Tag Archives: Socials11A

Poverty Cycle: Discussion Questions

Explain how the person/people in each story from the documentary is trapped in the poverty cycle.

  • Danse: trapped in the poverty cycle because he needs a source of income to get housing, but he doesn’t want to go on welfare because he is afraid that if he signs government papers he is somehow giving up his aboriginal rights
  • Amanda: was stuck in the poverty cycle because she was in a toxic relationship, that involved drugs, she was also didn’t have any education which didn’t help her while trying to find a job. It was also hard for her because she didn’t have a source of income for a really long time because the process of getting welfare was long and difficult but she eventually got it.
  • Michael: was stuck in the poverty cycle because he had such an addiction to drugs and he didn’t have much money accept for his little flower business. He really needed others to step in to help him get some housing and a source of income.

Refer to the poverty cycle on page 404 of your textbook. Pretend that you are the government and provide an intervention at 4 different points of the cycle and explain how and why this intervention would break the poverty cycle at that point.

  • number 1: Give an allowance to families with a low source of income or no income. This would be able to help them because the family is not so focused on having to feed themselves but now they can also look for a home and or clothing. This would also help the family have a better health situation and would help the child to develop.
  • number 2: I would also give free medical care. This would help because not everyone can afford it so when it is provided they can get sufficient help and their money can go towards more important things.
  • Number 3: Free education and when it comes to university, it should cost less. I think this would go hand in hand with my previous statements of their money can go towards other important things. This would also help with the child’s literacy level which would help with jobs and economic success.
  • Number 4: Provide family plan: This could go hand in hand with medical care because it could teach you about contraceptives or it could help with how to find help from different charities or organizations.

What should be our general rules/attitude we should take when approaching the issue of solving poverty in our own communities?

  • I think we should be helpful when trying to solve poverty  because it is easy to get stuck in the poverty cycle and it is hard to get out of the poverty cycle. I think we should be more sympathetic and not jump to conclusions when we see a homeless person on the street because they may have or may have not gotten themself into the situation they are in.  I think we should pitch in and have more charities and organizations who could help, or we should at least spread word about these current organizations so we can all help people and break the poverty cycle, or lower the rate of people getting stuck in the poverty cycle.