A Hidden America. Children of the Mountains

Description

In the hills of Central Appalachia, up winding, mountain roads, is a place where families face unthinkable living conditions. Isolated pockets here have three times the national poverty rate, an epidemic of drug abuse, and the shortest life span in the nation. In this program, Diane Sawyer travels to the Appalachian Mountains to report on children who live in rural poverty, and in particular, four who are determined to find a better life. For nearly two years, ABC News cameras have followed the stories of Shawn, a high school athlete who sleeps in his truck to avoid his alcoholic family; Courtney, a 12-year-old who wants nothing more than her own bed and enough to eat; Jeremy, an 18-year-old coal miner whose dream of becoming an engineer was dashed when his girlfriend became pregnant; and Erica, an 11-year-old striving to save her addicted mother's life. The program also includes Sawyer's update on these four young people, and a discussion of possible solutions to poverty.

Runtime

48 min

Subjects

Geography

Genre

Date of Publication

[2013], c2009

Database

Films on Demand

Direct Link

Similar Films

Education and social services
Core skills for field instructors. The student's impact on the agency system. Program 4
Future Cities Singapore
Does a Basic Guaranteed Income Decrease the Need for Social Services? (5/3/18)
The Doctor and the reverend
Former Drug Users Work On The Front Lines Of Opioid Crisis In Rhode Island
Portraits of professional caregivers. Their passion, their pain
Becoming a social worker with older adults. Real students, real clients, real growth
Sexuality and Disability, Psychosocial Aspects
Core skills for field instructors. The middle phase of field instruction. Program 3
Searching for Augusta. The Forgotten Angel of Bastogne
Patrick?s Story, Attempted Suicide, Attempting Life
Waiting on the world to change. Poverty in Camden, New Jersey
Promoting Olmstead, The Need for Community-Based Services for Persons With Disabilities
The 51st state. America's working poor