The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. member, Reneisha L Black, shares her experience from the Bridges Out of Poverty training held in January at the JLC Headquarters.
“The “Bridges Out Of Poverty” training session, facilitated by Detrina Johnson, MPA, and hosted by the JLC’s Training and Development committee, was an eye-opening experience for all of us who participated. One of the best things about the session was the way that Ms. Johnson made the lessons we learned from her concrete and interactive activities. My favorite of these exercises was “Making Choices” which gave us a limited amount of resources (represented by 15 pieces of “Smarties” candy) and a range of competing options on which to use them. For example, owning a car, having 3 meals a day for you and your 2 children, and maintaining health insurance for your family might each take 3 pieces of candy apiece, leaving only 6 pieces to cover your apartment, cell phone, and washing clothes, with each of these demanding 2 pieces of your candy. You’ll have nothing left at the end of the month, without cutting back on one or more of these priorities.
Ms. Johnson also detailed key elements of the worldview that poverty can produce, resulting in a short-term mindset based in large on daily survival. This approach often creates a disadvantage when seeking to get ahead in a society where rewards typically come to those who are able to successfully embrace middle-class values. The information shared by Ms. Johnson has already given me a different way of looking at both my current work with economically challenged families in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and perhaps even moreso in my future career as a licensed professional counselor.
I encourage everyone who plans to get involved in the Junior League of Charlotte’s many high-impact community programs to participate in the next “Bridges Out Of Poverty,” It was truly very informative.”
