GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE THINK TANKS ON POVERTY

The Think Tank on Poverty seeks to give voice, to empower working and poor people to

challenge the systemic issues that keep us in poverty. While doing this, we attempt to address the hunger, employment, transportation, housing, injustice and other basic needs of our organizers so that they may continue their community work.

Our organization is guided by principles.

Every one is essential to who we are, and how we

function in the community.

1. INCLUSION – Our work includes everyone who wants to address systemic issues of

poverty including people who have or are experiencing poverty and committed members of the middle class. We do NOT discriminate on the basis of age, class, race, marital status,

citizenship, political party, or sexual orientation.

2. LEADERSHIP – We try in every way to enable people who directly experience the

problems to lead the way in addressing them.

3. PROBLEM SOLVING - We are involved in solving very real problems of hunger,

homelessness, poverty, discrimination, injustice and more.

4. RESPECT/NO JUDGEMENT – We treat each other with respect at all times. There is no

judgement. Think Tank meetings are a “safe” place to tell your story. What is said at a Think

Tank meeting, stays there.

5. PUBLIC EDUCATION – Broad sectors of the public are ignorant of the lives of people in

poverty, believing instead the untrue “dominant narrative” that casts people in poverty as less than human, liars, lazy, welfare cheats, irresponsible and wholly to blame for their own

situation. We use our stories and our researched data to educate the misinformed public,

including elected officials.

6. STRATEGY AND TACTICS – We use all tactics available to us in appropriate ways, we

build relationships with social service agencies, elected officials, other community

organizations. We vote. We bring our voices, our needs and demands to city council, the state legislature or the Federal government. We exercise our first amendment rights to demonstrate, rally, petition and other forms of direct action WHERE APPROPRIATE