1. Ten Sixteen Recovery Network creating a ripple of hope
Bridges Out of Poverty
Sarah M. Kile, BS, CPC
Ten Sixteen Recovery Network
creating a ripple of hope

2. No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.
–Dr. James Comer
There are four main reasons one leaves poverty: (1) It’s too painful to stay, (2) a vision or goal, (3) a key relationship, and/or (4) a special talent or skill. Education also can be a bridge out of poverty.
No significant learning—and no significant change—occurs without a significant relationship.
Talk at your table about the changes your organization expects from customers.
Most of our organizations ask people in poverty to change their thinking and their behavior. It all hinges on the quality of our relationships. When we develop community-engagement models, everyone can be transformed by the relationships.
SEQUENCE:
Bridges Out of Poverty introduces a perspective to help us understand that economic class brings a sense of identity with it. We’ll discuss how we can reframe our own thinking in order to build and maintain relationships with someone who may not come “wired” for middle-class structures and organizations.
REINFORCEMENT:
By building relationships of mutual respect with our customers and employees, we’re assisting them in building resources needed to move toward stability or maintain it. AND we can be transformed too.

3. Mental Model for Poverty
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.
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 co-exist with poverty in our communities.
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

4. Mental Model for Middle Class
ADD/ANCHOR:
Take a minute to look over the elements in this pie. Now, let’s compare and contrast this environment with poverty. Let’s look at stability, time horizon, choice, future story, problem-solving skills, and power.
Basically this is a picture of stability and higher resources. Higher resources give those with economic stability the “gift” of choice and future story. Education and achievement are driving forces that glue the elements together.
Relationships are important in middle class, but relationships are more “interdependent.” Relationships are not about survival but are expected to incorporate stability.
REINFORCEMENT:
The mental model of middle class is also woven together by the formal register of language used to negotiate through systems and organizations. This is a world where planning and resources attempt to keep poor choices and crisis at bay. When a crisis does occur, there’s usually a significant amount of resources, including social capital, to stop a downward spiral into massive instability. In poverty, you often can’t stop bad things from happening as one crisis often leads to a pileup of crises in a short amount of time.
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

5. Mental Model for Wealth
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 two to four years; people can make plans two to four years out 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 can’t 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.
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.
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

6. DRIVING FORCES POVERTY MIDDLE CLASS WEALTH
Survival, relationships, entertainment
MIDDLE CLASS
Work, achievement
WEALTH
Financial, political, social connections
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

7. POSSESSIONS POVERTY MIDDLE CLASS WEALTH People Things
One-of-a-kind objects, legacies, pedigrees
All economic classes like to buy “things,” and the consumer culture of the United States is a strong influence across the board.
In middle class, there is ownership of property, cars, homes, furniture. These are considered possessions.
In poverty, your home and furniture may be rented, but you own people.
The fact that relationships are a driving force in poverty—and that one needs people to survive—is the key to understanding this.
In wealth, you have incredible buying power. A true possession is a one-of-a-kind object, such as an original work of art or an object with a pedigree. In wealth, your antiques have a pedigree (called a provenance), your dog has a pedigree, even your spouse has a “pedigree.”  It would be breaking a hidden rule in wealth to say, “Oh, what a lovely painting … looks like a Picasso! (Of course, it’s an original Picasso.) This is like saying to someone in middle class, “Oh, what a lovely engagement ring … is the diamond real?”
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

8. TIME POVERTY MIDDLE CLASS WEALTH Present most important
Decisions made for the moment based on feelings or survival
MIDDLE CLASS
Future most important
Decisions made against future ramifications
In middle class, the environment is stable, people don’t fear for today. The time horizon is two to four years. The future is the primary focus. The present does not take all of your energy. It isn’t about survival but planning and decision making to increase stability. Middle class needs to take yoga to remember there’s a present.  Another piece is that, in middle class, your future depends on your being on time for work and appointments. Once you’re there, it’s expected that business will begin at once … get to the point. This is accepted and expected.
In poverty, the environment is unstable and unpredictable, so it forces people into what Paulo Freire calls the tyranny of the moment; the time horizon is today. It’s a struggle to just survive today. Decisions are made for today. Getting down to business without allowing time to check out what’s happening in your personal life is considered an insult. This is the No. 1 middle-class hidden rule that people in poverty break. They are often late to appointments and work. It’s important that we help people in poverty develop a future story.
One of the worst things about poverty in the U.S. is that people lose their future stories. To end poverty we must help people develop their future stories.
In wealth, the environment is so stable that people don’t fear for today or the future—the time horizon can be one or two decades. The past is a strong focus. There’s a strong sense of continuity, which emphasizes the past. You have been given a legacy from the past, and you will be passing along that legacy to the next generation.
WEALTH
Traditions and history most important
Decisions made partially on basis of tradition/decorum
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

9. MONEY MONEY POVERTY To be used, spent MIDDLE CLASS To be managed
In poverty, the arithmetic of life doesn’t work; reinforce the mental model of poverty. When money comes, it will be spent because there are so many needs and wants that you have had to do without for so long. Money is spent to pay the bills, for entertainment, and for relationships (it is given to friends in need). This is directly related to the “moment living” brought about by surviving in poverty. People in poverty are criticized and judged for this rule.
In middle class, money is to be managed. How many of you pay your rent and bills, save a little back, and with what is left, go out to dinner and a movie? Someone who mismanages money is not planning for the future; this is actually discouraged. It’s a balance, however, because consumerism drives all classes to spend, and the middle class debt load is very high. It’s not only the poor who are using the payday lenders but also the working poor and some people in middle class.
In wealth, spending is considered “liability”; long-term investments are the passion. Since financial resources are so vast, they must be handled by professionals. The long-term investment plan can extend to 100 years. This is the legacy from the past that must not be invaded. It is now your legacy—for generations to come. You always have the sense that you are the past for future generations.
WEALTH
To be conserved, invested
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

10. FOOD POVERTY MIDDLE CLASS WEALTH Did you have enough?
Quantity important
MIDDLE CLASS
Did you like it?
Quality important
The hidden rules on food are one of the best illustrations of how hidden rules arise out of environments, resources, and conditions. [This slide is often used following the Driving Forces with the Key Points module.]
One of the areas we have hidden rules about is food. Food is very important because food is often the line between being destitute and merely being poor. The issue around food in poverty is quantity. The question after a meal is "Are you full? Did you have enough?"
In middle class, people have too much food. There is always enough. They're always on this or that diet. So the issue around food is quality. The question after the meal is "Did you like it? Was it good?"
In wealth, there is always enough food, and it’s always good because you aren’t doing the cooking. You have a personal chef. The issue around food is presentation. The question after a meal is "Was it artistically presented? Did it have aesthetic appeal? Did it go with the theme?"
WEALTH
Was it presented well?
Presentation important
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

11. DESTINY POVERTY MIDDLE CLASS WEALTH Believes in fate
Cannot do much to mitigate chance
MIDDLE CLASS
Believes in choice
Can change future with good choices now
In poverty, choice is often the better of two bad choices, and energy is used putting out “fires” because you couldn’t stop bad things from happening. Once something bad happens, it cascades into a series of events over which you have little control. You are fated, and you’ve “just got bad luck.”
In middle class, a stable future is linked to choice. The focus is on preventing bad things from happening. When bad choices are made, the resources are usually high enough to stop more bad things from happening. This class is strongly driven toward the everlasting positive impact of choice.
In wealth, noblesse oblige means you are privileged and responsible for giving back to create a better world for the less fortunate. You’ve “just got good luck.” Giving back takes on many forms and includes donations of libraries and cultural arts centers to raise the level of education and aesthetics and fund-raising for causes that increase health and well-being for the less fortunate. In a sense you are “fated” to be privileged and give back. The resources are so significant, the choices so wide, that choice is really not the primary focus. When bad choices are made, there are more than enough resources to mitigate the problem.
WEALTH
Noblesse oblige
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

12. EDUCATION POVERTY MIDDLE CLASS WEALTH
Valued and revered as abstract but not as reality
MIDDLE CLASS
Crucial for climbing success ladder and making money
Education in poverty is valued, but the resources are lower. This puts parents in a precarious position when it comes to the actual procedures of negotiating the way for the child to get a better education. The system is expected to take care of the child’s education. That’s what you pay taxes for.
Education is the both the journey and goal in middle class. It is sought throughout your entire life, not only for climbing the ladder and making money, but for the wonderful adventure and insights it brings to life. It is a matter of identity—the lifelong learner. Middle-class parents pressure public schools, demanding better environments, materials, and teachers. Middle class has the resource power to negotiate better schools.
In wealth, education is expected to be exceptional. Only the best private schools and tutors are engaged. School is where children make connections and are chosen based on tradition—the school grandfather attended. Parents use their connections to secure their child’s education in the right schools. This is not only true of Ivy League colleges but of the “Baby Ivies”—pre-schools in New York City regarding which parents will go to great lengths to ensure that their child attends. (Kozol) You don’t wait for college to establish your connections; it is done in pre-school.
WEALTH
Necessary tradition - making and maintaining connections

13. HUMOR POVERTY MIDDLE CLASS WEALTH About people and sex
About situations
WEALTH
About social faux pas
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

14. FAMILY STRUCTURE POVERTY MIDDLE CLASS WEALTH Tends to be matriarchal
This hidden rule is dealt with in detail in a subsequent module.
Tends to be patriarchal
WEALTH
Depends on who has the money
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

15. WORLD VIEW POVERTY MIDDLE CLASS WEALTH
Sees world in terms of local setting
MIDDLE CLASS
Sees world in terms of national setting
World views are relative to transportation, work, and leisure. Many individuals in poverty have never been beyond the county or city in which they live. Transportation is a recurring barrier.
Middle-class individuals frequently take vacations and travel for work within the United States and sometimes in other countries.
Wealth has the leisure and means to travel extensively throughout the world.
WEALTH
Sees world in terms of international view
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

16. Registers of Language FROZEN FORMAL CONSULTATIVE CASUAL INTIMATE
School and Business
These registers of language exist no matter where you are. All registers hold power in different settings. When you approach a banker for a loan, he/she will respond best to formal register. Yet formal register spoken in a poverty community almost certainly won’t bring you the same power. It’s about honoring the language that customers bring with them while building a bridge to formal.
Because middle-class structures tend to use formal register, it’s beneficial for that register to be nurtured.
No one should be asked to give up casual register. But the opportunities to learn formal register will help individuals have more control of their lives, as well as the lives of their children.
Poverty
Adapted from the work of Martin Joos

17. Research About Language in Children, Ages 1 to 3, in Stable Households by Economic Group
Number of words exposed to
Economic group
Affirmations (strokes)
Prohibitions (discounts)
10 million words
Welfare
1 for every 2
20 million words
Working class
2 for every 1
30 million words
Professional
5 for every
Brain research indicates that the best time to develop learning capacity is from birth to age 3 (Birth–3).
Children in poverty typically enter kindergarten two years behind their peers. How do children make up 20 million words when they get to kindergarten?
Affirmations encourage children to speak—questions such as “What are you looking at? What does the bird look like? What is the bird doing? He’s tugging on a worm? Yes, he’s torturing the worm and is going to gobble it up!” This is the amount and type of talk initiated by parent in a professional home when a 3-year-old climbed on the couch to look out the window. In many welfare homes, the situation was handled in two words: “Get down.” In professional homes, there were five “What are you looking ‘ats’?” to every one “Get down.”
Parents in poverty love their children. The “tyranny of the moment influences” the amount and kind of talk in the home.
Several attorneys in Denver developed a Birth–3 visiting nurse program to address the problem of adolescent recidivism in the courts. The attorneys convinced a Colorado state representative that interventions needed to take place earlier. State funding was acquired. The group recognized that the Birth–3 experience is vital.
This slide also demonstrates the importance of positive self-talk. How can you increase positive talk with your customers? How can you have them begin to nurture personal positive talk?
ANCHOR:
What programs in your community work with parents to increase language experience in the Birth–3 time period? How will you initiate or support these programs?
Example of taking a kid to work. Lots of words in car, planning on being good, plan on a reward. Ask what skills does this promote in a child?
Source: Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children (1995) by Betty Hart & Todd R. Risley

18. Mental Model for Life Goals
Things that will get me from now to then
Add picture of perfect life
My Life Now
With someone from your agency or in a similar line of work develop a mental model that you can use with clients to help them understand a abstract idea.
Steps I need to take

19. Creating Relationships
Stephen Covey’s work presents the analogy that relationships are like bank accounts. You can make deposits or withdrawals.
Most of us are aware of the power of relationship, but we all have days when we need to be more intentional about making deposits. Also, our organizational structures need to be analyzed to determine if either process or policy is withdrawing from relationships of mutual respect.
Source: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1984) by Stephen Covey

20. Tones / Voices Child Parent Adult
Defensive, victimized, emotional, whining, losing attitude, strongly negative non-verbal
Quit picking on me.
You made me do it.
I hate you.
Child
Authoritative, directive, judgmental, evaluative, win-lose mentality, demanding, punitive, sometimes threatening
You shouldn’t do that.
Life’s not fair. Get busy.
Parent
It’s a misconception that behaviors can be changed with the parent voice. The parent voice can be used to stop a behavior, but if you want a change to be made, it’s more effective to stay in a calm adult voice. Using a parent voice leads to consequence or threat driven behavior.
Often in poverty one finds only two of the three voices—the child voice and the parent voice. Therefore, the adult voice will need to be modeled and directly taught.
It’s possible to be in the adult voice and using “parent-voice non-verbals,” such as a pointing finger or a hand on hip. In this case, the non-verbals are louder than the words being spoken.
The way it is in poverty, a young person may self-parent or take on a parent role for his/her siblings very early in life. The best way to handle all this responsibility is to use the parent voice to get order. It’s the only way you know. Later in life, when someone comes at you in the parent voice, it feels like a sign of disrespect. So you come back at that person in the parent voice. What do we call two people discoursing in the parent voice? An argument. Arguments rarely result in meaningful change.
Non-judgmental, free of negative non-verbal, factual, often in question format, attitude of win-win
In what ways able to resolve?
What are choices in this
situation?
Adult
Copyright © 2006 aha! Process, Inc.

21. Consequence Driven
Middle Class Noise! Three seats activity. 1 seat is Desire to change, 2nd is Ambivalent to change and 3rd is No Desire to Change. Instructor sits in 1st chair and volunteer sits in 2nd. Instructor and audience tries to get person in 2nd chair to change a behavior. “No one is gong to move from ambivalent to sit in instructors lap!” Prevention education makes pushing consequences very appealing! I learned early that as soon as you use that parent voice with kids they shut off!
Have audience imagine that they are a class of teens. Begin yelling at them about how if they try pot they will end up living in a van down by the river. What would teens be thinking… what are you thinking? Example – smoke marijuana and you’ll end up in a van down by the river! We all know that not everyone who smokes pot will end up in a van down by the river! Look at the past 3 American Presidents. If we push consequence driven change we will be meet with short term success or resistance. And we should NEVER want to be a source of resistance – there’s enough of that already!
At Ten Sixteen we are committed to creating a ripple of hope! Not drowning a person in recovery!

22. It takes two to tango. Resistance
Give up power trip.
Help with future oriented thought and behavior.
People who have been in the system for a while may be fed up with people telling them what to do and how to do it. This is NORMAL! So, go with it! There is NOT a question mark after professional’s statement.
From a desire to be the expert to a desire to find the expert!

23. To leave poverty a person must trade relationship for achievement
Respectful
To leave poverty a person must trade relationship for achievement
What is their goal? Are you pushing a talented student to join a play when they don’t have a place to live?
A child in poverty may find the thought of leaving relationships, even if it is for a short while, very scary! And, their family may be extremely discouraging.

24. No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.
–Dr. James Comer
There are four main reasons one leaves poverty: (1) It’s too painful to stay, (2) a vision or goal, (3) a key relationship, and/or (4) a special talent or skill. Education also can be a bridge out of poverty.
No significant learning—and no significant change—occurs without a significant relationship.
Talk at your table about the changes your organization expects from customers.
Most of our organizations ask people in poverty to change their thinking and their behavior. It all hinges on the quality of our relationships. When we develop community-engagement models, everyone can be transformed by the relationships.
SEQUENCE:
Bridges Out of Poverty introduces a perspective to help us understand that economic class brings a sense of identity with it. We’ll discuss how we can reframe our own thinking in order to build and maintain relationships with someone who may not come “wired” for middle-class structures and organizations.
REINFORCEMENT:
By building relationships of mutual respect with our customers and employees, we’re assisting them in building resources needed to move toward stability or maintain it. AND we can be transformed too.