Poverty Awareness South Carolina Cross Cultural Conference Mr. James T. Darby, Jr. Executive Director Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments

Generational Poverty and Situational Poverty are Different Generational poverty is defined as being in poverty for two generations or longer. Situational poverty exists for a shorter time and is caused by circumstances like death, illness, or divorce. Source: No Child Left Behind: How do you Develop Intellectual Capital in Children from Poverty Payne, Ruby K.; Founder of aha! Process, Inc. News, Highland, Texas

The environment of generational poverty (two generations or more) requires that an individual become reactive, sensory-based (physical) and dependent on non- verbals as a primary information source because those three things help one survive the environment. Source: No Child Left Behind: How do you Develop Intellectual Capital in Children from Poverty Payne, Ruby K.; Founder of aha! Process, Inc. News, Highland, Texas

Comparison of Rural and Urban Tax Base Millage Value Against S.C. Median Source: S. C. Association of Counties

Threshold Counties (4) Average 22.3% Persistent Poverty (12) (34) Average 12.7% Other

Two nations, between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy; who are as ignorant of each others habits, thoughts, and feelings as if they were dwellers in different zones, or inhabitants of different planets; who are formed by a different breeding, are fed by a different food, are ordered by different manners, and are not governed by the same laws … the rich and the poor. 1845, Benjamin Disraeli British Prime Minister and author Source: The Impact of Poverty: The Poor Among Us; Leslie Cantu, Senior Staff Writer The Item, October 8, 2006

Projected Under 18, 65 & Over Population (2030) Under 18 Population Under 18 Percent of Total Population 65 & Over Population 65 & Over Percent of Total Population Percent Difference Under 18 and 65 & Over Georgia3,146, %1,907, %10.3% North Carolina 3,080, %2,173, %7.4% South Carolina 1,143, %1,134, %0.2% Source: U.S. Census Bureau Projections

The U.S. labor force totaling 165 million people in the year 2021, will not include any child born in 2006 or later. It will, however include nearly 100 million people who today are already out of school and at work. About two-thirds of these workers are likely to be part of the active workforce at least through the next decade. Source: Tough Choices or Tough Times National Center on Education and the Economy, 2007.

African Americans today can serve as secretary of state, CEO of a major corporation, president of an Ivy League university, chief surgeon at a major hospital. But their access to positions of power and prestige – and to well-paying jobs in general – will be limited if they typically leave high school with an eighth- grade education. No Excuses, Closing the Racial Gap in Leaving, Abigail Thernstrom and Stephan Thernstrom Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2003

High School Non-Completers S. CarolinaClarendon County Lee CountySumter County Three-County Area 16, For purposes of this report, we have used the South Carolina Kids Count definition of non-completer/dropout: eighth grade students not enrolled in grade 12 four years later.

Dropout Percentages for South Carolina, Clarendon County, and Lee County AA&O = African-American and Others

According to author Ruby K. Payne, being poor brings out a survival mentality, and turns attention away from opportunities taken for granted by the middle class and wealthy. Source: A Framework for Understanding Poverty; Payne, Ruby K. Aha! Process, Inc. News, Highland, Texas

The environment of generational poverty (two generations or more) requires that an individual become reactive, sensory-based (physical) and dependent on non- verbals as a primary information source because those three things help on survive the environment. Source: No Child Left Behind: How do you Develop Intellectual Capital in Children from Poverty Payne, Ruby K.; Founder of aha! Process, Inc. News, Highland, Texas

Planning is key to the tasks that get finished and to the control of impulsivity. Even more importantly, brain research indicates that the primary filter for what gets noticed by the mind is closely correlated with the goals of the person. So when there is no planning, there are no goals. Emotional need or association, then, determines activities. Source: No Child Left Behind: How do you Develop Intellectual Capital in Children from Poverty Payne, Ruby K.; Founder of aha! Process, Inc. News, Highland, Texas

Being proactive (ability to plan), verbal (use of specific language) and abstract (ability to represent the sensory) are all learned. They can be taught. Many students who are assigned to special education are from poverty and cannot do these three things. Rather than teach these things, educators tend to assign the student to a different placement. Source: No Child Left Behind: How do you Develop Intellectual Capital in Children from Poverty Payne, Ruby K.; Founder of aha! Process, Inc. News, Highland, Texas

To survive in the school and work environment, one needs to be proactive, verbal and abstract. Source: No Child Left Behind: How do you Develop Intellectual Capital in Children from Poverty Payne, Ruby K.; Founder of aha! Process, Inc. News, Highland, Texas

The Regions Population is Aging Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee and Sumter Counties There is also a racial dimension to the potential lack of sufficient young workers to replace the aging workforce. While the African-American population accounts for 44.2% of the regions total population, they account for 55% of the regions youth 18 years and under. Source: US Census Bureau – Census

Aging Population (cont.) County Median Age by Race – Census 2000 PopulationClarendon Co.Kershaw Co.Lee CountySumter Co. Black31.7 Years35.0 Years31.5 Years30.7 Years White43.3 Years38.5 Years42.3 Years36.2 Years Combined Average 37.0 Years37.4 Years35.7 Years35.2 Years The African American portion of the areas population is significantly younger than the White population. Therefore, African Americans will make up a disproportionately larger share of the future labor force available to fill the jobs vacated by retiring workers. This will require a much greater commitment on the part of the minority youth, local educators and business leaders to insure that these young people are fully prepared to meet this situation.

WEIGHING THE COSTS INCARCERATION - VERSUS - EDUCATION 1 Adult Inmate1 Juvenile1 Student IncarceratedIncarceratedEducated In StateIn StateIn State $41.52/day$135/day$21.26/day $15,156/year$49,275/year$7,759/year THE DIFFERENCES Juvenile/StudentAdult Inmate/Student Cost per day more than Cost per day nearly double six times expensive(1.95 times as expensive) Sources: S.C. Department of Corrections, S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice, S. C. Department of Education

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics 2005 report, U.S. Department of Justice

No more applause for predicting rain, only for building arks Don Carstensen Interim Vice President Workforce Development Division American College Testing system (ACT) From speech at 2007 Southeastern WorkKeys Conference Charleston, SC