Transformers offers Bridges out of Poverty training Feb. 22

Transformers of Putnam County is offering a one-day Bridges out of Poverty training for the community on from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22 at the Watson Forum in DePauw University’s Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media (609 S. Locust St.).

“Bridges out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities” helps employers, community organizations, social service agencies, and individuals gain insight and strategies for making a difference for people living in poverty.

After getting going through this training several years ago, Lori Miller now serves as the program administrator for Transformers.

“I first got involved in Transformers’ work with Putnam County residents in or near poverty when I attended this training in 2013,” Miller said. “It opened my eyes, made sense out of my previous experiences and gave me a new way to connect with people, empowering them instead of putting a band-aid on the symptoms. I highly recommend it for anyone who works with or just cares about our neighbors in or near poverty.”

A bridge connects two entities — in this case, neighbors in middle class and poverty. This Bridges training is for middle class neighbors. Much of the same material is shared with neighbors in poverty through a “Getting Ahead in a Just Getting By World” work group.

For bridges of understanding to be built, we must work from both sides to meet in the middle.

Attendees will learn about generational poverty and its impact on neighbors, along with the hidden rules of economic class. They will examine the impact of poverty on the family structure and learn to define poverty by the resources needed for a stable life. They will also learn how to make a difference on the individual, institutional and community levels.

This outreach of Gobin United Methodist Church is unique in offering individuals solutions to the real problems of poverty and empowering them to transform their lives. It is also supported by the Putnam County Community Foundation and the United Way.

The cost is $40, which covers the book and lunch. To register, call the church office at Gobin Church (658-6010) or email gctransformers@gmail.com.