by Patricia Gilliam

Created on: January 20, 2009

Education not only paves the way out of poverty but is also the best approach for attacking the issue long-term on a societal level. You see, poverty is much more than just an economic condition where your finances are below a certain point. There is an underlying thought process to the problem in many cases.

Until a person replaces how they think with new information, it is very difficult for their circumstances to change. That is why with all the money that's been thrown at this problem, it still persists. We've been attacking the symptoms of poverty and not the root causes in that regard.

The emotional and psychological aspects of poverty can be very difficult to break, especially when it's been a cycle for several generations. Even when a child in poverty has access to educational resources, it is still an internal battle on his or her part to pursue learning and break the cycle. This is not something that can be forced, only encouraged. They have to believe things can change for the better if they're willing to put in the effort.

Education can also take several forms. Formal schooling and college are a major part of it, but there is also self-taught learning from books and guidance from mentors. You don't have to have a teacher's license or a degree to help educate someone who wants to learn how to better their life. You just have to be willing to learn yourself and care enough to help others around you.

Practical life skills and personal finance are often not being taught in formal classroom settings, and there are knowledge gaps in those areas even for people who are college educated. A person can learn these skills from a mentor and then help other people around them once they themselves become stable. It's kind of a "Pay-It-Forward" philosophy that's actually worked for a lot of people.

If you're in poverty and feel at this point college is not an option for you, start with the local library. Small steps in the right direction do add up over time. From a personal standpoint, I realized as a young teenager that if I wanted to go to college I would have to get focused in school so I could get a scholarship. I read everything I could find on business and how people make money. The result out of that was even though my family was at the poverty level, I learned what I needed to know to get out myself. Probably the hardest part about the whole process is you can't help people who don't want to change, which can be very hard when it's people in your close family. Sometimes however you have to make the choices with the well-being of your own future children in mind. Breaking the cycle for yourself and them can be a very powerful motivator.

Good luck to you, and best wishes!

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