"Bridges out of Poverty," Norman, OK

Today was the first of three full-day "Bridges out of Poverty" trainings, presented by one of the authors, Terie Dreussi Smith, to become a facilitator for our community.  I arrived in Norman, OK, after flying into the Will Rogers International Airport, Oklahoma City, OK, yesterday (Sunday).  My home for the next three days is at the National Center for Employee Development (NCED) for the United States Postal Service.  Only in the most recent years has the center offered the opportunity for other trainings to use their space to generate additional revenue.  I've met postal workers from all over the country, including Alaska, and my closet includes complimentary envelopes and mailing boxes!
At my training table, I sat amongst a parole officer from Kansas, an assistant for a Circles Initiative from Oklahoma, and an employee of a social service agency in Texas.  A few of the 90 trainees are also facilitators of the "Getting Ahead..." Initiative. 
Our training discussed a multitude of modules to understand the continuum of economic class and examples to effectively teach to community members, most importantly, those sitting at the decision-making table, the effects of poverty. 
An example illustrated the businesses that exist in the midst of poverty: pawn shops, liquor store, corner store, rent-to-own, laundromat, fast food, check cashing, temp services, used car lot, dollar store.  How many of these are located in Pottstown?  In walking distance of downtown? 
Tomorrow and Wednesday the training is more customized for the individual, institution/agency, and community we are reaching by "bridging the gap" for understanding. 
The training is similar to the information Ryan and I facilitate in "Getting Ahead.." to people who live in poverty and transform the message of the same concepts to teach it to professionals whose economic lens originates from middle class or wealth. 

I began documenting our pilot journey with "Getting Ahead..." on Facebook (FB) and will begin transporting photos and stories shortly to this site. This blog will be used for updates rather than Facebook, in moving forward, to offer access to everyone interested, despite membership to FB.   Additionally, each of the investigators have consented for the use of their work to be shared. 

I will start this blog by introducing myself, Amy Rossman.  I began working for the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities (PCRC) 4 years ago in February 2009 and began as a PT caseworker.  Two years into my employment, as the Cluster was about to move locations from Walnut Street to Franklin Street in 2011, I seized the opportunity to become the FT Programs Manager.  
After a year of being in our new location, a strategic planning programs committee commenced to explore possibilities "to help individuals make real progress in moving from dependence to productive self-sufficiency," as our mission describes.  Born from these brainstorming sessions was the "Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin'-By World" initiative, written by Philip E. DeVol.  We thank Tammy Schoonover, Director of Training, Bucks County Opportunity Council (BCOC), for her time as we met with her on a few occasions to discuss their success with the "Getting Ahead..." initiative in the BCOC's Economic Self-Sufficiency Program. 
In January 2013, PCRC offered a two-day training, "Bridges out of Poverty," written by Philip E. DeVol, Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D., and Terie Dreussi Smith, to professionals and volunteers in our community working with individuals living in poverty to understand the people whom we serve. 
From this training, we received referrals from community agencies working with individuals, receiving public assistance, who shared an interest in attending the 16-week pilot series of "Getting Ahead..." workshops that began in February.  Both myself and Ryan Keiser, caseworker, have been trained as facilitators for the workshops.