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For a teenager poverty means
Not being able to...
According to 2009 statistics, 233,192 people live in consistent poverty in Ireland. That means they have very low incomes and are forced to go without new clothes, heating, or suitable food because they cannot afford to pay for them.
Can you imagine being this down and out?
For a teenager poverty means:
- Not being able to go to university.
- Having to get a job to help your parents get by.
- Feeling ashamed.
- Feeling discriminated against.
- People looking down on you because you can’t afford what they have.
- Being embarrassed when people ask you what you got for Christmas.
- Not experiencing the everyday things that teenagers have in their lives.
Did you know?
- People in poverty are more likely to drop out of school early, suffer health problems and end up in low paid jobs.
- Poverty is often passed from generation to generation. Although, many people do manage to escape from poverty in their lives.
- More than 1 in 3 people living in poverty are children.
Right, but I heard…
- “Sure, there’s no such thing as real poverty in Ireland.” - Although poverty in Ireland has decreased, almost 1 in 6 Irish people are still at risk of poverty. This prevents them from having a standard of living that others take for granted.
- “Aren’t they just lazy? They could find a job if they wanted to.” - Not true. Many people don’t have the skills and education to find and keep a good job. The jobs available to them are low paid and insecure, and they may be better off on the dole. Also, many people are not in a position to work, e.g. older people, carers.
- “All children are born with the same opportunities.” - According to UNICEF, children from poor households are much more likely to do poorly in school, to become teenage parents, to spend time in prison and to have difficulty finding or keeping good jobs.
Yeah, but it just doesn’t make sense to me. Why are there poor people in this well off country of ours?
Poverty is not inevitable. Poverty is caused by the way society deals out economic resources such as money, wealth, jobs, and social resources like education, housing, healthcare and so on.
There are also other factors that make people more likely to be poor. One single factor may not be important on its own, but when these factors combine, they increase the risk of poverty.
Factors contributing to poverty include:
- Work: Being unemployed or in a low paid job makes people more likely to be poor.
- Age: Older people and children whose parents are poor are at a greater risk of poverty.
- Health: People with long-term illnesses or who are disabled are at greater risk of poverty.
- Education: People who left school early or without qualifications are more likely to experience poverty.
- Family: One-parent families are more likely to be poor than two-parent families or single people.
- Location: Living in a disadvantaged community or in an area with few employment opportunities increases the risk of poverty.
Hope?
- The Irish Government set up the Combat Poverty Agency to give advice on policies to reduce poverty in Ireland.
- NAPS (National Anti-Poverty Strategy) aims to eliminate poverty in Ireland by 2016.
- Local authorities work hard to provide social housing, libraries and other public facilities.
- Community and voluntary groups do their parts to help fight poverty.
- YOU. Find out how you can help and get involved in fighting poverty TODAY!
Information provided by Combat Poverty Agency.
Hear what others have to say about poverty in Ireland here.
