What is this?
24 May 2010 Leave a Comment
in introduction Tags: introduction, major research project (mrp), who am i, why am i doing this
Well. This is my first blog posting. The first of many, I hope. While I am not new to the internet, I am new to blogging so bear with me. I think I have finally managed to find a theme I like and I have filled in the about section, so far so good. Let me now get down to the details.
To rehash the About section in more detail:
This blog will be used to record my yearlong adventures as an AmeriCorps member working to alleviate poverty. I am set to begin my position in August 2010. However, parts of my adventure have already unofficially begun, so I decided it was time to get the blog up and running. Posts between now and August will likely be sparse. However, I hope that come August and during the duration of my AmeriCorps adventure I will be able to blog frequently. Perhaps daily, or in the very least a few times a week.
So what exactly is the point of this blog? Very good question. The point of this blog is to record and detail my experiences working to alleviate poverty but also to detail my experiences living under the “official” poverty threshold. For 2008-09 the threshold for a 1-person family was $10,830. As an AmeriCorps member I will be paid a living stipend (however the position is volunteer) that falls below this amount. I know that this financial constraint will be extremely challenging. I will have to make a lot of choices–some might call sacrifices–but I am ready.
In detailing my experiences–both professional and personal–I hope to provide a place for others to reference. I want to expose new ways of living under significant financial constraints, a place where individuals can come to discover ways to save money and live frugally (either through my own postings or postings of others); but also a place that discusses the social implications of those living in poverty. I know my situation is somewhat an anomaly. I have made this decision by choice, I have no children who depend on me, and have had time to prepare myself for these changes. Something that not all individuals living under the poverty line can claim. However these are merely my experiences documented.
Why poverty? My inquiry surrounding poverty began halfway through my Master’s program (of which I am nearly finished). My research turned to socially constructed ideas, implications, foundations, and understandings of poverty, which eventually lead me to my major research project and my desire to join AmeriCorps. It is my hope that by volunteering with AmeriCorps I will garner a better understanding about current social welfare programs and how programs can be improved to work better for the individuals who need them. As well, I feel that sharing my experiences will illuminate just a handful of the myriad of challenges those living under (or rather “straddling”) the poverty line will face.
