A Survivor’s Success Story: Meet Jaymie

For 13 years, Jaymie lived in an emotionally and financially abusive relationship. She could see the effect it had on her two children, and she wanted desperately to leave for their sake. Without support, though, she returned, “cycling back” to the violence she so desperately wanted to escape. Then, in 2017, Jaymie was accepted into Live and Learn, where she has received the emotional and financial support she needed to break the cycle of violence, gain financial self-sufficiency, and heal herself and her children. Jaymie remembers her teenage years as a difficult time. Her father passed away from cancer. She

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A Survivor’s Success Story: Meet Paula

In August 2017, Paula started over. She boarded a Greyhound with her two young children, taking just a few bags of luggage. They were leaving their life in Michigan—their house, their friends, their possessions, and Paula’s abusive boyfriend, the father of her children. They were headed to Phoenix, Arizona, a place they had never been. For nine years, Paula had tried to break away from her abusive boyfriend, turning to domestic violence shelters eighteen times. “But I always cycled back, I always thought he changed and we could make it this time,” she explains. “Then one day, the physical violence

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7 Ways Live & Learn’s Mentor Program Empowers Domestic Violence Survivors

children and domestic violence

In the United States, 1.3 million women experience domestic violence annually(1). Domestic violence profoundly traumatizes victims, potentially affecting them for the rest of their lives if they do not receive proper support. We know from numerous studies that domestic violence has long-term negative effects on children, and that it creates a cycle wherein children who witness domestic violence are more likely to become abusers as adults. Through our mentor program, Live and Learn empowers female survivors of domestic violence to overcome their trauma, help their children, and build a better future for their families. Lasting Effects Being a victim of

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The Cycle of Generational Poverty

determined to beat generational poverty

The heart of our mission at Live and Learn is to break the cycle of generational poverty. But first, we must understand what it is. Can we break the cycle, freeing future generations of its negative effects? This is exactly what Live and Learn’s programs seek to achieve.  Understanding the Cycle of Generational Poverty The cycle of generational poverty is the vicious trap that occurs when a parent’s poverty permanently affects the lives of his/her children. Growing-up in poverty hinders a child’s emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development, and children raised in poverty have lower lifelong educational and professional attainment compared

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