Grades 6-12

Activity 2

“In Your Own Words”

First-hand accounts of life in the state of poverty help us to begin to see the faces behind the statistics – and to understand the brutal realities experienced by 38.1 million Americans today. Have group members research and find real stories featuring people living in poverty. Then, have them speak aloud in the first person – in the voice of someone living in poverty – telling the particulars of that person’s life. Personalizing the statements can make for a powerful and moving discussion of the real-life struggles of people living in poverty.