I Won't Tell You The Rules


Most problems related to poverty cannot be solved simply by throwing money at them. There is more involved than mere economics, including a lack of exposure and support when it comes to the rules, systems, and structures involved. Imagine a girl who has worked extra hard, despite her circumstance, to get into college. She’s the first one in her family to go to college and one of the only students in her school to go. Her counselors are overwhelmed, focusing on getting kids to graduate and support them in transitioning directly into the workplace. Nonetheless she managed to apply to college and get a scholarship. She does not have any surplus income for books, travel home, or other expenses so she gets a job while going to school. The expected workload of her classes combined with some scheduling conflicts is putting her education and her employment at odds. No one she has close contact with has ever experienced college before to pass on the wisdom of how to work with her counselors to maintain her grades so she can retain her scholarship so she can continue going to college. She has no experience with the financial aid system or the rules of her scholarship and doesn’t understand some of the options available to help her pay for additional expenses. Because of added economic, social, and systemic pressures, she does not graduate. According to CNN* only 21% of poor students who enter college earned bachelor’s degrees by age 24 as opposed to 99% of wealthier peers.


*https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/04/news/economy/college-graduate-rich-poor/index.html


Rules: This piece is a maze of sorts but I won’t tell you the rules. There is a beginning and an ending but you do not know where they are. There are specific movement rules you have to follow but that information is also currently unavailable to you. Try and solve the maze. The odds of success without the rules is almost impossible. To find out how to access the rules, read below.

If you are reading this, congratulations. You have the time to consider art and access to the internet, you already have some advantage in life. If you are interested in solving the game titled, I Won't Tell You The Rules, you must find out the rules. The following are ways you can solve the maze and/or bypass solving the maze.

  • Send me $5.00* through one of the payment links below and I will send you a copy of the rules through the payment app.

  • Send me $20.00* through one of the payment links below and I will send you a certificate that states that you solved the maze successfully. You do not need to try and solve the maze.

  • If you do not want to pay but you still want the rules, you must do one of the following;

If you solve the maze, send me proof in one of the following ways and I will send you a certificate of completion.

  • A video walk through of you solving the maze

  • An image of the maze with the path you took to solve it drawn on it digitally or otherwise

*All money gathered this way will be used to pay for postage for certificates and then donated to the Cleveland Food Bank.