FARMINGTON — Poverty in Franklin County is the focus of a semester-long effort undertaken by a student-teacher group at the University of Maine at Farmington to raise awareness and tackle the issue.

The campus group, the Student Education Association of Maine, has planned events and fundraising efforts to strengthen the ties among the community, young teachers and educators, said Stephan Riitano, a sophomore and SEAM president.

“We all know poverty is a problem, but how do we work together to not just promote awareness and how it affects our schools and others but also how to tackle the issues,” he said. 

A kickoff is planned for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, in The Landing at Olson Student Center. It is open to the community and campus, he said.

The group’s plans will be presented and guest speakers will share stories of the poverty issues they see and face each day. They will address how student teachers and the community can help, he said.

The speakers are from organizations such as the Tri-Valley Area United Way, Western Maine Community Action and Regional School Unit 9 Superintendent Tom Ward.

Ward spoke to a large group on campus about the effects of poverty on children and families in Franklin County.

“You can know about the issue, but when the superintendent tears up telling the story, it reaches you and it becomes personal to you,” said Riitano, of Bangor. 

Other plans for the semester include a collection of winter clothing for those in need. The items will be hung on a clothesline outside the dining hall to provide a visual message.

An entertainment night is being planned for March with proceeds benefiting the local heating fund or the food pantry, he said.

And, the group is encouraging students to attend the Warming Centers to talk with people there who are lonely, Riitano said.

SEAM received a grant of about $1,800 from the National Education Association to strengthen ties between the community, the Maine Education Association and so-called pre-service teachers.

Riitano is visiting other clubs and groups on campus to challenge students to come to the event and find out what they can do.

As a pre-teacher, Riitano also realizes the importance of ties between the community and educators to correspond with the NEA’s mission to “advocate for education professionals and to unite our members and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world.”

“Education is the key to success,” he said. “There is no more quitting school in the eighth grade to work in mills. Everyone can help. Through education we can rise.”

SEAM and the Partnership for Civic Advancement are working together on the events, he said.

For more information, contact Riitano at stephen.riitano@maine.edu.

abryant@sunmediagroup.net

Copy the Story Link