Media Release
Bridges Out of Poverty is a workshop designed for community individuals, educators, sector leaders and volunteers who are interested in broadening their mindset and making a difference in the Muskoka Community.
On Tuesday November 14, YWCA Muskoka invites community members, educators, sector leaders and volunteers interested in strengthening their understanding of poverty to attend a workshop at Muskoka Community Church in Port Sydney. Bridges out of Poverty will challenge the way individuals think about poverty and will introduce local, practical strategies that really make a difference. The workshop is part of a collaborative partnership between organizations across Muskoka whose mission is to ’…unite strengths and passions to eliminate poverty in Muskoka’.
This workshop will give participants a ‘framework’ for understanding poverty and how it relates to income groups: opening eyes to a different perspective on how we live and work in society and community.
Different groups in our society live by cues and habits that are ‘hidden’; others don’t see these cues and habits or understand how they function. Participants will learn about these and other thought-provoking, practical theories to develop a greater understanding of how to build bridges across sectors to achieve the ultimate goal of a sustainable and thriving community in Muskoka.
A lived experience speaker from Muskoka who is now a Circles Leader and an Ally in Circles will also share their stories and how the training and program has impacted their lives.
One of the most powerful and relevant learning/training sessions I have attended in over 10 years. Keep up this amazing work!
Past Participant from Bridges out of Poverty
This training workshop is part of a five-year collaborative Project funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the District of Muskoka including Bridges out of Poverty training, Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’ By World and the Muskoka chapter of ‘Circles’™; a community based approach to supporting people out of poverty. To register for this workshop go to ywcamuskoka.com.
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I participated and experienced this superb one-day ‘Bridges out of Poverty’ workshop this past June over in Penetanguishene. It was facilitated by two very talented individuals, including a young self-confident mother who was successfully bridging-out-of-poverty.
The workshop provides insights and an understanding into the multiplicity of reasons for the existence of poverty – with its diversity of faces – in our wealthy country of Canada today, and underlines the fact that many of the complex causes of contemporary poverty are beyond the immediate control of the individual and her/his family.
The workshop addresses personal and group strategies at the community level for breaking down socioeconomic siloes, encouraging interpersonal relationships, the sharing of ‘social capital,’ and exploring avenues for political activism as informed and responsible citizens. There are no quick-fixes but it’s well-worth investing the time for the ‘common good’ of our community.