In June almost 200 people met in the Alliance High School Performing Arts Center to hear Jodi Pfarr, a presenter for Bridges out of Poverty. This workshop was a comprehensive approach to understanding poverty using the lens of economic class. Participants reviewed poverty research, examined how to change, and analyzed poverty through the prism of the hidden rules of class, resources, family structure, and language. We are continuing to work with tools and strategies for our community to alleviate poverty.
People who participated in the Bridges program have been invited to monthly meetings for Bridges – Continuing the Conversation. The first Wednesday of each month from 1:00-2:00 the group meets at 723 Flack to discuss how to continue to serve people in our area who need assistance. In August the group heard from Reverend Don Mink and Pastor Linda Abold, who shared their experiences working for the Indian Mission Church of God. Rev. Mink has been serving this church and Alliance’s Native American community for fifty years.
On September 1 at 1:00 the Bridges group will be working with Sarah Williamson, a facilitator from Panhandle Public Health, to evaluate the work of the Poverty Task Force and set new goals. Everyone who attended the Bridges training is invited. In fact, everyone who is interested in poverty and how we deal with it should attend. Contact Karen Benzel, United Way of Western Nebraska, at 308-763-8031, or bbc@uwwn.org if you would like more information.
The Alliance Poverty Task Force is bringing Bridges Out of Poverty – Part 2: Institutional Lens to our area on Tuesday, October 14. Participants will learn how to apply much of what was presented in Bridges Out of Poverty to our agencies and institutions. Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff will host the event from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, and lunch will be provided. The cost is $35, and people can register online at Panhandle Partnership, then search for Bridges. The link is https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bridges-out-of-poverty-part-2-institutional-lens-registration-157287732843.
This workshop is an in-depth extension of the Bridges Out of Poverty workshop. We will review hidden rules and language, and learn motivational skills and stages of change. We will build strategies to break down poverty’s barriers, with strategies for better program designs, policies, and procedures. The session is designed to take the constructs introduced in the Bridges Out of Poverty workshop and help participants begin embedding them at the institutional level.
Participation in the original Bridges Out of Poverty is strongly recommended, but not required. If you missed previous offerings of Bridges Out of Poverty, you can take an online course. Visit https://www.ahaprocess.com/event/bridges-out-of-poverty-workshop-elubridjrp-2109/ for more information.
Alliance will be hosting Bridges – Part 3: Community Lens on June 9, 2022. This workshop will build further on what was learned in the first two Bridges programs, looking at poverty’s barriers through the lens of the community.
Bridges Out of Poverty workshops are open to the general public and perfect for community organizers, elected officials, concerned citizens, nonprofit staff, mental health providers, educators and school counselors, those working in the health and human service industry, churches, frontline employees, and more! Major funding has been provided by Western Nebraska Community College, United Way of Western Nebraska, CAPstone Child Advocacy Center, Community Action of Nebraska, Alliance Christian Ministerial Association, and the Medica Foundation.