Our three speakers spoke today of personal experiences they have had in their life that impacted them in the decisions they made that lead them to where they are today. They each were faced with the same question which they posed to each of you; “What would you do?”

So that is the question. With all that has been presented in this class, what impact can you make in the area of poverty? Whether it be on a small individual (personal or in your circle of friends or family) level or on a larger, policy or administrative level, what is at least one thing that you can do to make our world a little bit better than you left it. Please put some thought into this answer and include information that you have learned in this class.

If you did not attend class today, you should still be able to answer this question.

Please make your original post and respond to two other posts on the discussion board 2 – 3 lines . Remember to be respectful of each other’s posts.

Student 1

Coming from a background outside of the field of social work, I feel that over the length of this course I gained an understanding of what poverty truly is, and how it can impact every part of a person’s life, even outside of finances. As a writer, I feel that the way I can make an impact in the area of poverty is to spread the word. The way I see it, while poverty isn’t the whole story, it is the key inciting incident that causes many of the other challenges one may face.
With this knowledge, I can more effectively tell the stories of those for whom this is their everyday. Hopefully, by telling their story, someone out there who is better equipped to give direct assistance can be informed to help out. We cannot fix what we are not aware of, so, my albeit quite minor contribution would be to never shy away from writing about the experiences of impoverished people, whether it be in a newspaper article or a work of fiction. I believe that if just one person reads about something and wants to change it, they can find a way, so raising awareness of every facet of poverty is of vital importance to inspiring change.

Student 2

I love the work I do with my clients and by completing my master’s degree I hope to be able to offer more services and help them in all areas of their lives. I have learned so much in this class and really enjoyed learning about the resources available in the Wichita area, since I am new to this area. Working with clients with substance use issues is just one part of their life. Most live in poverty, some are homeless, and many are involved in the legal system. These clients need to know someone is on their side and not to be given up on and I will continue to fight for my client’s rights both on the micro and macro level.