Some Assumptions & Experiments

Here is a list of my assumptions about single mothers in poverty or low income situations.

ASSUMPTIONS:

*They don't have frequent access to the internet.

*They don't plan ahead of time. They live from moment to moment.

*Single mothers are constantly on the move, and do not have a permanent place of residence.

*If they have family, that is who they get money from or residential help.

*Most of them have not finished high school or college.

*Single moms might have long term goals for themselves and their children, but they aren't inspired to achieve them.

*They are usually the victim of some kind of domestic abuse, violence, trauma, or mental health issues.

*They won't go, or can't go, and get regular health check ups for themselves or their children on a regular basis.

*They tend to focus more on their kids, and not enough on themselves. They sacrifice a lot for their children.

*Most single moms don't have contact with the father of their child or have not heard from him.

*Most of these women are younger, probably between the ages of 15-25.

I am not quite sure how to experiment with these assumptions yet. A survey could be an answer, but I think that actually talking to a single mother in poverty will be more beneficial. Through these assumptions though I see a lot of potential for some kind of planning device that focus's on goals. I also thought of something that a mother could write her thoughts into. Even something that could reveal to her geographically where certain organizations were that could aid to her situation. Here is a list of "experiments" that I could pursue in the upcoming weeks.

EXPERIMENTS:

*A campaign advertising where mom's can get help that would be housed near places where the homeless are usually found. Large posters, and billboards would be placed around bus stops (public transportation areas), downtown areas, and schools (to target their children). These would potentially advertise places like Sheiffield Place that can directly help a single mom.

*A day planner that is specifically designed for someone who is homeless. It would be goal oriented, as well as practical with relevant information pertaining to all of a mothers needs. For example, one page could be dedicated to the type of groceries she should shop for. These could be given out at a seminar, local church groups, or organizations that are helping single mothers.
*A journal that could house a lot of the mother's goals, and how she is going to achieve them. It seems simple, but would be something that is easily understood and implemented.

*I hate saying this word but a "scrapbook" if I may say could have potential. A mother could document their achievements, and family photos. It could be something that they could keep everything archived in, and could be something they refer back to in order to keep them inspired.

*I could potentially make a video that could spread virally in order to access people who could donate and advocate helping single mothers in poverty. It could house mother's actually telling their story, and how they are being helped to become more self-sufficient. It would give incredible evidence as to where the individuals money is going.

*A book or a catalog that directly focus's on an organization that helps single mothers. It could be a promotional book that basically promotes the company, what they are doing, and how successful they are. It would be well designed, and could potentially give that organization the credit that it deserves.

*On the other hand I could totally go gorilla style with this...I was thinking that maybe baby dolls placed in strollers and put in random spots in the city. They could house some fact about the babies "mother" or the child itself. For example "Over 92% of single mothers who are homeless have experienced severe physical and/or sexual abuse during their lifetime. For 63%, this abuse was perpetrated by an intimate partner." (http://www.familyhomelessness.org/families.php?p=ts) or "I will be three times more likely to develop emotional and behavioral problems in comparison to children who have a home" . This could be coming from the child doll, and could be pretty powerful.

I will probably think of some more ideas...but this is just a start.