St. Johns Final Report Summary 1999

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During my lifetime, I have come across many barriers. My mother had me at an early age and had quit high school. She always found a way to blame me for this and for other things that she thought she couldn't do because I was tying her down! My mother soon became very scarce in my life because she had to work two jobs just to make ends meet for the both of us. As I grew older, I began to hate my mother because she couldn't give me the things I wanted. I couldn't handle the teasing and name-calling I received at school because I didn't look right, or didn't have all the things everyone else had. I began hanging

 

This is an overview of what the youth delegates think about children in poverty.

• families can build bonds between children and their issues with security and love.
• in too many cases, only money leads to power and respect, and this has to be changed.
• everyone has potential, that if developed, could create opportunities that lead to less poverty.
• the government has the money and power to create a solution for poverty, but its ability to do this is sometimes overcome by greed.
• education leads to knowledge and a sense of pride which, in turn, leads to accomplishment; however, if we don't have a means to educate people, this becomes complicated.
• no child in Canada should have to go hungry.
• all Canadians should be equal; all children should have same opportunities.
• equal opportunities should be created nation-wide; no one should leave their families because of the lack of local jobs.
• We, as people that live in Canada, should talk about the issue of child poverty.
• we need to share our resources.
• people need to empathize with and not just acknowledge the problems of poverty.
• the community has the power to eliminate child poverty.
• poverty is everyone's responsibility.
• child poverty happens when businesses and governments put profits and popularity ahead of the interests of the most vulnerable members of society.
• child poverty is part and parcel of the larger issue of social inequality.
• child poverty, and poverty in general, is the result of a lack of any one of the following essential human needs: food, shelter, clothing, self-esteem and love.
• child poverty is a vicious cycle, perpetuated by vested economic interests.
• the only responsibility children should have to worry about is just being kids.
• all children should have a stable, safe and secure environment.
• all children should have a role model to look up to.
• poverty is a result of many factors; however, through education and awareness, decreasing poverty will become our nation's responsibility.
• youth should be united in their fight against child poverty.
• the first step in eliminating child poverty is educating youth.
• youth should work together and become more accepting of each other to break down barriers; youth should become aware that they have the power to eliminate the differences between them.
• youth poverty isn't just about economics, but is also about missed opportunities which limit the quality of life.

During the conference the youth in various teams) discuss what they believed children needed to survive. To live a healthy life. These are examples of what team 4, team 7 and team 8 thought.

love, respect, physical and mental strength, morals + values, positive comments and friends. love and nourishment. physical and emotional safety. support from family, adults, and peers. quality educational opportunities. people and social skills. time, trust, and understanding from those around them.
	basic necessities of life such as food, shelter, clothing and water in order to survive. relationships with their family and friends to be able to fulfill their need for attention and to be shown that they are loved. dreams and goals to work towards so that they have a chance to express themselves and display their individuality. to be recognized for their efforts through encouragement, appreciation and rewards to make them realize they are worth something.
lots of attention and respect because they too have important things that have to be heard. support and encouragement from their families and communities in order to build a strong self image, self-esteem and confidence. a healthy and safe environment. the opportunity to build and improve their identities. mentors and role models who will guide and set good examples for them. a good education to hope for a brighter future.

This video storyboard is an example of one of the many projects the youth delegates come up with during the conference. This video was actually made and was used in the SR2000 1999 video (later used in presenting workshops at schools).