Could you imagine having to go to school day in and day out while wearing the same outfit for the third time that same week, all because you lived in poverty? What if I told you that that’s what more than half of teens living in poverty today go through? Take me, for example. I lived in poverty for over three years with my three siblings and tried my best to hide it every day, whether I’d lie about certain things I had or take things that didn’t belong to me. But you see, some kids like me aren’t so fortunate to be able to fight and defend the stigma of living in poverty. Some kids get stuck in a mind trap. Far too many kids living in poverty are not getting the help they need or do not have the resources to live as an average human being on a day-to-day basis. To address this, there needs to be more safe spaces where kids in poverty can build connections.
According to the article, “How Does Poverty Affect Teens’ Mental Health?” published in USA Facts, poorer households spend a large portion of their income on housing, food, and health care. This depletes their savings and leaves little resources for new things. For example, Miyah is a 16-year-old teen navigating life growing up in poverty with the pressure of balancing school, family troubles, and the desire to create a better future for herself, all while battling the stigma attached to living in a low-income neighborhood. Did you know well over 44% percent of teens living in poverty have threatened to end their lives, with a number so big as 11% dying from suicide? The fact is that when teens have to balance and harbor emotions and feelings, they tend to become overwhelmed after suppressing them for so long.
To address and significantly mitigate poverty’s effect on teens’ mental health issues, the community needs to find and focus on ways to change teens’ lifestyles and social lives by finding ways to connect and have a space in which they feel safe to decompress, whether it is providing mentorship, sending motivational text, or just having that one-on-one time where they get to build connections and strengthen relationships.
