🌻📖 Story Garden Counters Stigma and Shame: Become a Story Gardener!
Become a Story Gardener.
Cultivate community.
Counter the multiple dimensions of poverty.
Through the end of the year, we will share stories through a series of posts about Story Garden countering each of the nine dimensions of poverty. Each story will be posted here in Latest News.
This is the fifth story: Story Garden counters Stigma and Shame.
Here is the introduction to the series.
Poverty goes much deeper than income level.
Story Garden goes much deeper than children’s activities.
Story Garden builds community to counter the multidimensional aspects of poverty.
Stigma and Shame:
“Stigma and Shame” is one of the nine dimensions of poverty in the report Pushed to the Bottom: The Experience of Poverty in the U.S. The report states:
The stigma and shame phenomenon is a social construct that is internalized by institutions, too. For example… failing schools in disadvantaged areas leave their former students suffering from low social value, low wages, and bleak prospects. (p20)
Story Garden counters the institutionalization of Stigma and Shame by supporting the efforts of people experiencing poverty to fulfill their hopes and aspirations for their families and communities.
Welcome and Proud
I ThInk my geneRation is tirED
Of how people view my neighborhood as TRASH.
My generation wants to
Change tHe narrAtive. We doN’t want people sayinG my nEighborhood is dirty
We are NOT dirty.
We are literate.
We are teaching
Our children
To be literate.
We are educating
Our children.
I bring my tiny children
To ATD Fourth World’s Story Garden
Happy that they are reading
Doing arts and crafts
I help in every way I can
As the years go by and the kids get older
We all find out that there are families
In other countries
In different neighborhoods
Educating their children and
Fighting to end poverty
I bring my preteen kids to the United Nations
On the Day to End Poverty, October 17th
We see old friends from Story Garden
United in our own experience
Our expertise heard by international leaders
Gathered in our determination
To eradicate persistent poverty
The children are welcome, proud and happy
They love everything about ATD Fourth World
–Tracey
Through December 31st, stories of Story Garden
countering the dimensions of poverty
will be posted here in Latest News.
From 2016 to 2019 ATD Fourth World conducted participatory research that determined the various dimensions of poverty as identified by people who live in poverty every day.
This Multidimensional Aspects of Poverty (MAP) research project identified nine dimensions of poverty, two constants, and four aggravators:
Read more or download the whole report,
Pushed to the Bottom: The Experience of Poverty in the U.S..
Subjugation labels people living in poverty as "those people,” which Story Garden counters by supporting the uniqueness of each individual and exemplifying how diversity enhances society.
Disadvantaged Areas reflect the idea that people "do not deserve more,” which Story Garden counters by collectively creating beauty in "crappy spaces," very visibly for all who live there.
Resources at bare minimum are denied to people living in poverty, including education which is limited and highly standardized. Story Garden counters this by creating communal and inclusive learning environments.
Work- and Employment- Related Hardships minimize social capital, including the availability of professional networking, which Story Garden counters by offering children role models to enrich their dreams and reveal possibilities.
Stigma and Shame of poverty is internalized by institutions, which Story Garden counters by supporting the efforts of people experiencing poverty to fulfill their hopes and aspirations for their families and communities.
Lack of Adequate Health and Well-being result from the toxic interaction of all the dimensions of poverty. Story Garden counters this by meeting, listening to, and accompanying often-ignored people who need support to access services and resources.
Unrecognized Voice and Exclusion from Participation leads people to suffer in silence and believe they don’t matter, which Story Garden counters by creating a welcoming space for everyone to be seen and heard.
Social Isolation damages the human need for community which Story Garden counters by creating a welcoming and visible space without walls or doors, where people of all ages can comfortably connect.
The Struggle is the personal effort people experiencing poverty constantly make to adapt to systems that don’t adapt to them. Story Garden counters this by creating person-centered programming that follows the lead and the needs of individuals
Through December 31st, stories of Story Garden
countering the dimensions of poverty
will be posted here in Latest News.