Overcoming Generational Poverty
Diana Rojas
BSHS 345
August 12, 2014
Therese, DaSilva, LSSW

Overcoming Generational Poverty Generational poverty is poverty passed down from generation to generation. Parents pass it down to their kids, and they received it from their parents. A vicious cycle can only be broken by raising above the current situation. In order to rise one must work and gain a greater income, if any, than what is currently being dealt with. It is a common truth that you can work yourself out of poverty. As easy as that sounds, many times this is almost impossible to achieve. Personal barriers that may harm success are stress, low self-esteem, isolation, and inadequate parenting competence.
One can go into urban cities, rural areas, and ghettos and see the impoverished or underprivileged situations that many people live in today. The question often asked is; why do people live and think the way they do? Can they not move or get a better job? The sad truth is that for many people moving on does not come with ease. The factors for which many stay in the situation they are in is endless and often quite complex. Many times people face poverty because they lack the means to move up in life. This barrier often times comes from lack of education. In many areas instances, children never even make it out of high school because their presence is needed to work and help the family survive.
Seniors are often faced with many challenges which lead them to fall into poverty. Companies are known to let seniors over 50 go from their jobs. It is more convenient to hire a younger person, with less experience, and pay them less. This population has an extremely difficult time being re-hired for various reasons. Some but not all of these reasons are for lack of other skills, over qualification, ageism, delay in in knowledge of current trends and technology. With the government pushing back retirement age to 67, this population is often time left to face hardship. Many lower class and even middle class seniors do not have enough savings to hold them up for too long after they are let go. Since the age to receive Medicare is now 67, aging adults are left without healthcare. Health deterioration makes it even more difficult to function much less work.
Migrant field hands travel the country from plantation to plantation bringing their families along with them. Many of these children give up on education and the dream of a better life because a life of poverty is all they know. Children are most times moved around so much that they fall behind in schools, transcripts get lost, or they are held back. These misfortunes get to be all too hectic and school is left on the way side and turned in for manual labor.
In male dominant cultures, many women never have the opportunity to better themselves. It is believed that their sole purpose is to bear children and take care of their home. These women are deprived of an education, the freedom means to make their own money, and many times even kept from learning the dominant language. These women have to depend on the man of the house for everything they need. This causes trauma and a sense of worthlessness, which makes it extremely difficult to move up in life unassisted.
Teen girls sometimes become with child at a very young age or inconvenient time. Teenage mothers often times drop out of school bear and raise their young children never to return again. Childcare is very costly and not an option making it so that the mother has to stay at home and not work. This then places all of the financial responsibility of that new family on the father, her parents, (if the father of the child is absent), or on the government. Government aid is helpful but never enough to live a good and financially stable life. Many times people will become dependent on the government’s aid and teach their children to do the same. Single mothers have the stress of having to survive with their young at any cost. This stress many times contributes to criminal activity of prostitution, illegal sales of substances, and fraud. These children grow up watching their parents and those around them get by on easy money.
Dependency of government aid creates complacency. With an education and or hard work, poverty can be broken through but it takes guidance and drive to achieve such thing. Working for one’s own money creates a sense of pride in one’s own self. Working and not depending on assistance or charity pays off and it teach children by actions.
How can generational poverty be overcome? Generational poverty is caused by the lack of motivation, money, and education. These traumas are developed and passed on from generation to generation. The drive to go to school in order to get the education it takes to have a career is almost non- existent. In order for things to change there has to be a motivation to succeed. A seed of hope and improvement has to be planted in these young minds at an early stage. However, how can a child’s mentality be changed, if their schooling is unsatisfactory; because the funding has been cut or budget squeezed so tight that there is only room for the bare minimum? Schools these days are urban war grounds, feel and even look like prisons. Reprogramming is possible if the young minds are positively influenced and molded for success. School needs to; once again be a positive experience where children and young adults can thrive without unnecessary fears and stressors. If a child is scared of going to school, then survival is the only thing of importance. A safe zone is keen in order for young minds to absorb what they learn and put it to use. Once getting an education becomes of little importance, then illusion of the fast life sets in and the future becomes dismal.
Quality education and positive school experience is key in breaking the generational poverty cycle. The reformation of education and schools will shine a positive light on improvement and give hope of a better future. Good teachers and counselors are needed to be positive role models in these developing young people’s lives.
What I have learned during week 3 has changed my perspective on how to handle these different diverse groups and the challenges they face. I see that it is important to understand an individual’s background and culture in order to properly give them the help or counsel they need. When working with women its best to understand their back ground so that I can find a way to better relate to them. This is especially true if they are a single mother because it can be so much more stressful to provide for a family on just one income and alone. Seniors have a harder time adapting to change and learning new things. Therefore, courses on new materials and technology would be highly beneficial. I have found that people are often times the way they are because of past trauma. This trauma makes it hard to believe that there is a way out because a life of poverty is all they have been taught to know. I believe that with good programs, outreach, and time we can make a difference to those in need. A difference not by just providing charity but by teaching and showing that there are other ways and hope.

References
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Mortenson, T. (1996). Postsecondary education opportunity:
The Mortenson research seminar on public policy analysis of opportunity for postsecondary education. Iowa City Iowa City:
American College Testing Program