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Facilitator’s Suggestion for Module 2 |
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At the end of Module 2 we develop the "What It’s Like Now" mental model. It can be painful to do this. Rebecca Hinds from Circles of Support, Community Action Duluth, offers this suggestion to help Investigators make it through the rough spots.
I have facilitated Getting Ahead twice now and look forward to doing another workshop this summer.
Both times I have facilitated Getting Ahead I’ve found that the second module can be emotionally painful for some investigators. Talking about poverty, the pain associated with it, and "what it’s like now" puts investigators in a vulnerable place, particularly so for the folks who do not or do not want to identify with poverty. The activities on debt-to-income ratios and wages and housing are concrete, real, and the numbers are hard to look at. In both of the workshops I have been involved in, this module has caused anxiety and I’ve lost a couple people. This may be a natural part of any workshop (people sort out whether or not they are truly interested in being in the process after the first night), but I believe that one or two were responding to the anxiety produced in the "what it’s like now" activities.
In order to address this issue I have intentionally created an opportunity for the group to bring positive energy and affirmation into the room. At the beginning of the second module I ask the investigators to make a list of things or phrases that motivate them. Both times we have come up with a fabulous list of motivational phrases. Moving forward, during this module and all future modules, if I sense that the group is going to get stuck or is feeling low or negative I ask someone to read out loud three of the motivational phrases on our list. This helps center and refocus our group. It often reminds people of their reasons for being in Getting Ahead and motivates them to get through the pain and move on through the process and towards a better life.
Rebecca Hinds
Circles of Support Community Advocate
Community Action Duluth
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