Getting Ahead in a Just Getting By World

By now you have heard about the Bridges Out of Poverty Coalition's "Getting Ahead" program. But do you know anything about the class?  Do you know how the program helps individuals and families who are living in poverty?

"Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin'-By-World" is a 15-week workshop with classes meeting once a week for 2 hours.  This unique course aims to help  people in poverty (particularly those in generational poverty) begin their journey out of poverty and onto a path of self-sufficiency by having them look at all areas and resources of their lives.  They will also learn the "hidden rules" of the middle class, as well as self-hindering mindsets.  They are taught to think differently about not only poverty, but also about themselves and the choices they make.  Once they have assessed their resources across all facets of their lives, they then form an action plan and begin to take immediate steps in order to strengthen weak or insufficient resources.
Additionally, during the course, participants examine the root causes of poverty as a social issue and within themselves, and learn how to examine and begin to put an end to their own self-hindering mindsets.  Further, they learn how to honestly examine and build their resources and how to make plans via "SMART" goals so that they can begin their journey out of poverty and begin to write a new future for themselves.

A key element to this program is gaining not only an awareness of the "hidden rules of class" but also the knowledge regarding how to apply these on the job in order to make them more productive members of the workforce.  Because the business, education, and social service sectors all work off of middle class standards, giving clients an awareness of these and how to apply them is a crucial element self-sufficiency programs. 

Further, they are monitored via weekly phone or email contact as well as progressive exit and follow-up interviews so they may continue their journey.  Additionally, the facilitator is trained fully in both the Bridges Out of Poverty model as well as the facilitation of the course, enhancing the effectiveness of the class.

 Meet Darcy, a graduate of the Getting Ahead program

Maybe it's not the typical move the tassel, hats off graduation, but this ceremony still signifies hard work, accomplishment and the next step in becoming self-sufficient.  The people who attended the Getting Ahead program's graduation held proud faces as one of the graduates, Darcy, stood up in front of the crowd and shared her story.  She told of growing up in a poor family on a Kentucky farm, moving to Middletown to work in quality control, and finally having to choose between having a career and taking care of a child with medical complications.  Some of the hardships would have been easier if child support payments came in more regularly.  Falling into the relentless grasp of poverty was simply a series of misfortunate events.

To help herself and her family get out from underneath accumulated debt, Darcy sold her house and strived to make things work on a low budget.  She found out about the Bridges Out of Poverty Coalition's Getting Ahead program through her Community Behavioral Health case manager when she expressed an interest in going back to school to finish her degree.  On learning about the program she says:

"I was all for it!  Anything that could help me was worth my time, and luckily I was able to make it work [on the] days my children were out of school due to my mom just becoming retired".

 
She was able to lean on her mother and a guild of therapists as she and her youngest son learned "sign language, learned to walk and many [other] independent steps that people take for granted".  Her son still faces challenges with speech and fine motor skills.  Before she started the Getting Ahead program, Darcy felt as if she had few allies.  She had her mother, but there were still few that she believed she could actively rely on for help or friendship.  The Getting Ahead program helped her gain a focus, put her life into perspective, and define her goals.  "I found that I had lost myself somewhat in the procession of job sacrifice and living in poverty" she says about the program and how it helped her find the resources she needed to help herself move towards self-sufficiency.  "Considering what I've been through in only the last three years I am fairly resilient" she says.

Butler County United Way Partners with UGive.org

Community members can support Butler County United Way and its Network of Providers by volunteering.  To further the mission of volunteering for high school students Butler County United Way is partnering with www.ugive.org.  UGIVE is a non-profit organization on a mission to catalyze, excite and empower the next generation of volunteers by making philanthropy relevant to students, guiding them to give their time and talents to build communities.  The Network of Providers need volunteers, schools often require community service and students have time, energy and passion to become engaged in bettering their community.  United Way, working with area agencies and organizations to list their volunteer opportunities on the UGIVE web site gives students the power to choose helping them find their passions and continue volunteering.