According to Nelson and Prilleltensky Marginalization is "being outside the mainstream of productive activity and/or social reproductive activity.  I wanted to expand on this definition to further my understanding before completing this blog. I found that marginalization is the process in which someone or something is pushed to the edge of a group. These people are seen as less important than other members of that group. This resource also said that minorities and subgroups are usually excluded while having their needs/desire ignored.  The reading goes on to say that poverty, dependency, and feelings of shame are everyday aspects of social marginalization. According to the readings the serious risk factors for "falling victim" to marginalization are being poor, unemployed, discriminated or disabled in an "ableist" society. Marginalization is a shifting phenomenon linked to social status. One moment you could be living the high life and the next you can find yourself on the outside looking in. Like the American Poverty video said Poverty is not a result of laziness but rather a result of circumstance. 

                There are many ways leaders can address poverty within their individual communities. I think the first thing that needs to happen is that we stop focusing on "laziness' as the problem and stop blaming every person that is below the poverty because sometimes it is not the individuals fault. Anyone and everyone can hit a patch of bad luck in their lives but in order to help them get through those hard times is to focus on solutions instead of the problem. I actually think that PAR would be an effective source in defining the real problems at the community levels when it comes to poverty. Use PAR to partner with the community and talk to the people who are actually affected by the problem every day. The end of poverty Video is a great example of an outside resource partnering with the community to transform people lives within the community. From new power supply sources and education for the children to real medical clinics and no hard labor for the children. This project is focusing on the individual needs of the community in their India program which is why it is proving to be effective. A huge step toward change according to the American Poverty video is to start changing how the people affected by poverty are classified. From there the focus must be on assistance and improving lifestyles while also breaking the cycle of poverty. A huge step forward would be to improve education and the value of that education. You can see how important education is to the children within poverty like Billy who wants to create a better life for his family. By increasing the capabilities and self-determination of the individuals we will begin to break the cycle that poverty is. Just like the videos display, children-our future generations-are the key to unlocking and stopping the cycle that is continuing to bring down thousands of families each year in our nation.