Common Good Research Paper

Serving the Common Good “Forty five percent of children in America live in low-income families” (Child Poverty 1). The many negative effects a low-income environment causes can greatly impact a child’s life. Keeping these children motivated to be successful and to get out of this negative environment can be difficult. As a Sport Management major, I plan to serve the common good by volunteering my time working with local high school volleyball teams located in Pontiac, Michigan. My goal is to motivate these young women to finish high school and get out of Pontiac. Pontiac is rated as one of the most dangerous cities to reside in Michigan. In 2010, the violent crime rate for Pontiac was higher than Michigan’s violent crime rate by 246.5
In Anna Gassman-Pines article “Low-Income Mothers Nighttime and Weekend Work: Daily Associations With Child Behavior, Mother-Child Interactions, and Mood” she discusses the reasons why low-income mothers have such a difficulty maintaining a healthy family environment. Many low-income parents work at night or on weekends because those are the jobs available. These parents who work during these hours have less time available to spend with their family, especially children. This makes it very difficult for these parents to establish family routines. When family routines are disrupted, family relationships weaken and have negative consequences for the behavior and well being for both the parents and children (17). The absence of parental supervision can have a detrimental impact. According to the National Center For Children in Poverty’s article “Ten Important Questions About Child Poverty and Family Economic Hardship”, children living in low-income environments are likely to have behavioral, emotional, and social problems. They also have an “increased chance of dropping out of school, having poor adolescent and adult health, and poor employment outcomes”
I have been so blessed with a healthy and financially stable family and because of that I feel as though I need to give back. I have seen first hand the effects that living in a negative environment have on a child. My own cousin has been the victim of her mother’s poor decisions. Watching this first hand has been very difficult for me and sadly I’m seeing her actions resembling her mothers as she grows up. I know there are kids my age who feel they have no other choice but to do exactly what their parents have done. It always hurts my heart to see kids struggle because of the poor choices their parents have made. Of course, not all parents living in low-income situations have made poor decisions in their life, but the children who are suffering because their parent’s actions, I feel; need to know they can make a better life for themselves. Many of these high school students probably haven’t seen anything outside of Pontiac. I want them to know there is more out there for him. I want to see these kids