Bensalem School District wants to cancel New Beginnings, a program geared towards helping teenage moms get their high school degrees and learn how to care for their children. I don’t live in Bensalem but this drives me nuts – the New Beginnings program is a great example of being proactive with a community problem. Run by Patti Pearson, New Beginnings has a 90% graduation rate for its program participants.
What I love most this program is that it breaks the cycle. By supporting these young women in difficult circumstances, New Beginnings give their children a better chance in life. Patti’s love for the young women she works with is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
The other thing I love about this program is that it is the community that solves the problem. Instead of waiting for the federal or state governement to step in and save the day, Bensalem School District took charge. These women were part of the community and were given resources to not onlyhelp themselves but ultimately contribute towards the community.
Please check out the following post by Kathrin Ivanovic at The Diversity Projekt. If you are able to help support this important program, it would be greatly appreciated.
Norcross said...
1(I am going to play “devil’s advocate” here for a moment, so bear with me)
Programs like these are mainly funded with government money, either state or federal. Given the current issues regarding the economy, many states are having severe budget issues and cutting all but critical programs, and even slicing deep into those. So as someone who is a proponent of limited government, how do you balance that belief with your desire for programs like these?
05/26/09 8:56 AM | Comment Link
Carl Weaver said...
2Norcross,
This is a program that should stimulate the economy. Imagine a world where people they are not able to be upwardly mobile. That’s the reality of people who get pregnant at a young age and drop out of school. And I do mean those who get pregnant, because often the fathers will continue on whatever course they were already on. These programs are expensive, but they have to be seen as an investment in the economy and society.
What happens to people who do not have the minimum of a high school education? Often they do not make much money and many get some sort of government assistance. So if we are thinking of the economy, these programs, especially ones with 90% graduation rates, are well worth the money and investment.
Most of us don’t think about it because we are already on the better end of the deal, but not having a high school education is a giant barrier to doing almost anything. You can’t join the military without a high school education and likely won’t even get a job at KFC. Who wants to take a chance on someone who is not motivated enough to finish high school? Really, to finish high school, all you have to do is show up, do the bare minimum of work and not screw around too much. Simply having the assistance to jump this hurdle means the world to people and dramatically increases their chances of success in being a contributing member of society.
Dorie, I have worked in and with programs like this before and have seen them lose their funding and it’s always sad. There is little rhyme or reason to who gets funding and who doesn’t. I have seen great programs die and terrible ones continue to get funded. It’s either corruption, short-sightedness or simply random.
Keep up the good work and advocacy. Thanks for posting about this!
05/26/09 11:05 PM | Comment Link
Norcross said...
3@Carl – I think you misunderstood my comment. I am not in favor of these programs going away. And while the specifics of this particular program aren’t relevant to me (I’m a late 20’s graduate male in Florida), I agree 100% that we need these types of programs to give people and even shot at success.
My question was in regards to Dorie’s Libertarian beliefs and desire for limited government. Supporting social welfare programs that target specific groups are contrary to many of the core beliefs that a Libertarian would have.
05/27/09 9:51 AM | Comment Link
Carl Weaver said...
4Ah – gotcha! Sorry. Yeah, this doesn’t seem like a cause for a libertarian but I suppose we all are a bit inconsistent from time to time and none of treads the ideological line we sometimes try to uphold. Good challenge!
05/27/09 10:05 AM | Comment Link
Dorie said...
5****UPDATE****
Last night at the Bensalem School District Meeting, the decision was made to cut the hours of the program, not the program itself. By cutting the hours of the program, the district is able to save money each year but at the same time does not leave these young women stranded. It was a very good compromise between all parties involved – and really, that might be what is most important. Community members were able to express concerns about their community to elected officials and everyone was able to walk away happy.
05/28/09 6:39 AM | Comment Link
sandra742 said...
6Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
09/9/09 10:21 AM | Comment Link
angelina jolie said...
7I love your site.
Love design!!! I just came across your blog and wanted to say that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. Sign: ndsam
09/10/09 12:07 PM | Comment Link
megan fox said...
8Sign: umsun Hello!!! rcuwwymhyw and 7760ssgfhphzye and 4536I love your site.
Love design!!! I just came across your blog and wanted to say that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your blog posts.
09/11/09 11:37 AM | Comment Link
hot lindsay lohan pics said...
9Sign: gfndc Hello!!! gkeuv and 4888wramckwpqk and 5399 : Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post! nice! I just came across your blog and wanted to say that Ive really enjoyed it.
10/7/09 1:27 PM | Comment Link
black celebs said...
10Sign: wdpad Hello!!! qwndq and 2574dnppbmcymf and 5769 : I like your blog. cool post!
08/10/10 2:37 PM | Comment Link