Poverty Awareness

Awareness & Understanding

Poverty means not having enough money to meet basic needs like food, housing, health care, or clothing — but it's more complicated than a number. In Utah, about 8 percent of people live below the federal poverty line, and many more are "asset poor," meaning one unexpected expense could push them into crisis. Explore the free "Poverty Facts" page from the National Center for Children in Poverty (nccp.org) and read the annual report from Crossroads Urban Center (crossroadsurban.com), a Salt Lake City organization that works directly with Utahns in poverty. Watch the free documentary short "Poor Kids" on PBS Frontline (pbs.org/frontline). Write three things you assumed about poverty before watching and three things that surprised you. You're ready for the next step when you can explain the difference between absolute poverty and relative poverty and give one Utah-specific example of each.

Research & Investigation

Dig into the causes and effects of poverty in Salt Lake County. Use the free PolicyMap tool (policymap.com — free basic access) to map poverty rates, food access, and housing costs by neighborhood in the Salt Lake Valley. Visit the Utah Department of Workforce Services website (jobs.utah.gov) for free data on income, benefits enrollment, and housing costs. Research the concept of "the poverty trap": how rules around benefits like SNAP (food stamps) and Medicaid can make it hard for people to earn more money without losing support. Read one first-person account from someone who has experienced poverty — the Salt Lake Tribune's free housing and poverty coverage is a strong local source. You're ready for the next step when you can describe two structural causes of poverty (like low wages or lack of childcare) and explain how they interact to make escaping poverty difficult.

Planning & Preparation

Choose a specific angle of poverty you want to learn more about and take action on — food insecurity, housing instability, youth homelessness, or educational inequality are all present in Salt Lake County. Research two to three local organizations working on your chosen angle: options include the Utah Food Bank (utahfoodbank.org), The Road Home (theroadhome.org), and the Salt Lake City School District's free McKinney-Vento program for students experiencing homelessness. Plan a learning visit or volunteer shift at one of these organizations — many welcome youth volunteers with a parent or guardian. Prepare five thoughtful questions to ask a staff member or volunteer coordinator about what they see every day. Write a preparation document that includes your chosen angle, your chosen organization, your visit plan, and your questions. You're ready for the next step when you have scheduled a visit or volunteer shift and written your five questions.

Taking Action

Complete your learning visit or volunteer shift. During or right after, jot down answers to your five prepared questions and three things you observed that you didn't expect. If you volunteered sorting food at the Utah Food Bank or serving meals at a shelter, reflect on the scale of need you witnessed. Back home, use what you learned to create a "myth vs. fact" one-pager about poverty: pick three common myths you've heard (like "poor people just need to work harder") and counter each one with a specific fact from your research and visit. Share your myth-vs.-fact sheet with your class, youth group, or family. Post it on a community bulletin board if you can. You're ready for the next step when you have completed your visit, written your experience notes, and shared your myth-vs.-fact sheet with at least 10 people.

Leadership & Expansion

Turn your awareness into sustained advocacy. Organize a "poverty simulation" activity for your school or youth group — the Missouri Community Action Network offers a free facilitation guide for poverty simulations at communityaction.org/povertysimulation. Lead a discussion afterward using three debrief questions you write yourself. Research one policy proposal at the Utah Legislature related to your chosen angle — affordable housing bills, SNAP expansion debates, or minimum wage discussions appear regularly in the Utah legislative session at le.utah.gov. Write a letter to your state representative urging action on the policy, citing the data and stories you've gathered. Submit it through the le.utah.gov contact form. You're ready for the next step when you have facilitated a group learning activity and sent a policy letter to a Utah legislator.

Impact & Reflection

You've moved from awareness to real advocacy over six weeks. Now measure that journey. Review everything: your initial assumptions, your research, your visit notes, your myth-vs.-fact sheet, your letters. Write a two-page "advocacy portfolio summary" covering what you learned, what you did, who you reached, and what changed — in yourself and possibly in others. Be honest about the limits of awareness work: reading and visiting are beginnings, not endings. Share your portfolio with a teacher, a local organization staff member, or post highlights to the Utah Civic Engagement Coalition's youth page. Commit to one ongoing action — monthly volunteering, following poverty-related legislation, or mentoring younger students. You're ready for the next step when you can show your portfolio to someone and explain how your understanding of poverty and your sense of civic responsibility both grew during this quest.