Table of ContentsIntroductionReflection on Service LearningConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionIn this article, I assess the impact of poverty on children and families and how a community can help change these conditions of marginalization. In 2014, there were 14.7 million poor children in the United States, representing "the second highest rate of child poverty among 35 industrialized countries, despite having the largest economy in the world" ( Children's Defense Fund, 2015). This means that there are 14.7 million children in the United States who are at increased risk of health problems, hunger and poor nutrition, developmental delays, psychological problems and academic failure (Rafferty and Shinn, 1991). Patterns of poverty are passed down from generation to generation and will not be broken until they have the opportunity to be healthy, educated, and sufficiently skilled to participate in the decisions that affect their lives (Peirson, 2010). It is our duty as a community to recognize this injustice and work in solidarity with these poor families to stop this cycle and help the children of our future succeed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Children need structure, predictability, and consistency in their lives, but moving between shelters and living situations unpredictable is not consistent with these needs (Kilmer, Cook, Custo, Strater, & Haber, 2012). Children and their families lack choices and opportunities to find appropriate shelter and resources, primarily due to lack of affordable housing, racial disparities, challenges of being a single parent and d 'facing trauma such as domestic violence (America's youngest excluded people). When we treat these families on an individual level, we only scratch the surface of all of these factors that lead to the vicious cycle of poverty. It is extremely unfair to expect these families to overcome the challenges of poverty, while also fighting the stigmas and obstacles that society places against them. Society rarely considers the societal factors that affect disadvantaged people and views homelessness as the fault of the person and not as a difficult situation or a series of unfortunate circumstances (Deforge, Zehnder, Minick, & Carmon, 2001). Nelson and Prilleltensky (2010) described the role of a community psychologist to highlight the importance of prevention and early intervention in promoting well-being through community development and social and political action. Community psychologists should be able to recognize these injustices and work in solidarity with disadvantaged people toward social change. In this article I will look at some of the challenges faced by the children and women I worked with at St. Margaret's Shelter and how society should respond to their needs. Even though I only worked on an individual level to help the children at the shelter, I was able to build meaningful relationships and understand the importance of promoting action and change using transformational strategies.Service Learning ReflectionSt. Margaret's is a transitional housing shelter that began providing emergency housing to homeless women and children in 1992 (Catholic Charities, 2012). Women are offered accommodation for up to two years, as well as individualized case management, parenting support and life skills classes. The statement ofSt. Margaret's vision is "to embody an environment in which families have the physical, emotional and spiritual resources they need to create beneficial changes in their lives to find and maintain stable housing and lifestyle in the community at large” (Catholic Charities, 2012). ). These families come from diverse backgrounds and all live at 30% or less of the median family income (Catholic Charities, 2012). This shelter does a great job making sure families feel safe and apart of a strong, caring community. At St. Margaret's I volunteered for their homework club, where I helped students with their homework in a controlled, quiet environment twice a week. Being a mentor to these kids was great because I was able to convey to them the importance of having a good education and succeeding in school. Programs that provide structure, consistency, high expectations, and opportunities for accountability can have a critical influence on low-income children (Douglass, 1996). It was very important for these children to have a recurring mentor to support their academic success. Although my volunteer work has not been considered transformative, I believe it is important to look at each child's individual needs and provide them with the appropriate resources and support. Some children in the Homework Club needed a lot more reinforcement because they were easily distracted or unmotivated. If we figure out how to support students based on their unique and diverse needs, we will be able to help them thrive in their later education and, hopefully, the job market. In addition to providing shelter and food, St. Margaret's provides women and children with a sense of community. They all face similar challenges and being able to interact and care for each other really creates a sense of community and safety. St. Margaret's does a great job focusing on the family level. Their intervention aims to reduce their stress, provide them with free resources, increase their social, professional and coping skills, and expand their knowledge of social support resources. Workers and volunteers also do a great job strengthening the caregiver-child dyad by providing classes and parental support. This dyad "deserves special attention, because caregivers exert a critical proximal influence on children's development and adaptation, and the caregiver-child relationship is a key contextual factor that can significantly impact various life domains and factors affecting a child” (Kilmer et al. , 2012). If a mother provides warm and positive parenting to her child, she can help alleviate the negative effects of poverty on the child. St. Margaret's truly helps women transition to life outside of the shelter by providing resume building, job skills, and other life skills such as healthy cooking. However, I think having more programs aimed at children would be very beneficial. Children who spend more than half of their childhood in poverty are much more likely to become poor as adults (Molnar et al., 1990). It is therefore important to strengthen their skills in the hope of reducing their risks of repeating the cycle of poverty. Tim Moore and colleagues (2011) studied children who grew up homeless and asked what they wanted from the services they came into contact with. The key theme to emerge from this study was 'the need for services to engage with children in (2010) 14.