Build on Their Strengths

Last night I watched a segment on “60 Minutes” with Scott Pelley about children who were homeless.  What he learned from and about these children not only applies to children who are homeless but also to children from low socioeconomic status.  Because we will be working with low SES children at Esperanza there are some things from the segment that would be wise for us to remember. 

 Q: What did you like about Destiny Corfee and Jacob Braverman [two of the children interviewed]?

 A: What I absolutely loved about them was neither was whining. They answered our questions about what it's like to be homeless, but each of them went out of their way to say things would get a lot better and we'll be fine. Destiny says, 'When we get back on our feet, we'll be able to help others.' Jacob says, 'You can get through anything as long as you have your family together.' Those are both ideas we put in the piece that said so much about the character of those kids.

Q: Will we see more stories from you about the Great Recession?

 A: Absolutely. The Great Recession has been an incredible story to cover, because so many Americans are hurting. We're told the recession ended in 2009. This is a jobless recovery we're in. Millions and millions of people are hurting. It grinds on and on and on. We're raising a generation of kids in hard times. These are formative years for these kids. They know this time as a time of hunger and homelessness. You talk to a lot of older Americans who grew up in the Great Depression who say that it made them better. I wonder if we're doing the same thing.