Activity 1: “Sharing the Message” One of the most effective ways of addressing the problem of poverty in America is through community education. Have your group organize their own educational campaign focusing on children in poverty in America today. The campaign materials could be displayed in the local schools, public libraries or other community settings. Begin by having your group research the issue of child poverty in the United States using magazine and newspaper articles, the povertyusa.org Web site, and other resources to learn more about the plight of America’s poor. Share with your group the print and broadcast materials developed by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. View and listen to the PSA campaign in the multimedia gallery of povertyusa.org, or read the following radio script to the group: "It’s not about the children who dream too much…or dare too much…or laugh or love or hope too much. It’s about the one out of every six children in America today who wants just enough. Just enough food to stop the hunger. Just enough medicine to make the sickness go away. Just enough shelter to be safe and warm. Just enough of a chance to succeed in school, at home, in life. Just enough…to let a kid be a kid. Because, right now in America, one out of every six children is living in a state of poverty. And that’s just one child too many. Poverty. For nearly 35 million men, women and children across this abundant nation, it’s a daily struggle just to survive. Poverty. America’s forgotten state." Then have your group create their own posters, flyers or print advertisements to run in your group’s newsletter, the local school newspaper or a similar outlet. Or have your group create their own videotaped commercials to air over a local cable channel or their school’s audio-visual networks. Organize a “poverty fair” at a back-to-school night or group assembly. Invite family and friends and hold poster sessions of your group’s projects, providing an opportunity for your group members to talk about what they have learned, showcase their projects, and bring greater awareness about the problems of poverty to their own community.  Activity 2: “In Your Own Words” First-hand accounts of life in the state of poverty help us to begin to see the faces behind the statistics – and to understand the brutal realities experienced by nearly 36 million Americans today. Begin this activity by having group members read a selection from one of the non-fiction resources below, whether the chapter “Living in Poverty,” from Robert Bullough’s Uncertain Lives or the autobiographical selections in Growing up Poor, edited by Robert Coles and Randy Testa. Then, instead of asking individual members to merely summarize the readings, have them speak aloud in the first person – in the voice of the child in poverty – telling the particulars of that person’s life. Personalizing the statements can make for a powerful and moving discussion of the real-life struggles of children in poverty. Activity 3: www.povertyusa.org Have your students log on to povertyusa.org and follow the instructions below: Take the Poverty Quiz. Record your score. Were there any facts presented in the quiz that surprised you? Explain. Take the tour of Poverty USA. Of the items shown, which would probably be reduced or eliminated all together in order to make ends meet? Read "Poverty USA: The State of Poverty in America." How many people live in poverty in America? Many poor people live or have lived below the poverty line for more than how many years? What is the likelihood that you will live in poverty at least once in your life? Read "The Face of Poverty in America." Which groups are hardest hit by poverty? Of children living in poverty, what is the percentage for those living in female-headed homes? Which minorities are most likely to experience poverty? Read "Poverty and the Working Poor" What is the fastest growing segment of the poverty population? What is your income, before taxes, if you work full-time at a minimum wage job? What are the lowest paying, most unstable jobs in our society? Go to "Get Involved." How can you help? Go to "About CCHD." Read about some of the projects that Campaign funds support. Write your reflections on what you learned in this exercise. Created by Jane Elfring, a teacher at Paul VI High School in Fairfax, VA, for use in her social justice class. For more information on this or other projects on raising awareness of poverty in the U.S., contact Alicia Bondanella at abondanella@usccb.org. Additional Activities Middle-school-aged groups (Grades 6-8) should also refer to the “One in Six” activity contained in the Grades K-5 section; High-school-aged groups (Grades 9-12) should see the “Hard Living on the Poverty Line” and “Myths, Facts and Action Against Poverty in America” activities located in the Adult Education section of this Web site.  Top of Page		• Click here to review resources designed for Catholic educators.   site resources...   • Take a tour of Poverty USA and learn what it's like to make ends meet when you're living in poverty. • Visit our multimedia gallery to experience poverty through TV, radio and print public service advertising. • Download a banner ad or e-sticker to display on your Web site. • Test your knowledge about Poverty USA by taking the poverty quiz. • Help spread the word about Poverty USA and nearly 36 million living in a state of poverty • Review the Poverty Pulse survey results to better understand American attitudes toward poverty. • Get involved and help reduce the population of Poverty USA with a hand up, not a hand out. • Email a friend about Poverty USA. • Share your thoughts on the Education Center by taking this survey.