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Problem Area: Problems of Poverty and...
Online Activities
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Go to the sites listed and find the specific areas mentioned in the capsules below.
- Children's Defense Fund
This is the homepage of the fund, a nonprofit organization concerned with child poverty, discrimination, and violence. Includes alerts and legislative updates.
You have probably seen public service announcements about this organization on television. Click on Get Involved. Would you be willing to donate money or your time to this organization? Why or why not?
- Institute for Research on Poverty
This is the institute's homepage. The IRP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, university-based research center. This page answers frequently-asked questions about poverty, such as "How is poverty measured? Who is poor? What is the poverty line?" Also includes news, publications, and links to poverty-related sites.
The IRP is sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Madison. When you access the main page, you will see a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about poverty. Click on three of these and write a short report on what you have learned.
- VISTA--Volunteers in Service to America
Vista "works in community-based organizations to help find solutions to problems caused by poverty." This homepage includes a link to other AmericaCorps programs and to other online resources that benefit social service agencies.
You have probably heard of the Peace Corps...Vista is a similar organization devoted to helping to fight poverty. Click on About AmeriCorps*VISTA and then click on Frequently Asked Questions. This screen will provide you with a brief history of the organization. Many college and university students have volunteered to become VISTA workers. Would you be interested in volunteering? Why or why not?
- National Coalition for the Homeless
Click on Alerts. There, you will find a list of news items on topics that are relevant to the plight of the homeless. Select three of these items and investigate further. Based on what you have read, write a brief "position paper" wherein you either endorse trying to help the homeless or make some alternative suggestion.
- Poverty Guidelines and Measurement
This site is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. After accessing the main screen, click on 2002 HSS Poverty Guidelines. Note the federally mandated guidelines for poverty in America. Your textbook includes a discussion of "absolute" versus "relative" measures of poverty. Quite obviously, the HSS guidelines are "absolute" measures. Do you agree with these criteria? Why or why not?
- Panel Study of Income Dynamics
This site contains journal articles, books, and book chapters based on the panel study about poverty.
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