Poverty Mindset and You Rachel Thompson IowaWORKS, Ottumwa

VIEWING ECONOMIC CLASS ISSUES THROUGH THE “TRIPLE LENS” The Bridges work is intended to be used at all three levels: individual, institution, and community, to shape policy. We call these the three lenses through which you can view and use the Bridges information as represented in the Community Sustainability Grid, Appendix H (and discussed on pp. 28–30) in Facilitator Notes for Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin'-By World. There are two objectives of sharing the mental model on this page. The first is to have every participant view the material in all four ways. Every participant will have their “favorite” lens or way that they like to view the material. For example, some of us spend 98% of our job working with individuals, so when we go to training or receive new information like the Bridges material, we are asking, “Now, how do I use this information when I am working directly with a person?” The Bridges individual track will give you specific tools that will assist you with this level. As a person gets promoted, their “favorite” lens often changes to the institution lens. Now when we receive new information, we are not thinking about how we use this at an individual level, but rather how we can use this to change the way our program is set up, to adjust how our institution operates. The institution track will give you concrete methods and ideas of how to use the Bridges information at this level. Still, some of us consider ourselves community advocates, and we want to know how we use this information at a community level. There are communities throughout the country and in other countries using the Bridges information. The community track will give examples and ideas of how to use this at a community level.  If we use the Bridges material at the individual, institution, and community levels, then often policies begin to change. This includes the policies that run your program and goes all the way up to federal policies (program, institution, city, county, state, and federal are all included in policies). This is why it is a large arch over the other three.  © J. Pfarr Consulting, adapted from the work of Phil Devol on sustainable communities

What does Poverty Mindset mean to you? Activity Work together to determine a definition of: Poverty Mindset ***Use Your Resources*** Might look or sound like Complaining Blaming Lack of Accountability Victim Does not feel like fit in, in a class above Not good enough for higher end Accept less because do not believe deserve more Could Include Does not include all people in poverty May include mindsets of people in middle class Does not define the whole of a person Is only part of what makes a person who they are May negatively impact a person and may not Examples… Middle class child is involved in a physical altercation at school. He turns the other cheek. Parent is mad at child because he should never allow someone to physically harm him. Child goes to school and picks a fight with the other student again to exert his dominance and make his dad happy. Parent says, My child is always more important. If my kid is sick, I will stay home no matter what my job says. Parent is focused on children not wasting food because understands what it is like to be hungry. Children do not understand parent’s fascination with finishing everything on their plate. Where one family member goes, all go. Snitches get Stitches….in all areas of life Chain of Command does not make sense Talking about certain things not known as taboo… That just ain’t honest

Mental Models Create mental models as groups Activity

Mental Model for Poverty SCHOOLS POLICE SOCIAL SERVICES RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS With this slide we expand our examination of the environment to include businesses and other community organizations. Have the group think about the relationship between people in poverty neighborhoods and the police, schools, etc. Is that the same as it is for middle class people? Analyze the model for stability, safety, and interactions with the dominant culture. Mental illness and chemical dependency exist in each class. The amount of time spent on them is dependent on resources. ANCHOR: If you think of a “pocket of poverty” in your community, you will often see certain organizations, services, and businesses. Are these present in your community? In order to understand poverty, we must also address the larger elements that coexist with poverty in our communities. Developed by Phil DeVol Businesses Pawn shop Liquor store Corner store Rent-to-own Laundromat Fast food Check cashing Temp services Used car lots Dollar store

Mental Model for Middle Class SCHOOLS POLICE SOCIAL SERVICES RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS Developed by Phil DeVol This slide continues the investigation into the middle class environment. The mental models of class show us where the hidden rules come from. Mental illness and chemical dependency exist in each class. The amount of time spent on them is dependent on resources. Businesses Shopping/strip malls Bookstores Banks Fitness centers Veterinary clinics Office complexes Coffee shops Restaurants/bars Golf courses

Mental Model for Wealth This applies to the wealthiest 1% of households in the United States—those with a net worth of $7.8 million or more. This mental model is provided so that the audience can see where the hidden rules of class, including the wealthy class, come from. Analyze this mental model for stability, time horizon, problem-solving strategies, and power. The environment of poverty is unstable, so people have to focus on solving immediate, concrete problems. The environment of middle class is more stable; because people have today covered, they worry about the future and focus on planning. The environment of wealth is so stable that people don’t worry about today or tomorrow; they can make decisions based on family traditions. The time horizon in poverty is the present. The time horizon in middle class is 2–4 years; people can make plans 2–4 years in advance and reasonably expect to see them through. The time horizon in wealth is two decades. People in poverty have personal power, strength, and fighting ability, but they may not have the power to stop bad things from happening in the neighborhood or community. People in middle class have the power of the institutions because the institutions are run on middle class rules and norms. People in wealth have the power to influence and shape policy and the direction of the community. Mental illness and chemical dependency exist in each class. The amount of time spent on them is dependent on resources. REINFORCEMENT: These concepts will appear in the hidden rules and again in the module on poverty research. Our point is that to create sustainable communities, we must have all three classes at the table. It helps greatly if we understand one another’s environments and hidden rules. Developed by Ruby Payne

What does having a Poverty Mindset impact? Communication styles Understanding Hidden Rules Lack of Progress in own human capital Financial Stability Resources

Resources

Financial Emotional Mental Spiritual Physical Support Systems Relationships/Role Models Hidden Rules Integrity Motivation/Persistence Language

How will a person with a Poverty Mindset impact you? Activity Write examples when something has impacted you or you did not understand the person’s response and it may have been because of a poverty mindset.

Food for Thought… Have you ever had a poverty mindset? Has it ever negatively impacted you?

Thank You!!!