know for a fact that children in poverty get fewer opportunities than their middle and upper class peers:
- Fewer opportunities to travel
- Fewer opportunities to explore and experience different careers
- Fewer opportunities to engage in experiential dialogue
- Fewer opportunities to participate in before and after school curricular and non-curricular programs
- Fewer opportunities to make relevant connections between what they have personally experienced and what they are actually learning
We can spend our time debating whether those in poverty can climb out on their own or we can spend our time collaborating on solutions to this growing problem in our country. I believe society has a responsibility to identify where the opportunity gaps exist. Ideally, our communities would work together to use existing resources to bridge those gaps. I also believe that the school system is a valuable partner in that effort. My work with Bright Futures has taught me that an important piece of our work is to develop those collaborative partnerships so we can create opportunities that don’t currently exist for most children.
Breaking the cycle of poverty is one of the greatest challenges of our time.
However, I believe fully in the collective impact of communities with the courage to come together to solve complex problems. To fail, or worse yet, to not try to overcome this challenge not only puts many of our kids in danger of being marginalized, but also puts our nation at serious risk as well.
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Executive/Administrative Assistant and Office Manager (accounts payable/receivable)
7 年I was raised by a single mother who held down two jobs to raise three children. My brother and I worked throughout high school to help pay for our clothing and school activities. Not one teacher or school counselor in my high school bothered to discuss with me the many opportunities available to a four-year honor student living in poverty. Instead, the average and less than average gpa students (living in more affluent families whose parents were popular business owners in the community) were hand-picked to receive college scholarships and grants, leaving me to believe that college was only for the wealthy. I was very blessed to have obtained gainful employment immediately after high school and to continue gainful employment to pay for my college education. I am so grateful for and appreciative of the many school programs available to middle and high school students today. School counselors and teachers are doing a wonderful job of promoting gifted students no matter their financial background; however, they must work harder to keep their eyes and hearts open to less fortunate students in order to peel away tough skins and present the more plentiful fruit.
Mr. Huff, Would like to talk to you in regards to what we are doing here at the Franciscan Mission Warehouse with people in poverty etc all over the world. Think you might find it intriguing what we are doing. Contact me at 816/994/2659. Sincerely, Theresa B. Volunteer Coordiantor
Aspiring lunch eater with a penchant for jaywalking. | Find my new book on Amazon - Collaboration is the New Competition
7 年I love the work Bright Futures is doing with the help of CJ Huff and Kim Vann,!