Author: Briana Kerensky, Online Communications Specialist, Communities In Schools National Office
While we have all experienced the effects of our country’s economic downturn in one way or another, a new Census Bureau report released Tuesday delivered a shock to the system with the statistic that 46.2 million Americans were living in poverty last year—nearly one in six people.
Sadly, many of these people are children. As parents lose their jobs or take severe pay cuts, their sons and daughters go without food, clean clothes and sometime even a home.
The Washington Post put it bluntly: “The economic turmoil has pummeled children, for whom the poverty rate last year — 22 percent — was at the highest level since 1993.”
Communities In Schools site coordinators work tirelessly across the nation to help young victims of the recession. Whether it’s organizing food backpack programs to make sure children have enough to eat, or partnering with doctors and health clinics to provide free screenings and treatment, our unsung heroes do everything they can to help children survive and thrive.
But our resources aren’t only for helping students in the now. We are also dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and giving children a shot at a better, brighter future.
Communities In Schools evolved its successful model of integrated student services from the Five Basics, which have guided our work from the beginning. The Five Basics are a set of essentials that every child needs and deserves. One of these is “A marketable skill to use upon graduation.” Communities In Schools site coordinators don’t leave a student’s life once the student is on track to getting a high school diploma. Our site coordinators take students on college tours, and help them with college applications and obtaining financial assistance. They also help students prepare resumes, and apply to jobs and trade schools.
Take Rasheedah Phillips, for instance. At 14, she was pregnant and felt directionless. Communities In Schools of Philadelphia made sure she had adequate services that she needed right away, such as food and prenatal health care. But they also connected the teen to a program that helped prepare her for life as a young adult and parent. And ultimately, this enabled her pursue her chosen career. Now 27, Rasheedah is a graduate of Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and a successful lawyer.
“The Communities In Schools counselors were very instrumental in helping me,” she said. “They recognized my abilities and encouraged me – they didn’t let me quit.”
Communities In Schools’ mission is to help kids succeed in school and achieve in life. As more children are forced to deal with poverty, Communities In Schools will be there to answer the call and provide immediate aid. But we are also looking toward the future by equipping students with our most valuable resources: the tools and the hope for a better tomorrow.