Poverty is not just about how much money a person has coming in.

That's from one of the speakers keynoting a conference coming up in May in Portage la Prairie.

The 2020 Perspectives on Poverty; A Collaborative Approach highlights University of Winnipeg Department of Urban and Inner-City Studies Chair and Associate Professor Dr. Shauna MacKinnon.

"I'm talking about why it is that we need to be concerned about poverty as educators and people involved in education, and what some of the challenges are," says MacKinnon. "It's just to raise awareness and get people thinking about the kinds of things they might explore at the conference."

MacKinnon says that the term "poverty" brings to mind thoughts that are often radically separated from the actual impact it has on society. She notes it's vital that educators be present as well as anyone involved in the education system. MacKinnon adds those who want to know what can be done differently to address poverty will be extremely glad they attended, too.

"Poverty means a lot of things to different people and different experiences," continues MacKinnon. "So, there's not just one experience. It's not just about income. So, people who live in poverty, especially people who've lived in poverty for generations and may not know anybody else, have a whole host of other challenges we can't really understand."

MacKinnon speaks on Day 2 of the conference on Thursday, May 7th, with Mitch Bourbonniere on Day 1, May 6th, at CanadInns.