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Building Bridges Out of Poverty
By S. Christine Rody

October 20-23, 2011, found eight Sisters of Charity and three SC Associates in Indianapolis, Ind., learning about Building Bridges out of Poverty in a workshop sponsored by the Vincentian Family. The points of the workshop included practical hints and experiences of working with people who are poor and helping them to build bridges for themselves and others to transition out of poverty. Our own S. Caroljean Willie, Charity Federation representative at the United Nations, prepared the prayers for the days of our being together and presented the opening talk on Vincentian Family history with systemic change.

One insightful and compassion–building exercise was the first evening session, carried out by the Indianapolis St. Vincent Health Group. Attendees, in groups of two to five, were given specific situations of different families who live in poverty and asked to resolve real life problems of that family. Around the room were other individuals who represented the outside offices/contacts/help that might be contacted to respond to the problems: bank, pawn shop, grocery, welfare office, school, quick loan office, job possibility, etc. The hour exercise was divided into four 15-minute segments, each representing a week, in which the problems given were to be addressed. At the end participants were asked to make observations on learnings, appreciations developed, and feelings evoked. 

The next day Jodi Pfarr, of Bridges out of Poverty, a part of aha! Process, Inc., centered her often humorous and always clear remarks on strategies for professionals and communities in building bridges out of poverty. She spoke to the relationship among societal systems, policies, and individual, institutional and community viewpoints and roles. A basic distinction she made was the mental models through which people of poverty, the middle class and the wealthy view all aspects of life. She pointed to the distinct organizing principles of each group and illustrated with specific examples the differences. On the third day, Philip DeVol, one of the authors of the book “Bridges out of Poverty,” emphasized that in order for poverty to be addressed, the basic three components of society need to be involved and understand their own viewpoint and how it differs from those of the other components.

The last half-day focused on ideas the Vincentian Family could use practically to help build these bridges out of poverty. At the end attendees found our heads swimming with ideas and new knowledge – our spirits soaring with appreciation for all that is being done and our practical senses challenged by the question: what more can we do?

 

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