There is a program in South East Vermont called In-Sight, which is oriented to youth, though not specifically for poor kids. This may provide some information, or inspiration.
From their home page...
In-Sight's mission is to provide local youth with a creative outlet away from school and give its students a visual language that will give them tools to communicate with others and discover something about themselves.
In-Sight achieves this by offering photography classes to Windham County youth regardless of their ability to pay.
http://www.insight-photography.org/1/index.shtml