Understanding+Poverty+in+Our+Neighborhood

Democracy and Active Citizenship Project
 * What should be prepared for the Dialogues in Democracy Night? Click the link below to find out: **

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In the North Kingstown community, people have common misconceptions about their low-income peers which can lead to judgmental behaviors. This can cause a barrier between low-income and wealthy students, and neighbors, that can be emotionally frustrating for the disadvantaged persons. Unless addressed, people in North Kingstown will continue to live in ignorance about poverty and it’s causes and therefore the low-income students with continue to live in a community where they are not only misunderstood, but excluded as well. ======

__Bill or Policy:__
**2010 -- H BILL # ** ======= LC01752 ======= **S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D ** **IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ** **JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2010 ** A N A C T  RELATING TO POVERTY IN NORTH KINGSTOWN SCHOOLS __Introduced By __: Date Introduced Referred To __: ___ It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
 * Title of Bill:** EDUCATING NORTH KINGSTOWN STUDENTS ABOUT POVERTY

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">**6** 2011-2012 Current Wave is being transcribed.
 * 1** Whereas students from low-income houses are subjected to sub-standard treatment from peers,
 * 2** And whereas stereotypes are prevalent in this school district, the school newspaper will implement
 * 3** A section dedicated to correcting common misconceptions about poverty and the people affected.
 * 4** This section shall be an anonymous account of a student wishing to voice their story in an attempt
 * 5** To help others understand their situation. This shall take into effect when the first issue of the

__Direct Action Plan:__

 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">October 17 is National Poverty in America Day
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">On that day, 200 students with dress in “uniform” to represent the immense number of homeless students in our school district alone.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">The “uniform” will consist of khaki pants, and a specifically designed shirt.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Each shirt with be black, with a various stereotype about poverty (lazy, uneducated, beggar, trash) in big, white lettering on the front.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">The back will consist of a sentence to explain the meaning behind the shirt. “Poverty is difficult enough; DON’T judge!
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">This project is not only meant to draw attention to the issue at hand (stereotyping without knowledge) but to also show the large number of people affected by the casual, yet hurtful, remarks of fellow students.

[[file:Flyer Democracy.docx]]
**MEDIA ADVISORY---** May 31, 2011 Meredith McRae, <span class="skype_pnh_print_container">(401) 648-6543 <span class="skype_pnh_container"><span class="skype_pnh_mark">begin_of_the_skype_highlighting <span class="skype_pnh_highlighting_inactive_common"> <span class="skype_pnh_dropart_span"> <span class="skype_pnh_textarea_span"><span class="skype_pnh_text_span"> (401) 648-6543  <span class="skype_pnh_mark">end_of_the_skype_highlighting NK Against Poverty **NK Against Poverty** In North Kingstown, Rhode Island, more than 200 residents are expected to turn out on October 17 to participate in an unusual activity to address the issue of poverty and its stereotypes in their school, according to Meredith McRae. North Kingstown Against Poverty has planned to have a large group of students wear a matching outfits in order to educate fellow students about the poverty issue in their school. 200+ students will arrive to school wearing matching outfits. The front of their shirts with read a common label given to their low-income peers. The back, a sentence summarizing their mission- “Poverty is hard enough; DON’T judge! P overty-stricken students are subjected to stereotypes and judgmental behaviors from their peers. It seems as though a large portion of students do not fully understand the struggle of being homeless, simply because they have not learned any better. It the goal of this project to educate peers about poverty, and to improve upon their misconceptions. North Kingstown Against Poverty works to improve the lives of students at their school. It is their hope that just because a student may be less wealthy, does not mean they will be treated any differently. ###
 * CONTACT:**
 * WHO:** North Kingstown High School Students
 * WHAT:** ** Dress to fight poverty stereotyping **
 * WHERE:** 150 Fairway drive, North Kingstown, Rhode Island 02852
 * WHEN:** October 17th; from 7:25am-2pm

__Letter to Head of Newspaper:__
May 14, 2011

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Mrs. Kenworthy,

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Here in North Kingstown, we teach the second highest number of homeless students in Rhode Island. That fact might be extremely surprising to many students in our school. These poverty-stricken students are subjected to stereotypes and judgmental behaviors from their peers. It seems as though a large portion of students do not fully understand the struggle of being homeless, simply because they have not learned any better. It is my goal to educate my fellow peers about poverty, and to improve upon their misconceptions. The Current Wave is read widely throughout our school and I believe it could help to tell of the hardships of being poor. It is my suggestion that we could implement one story a month, of a student who lives in poverty at our school. An anonymous account of someone we all see, but may not know. This could assist in personalizing poverty and help students to understand what their economically disadvantaged students deal with on a regular basis. I am hoping that we could speak more about this soon, and I would appreciate any suggestions that could aid in my efforts. Thank you for your time, and I hope that you will consider my proposal.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Meredith McRae

__Lobbying plan:__
**Statement on your project:** I plan to have our school newspaper, The Current Wave, include a short, anonymous, spotlight on a teen living in a financially deprived household in our school. Despite the high numbers of low-income students, many still live in ignorance about poverty. **Timeline:** Send email May 14th. Follow up May 16th. Follow up by Email. **Find a sponsor (State Rep, Town Council, School Committee):** Mrs. Kenworthy; head of The Current Wave. **Build coalitions of support:** Other non-wealthy students looking for a voice. **Try to work with your opposition:** People working for the paper may not want this type of coverage being included. **Plan for attending committee meetings:** A brief synopsis of personal poverty experiences. My poster will be presented.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 180%;">REMINDER: Dialogues for Democracy will be held at 7:00 PM Thursday June 9th in the high school cafeteria. You are required to be there.

Project Completed by: Meredith McRae