Create a visual representation of a current poverty statistic. The visual representation will illustrate the magnitude of poverty in your community, state, country or world. The visual representation should be displayed in a high traffic area and accompanied by an explanation. Find a statistic Contact your local Habitat for Humanity affiliate to learn about resources they may have on your local community or advocacy campaigns that they are involved with. To find your local Habitat for Humanity affiliate search by ZIP code. Helpful Web sites: www.habitat.org, go to “Learn about Habitat” www.unicef.org, go to “Info by Country” www.oxfam.org www.nationalpriorities.org, go to “Quick Reports” www.census.gov/hhs/www/poverty.html www.bread.org, go to “Learn” www.cyberschoolbus.un.org Find a representative object Find an object you can use to represent the poverty statistic you have chosen. Select an object that is related to the poverty statistic (paper houses to represent the housing deficit in your community, for example). It should also be something that is easy to find and cost effective, as an advocacy activity against poverty should not appear to be wasteful. You may wish to use recyclables (bottles, cans, can tabs, etc.) as they are generally easy to find and can be recycled when the event is over. You can also contact local businesses for donated items to use for this activity. See the “Colorado State University” article below for an example. Find a location For this demonstration, location is key. Select a high traffic area in your school or community. Make sure the location is safe and that your “Make It Real!” display will not be damaged over time. Possible locations: School library Community center Student center School lawn or other highly trafficked outdoor space Outside of a sports arena or lecture hall
They did it! During Act! Speak! Build! Week 2007, Colorado State University and St. John’s University “made it real” as part of their advocacy campaign. Colorado State University
Odell’s Brewery donated 220,000 bottle caps which we used to create a display. We calculated that each bottle cap on the Plaza represented 2,900 children (just children!) worldwide who live without adequate shelter. Nine 4’ X 8’ boards were each covered with about 4,600 bottle caps and each board had a different statistic relating the numbers, such as: “Every two bottle caps represent one homeless person in Larimer County” or “Each bottle cap represents four homeless people in the state of Colorado.” The majority of the bottle caps, however, were poured out onto a large tarp — which attracted a lot of people as it looked like a pile of gold when the sun hit it! We had a “homeless” display next to the tarp with a shopping cart, cardboard boxes, sleeping bags, crumpled newspapers and signs like “Sleep well.” Statistics displays and pictures of “the faces of homelessness” (donated by the Colorado Coalition of the Homeless) were also part of the display. — Laura Grette, Act! Speak! Build! Week committee chair
