OUR PROCESS
Our Process
Facilitate "Getting Ahead" class meetings and host a Graduation celebration for the “Getting Ahead” graduates.
Provide "Bridges" training for the community through leadership workshops.
Curriculum is the "Bridges Out of Poverty" model by Aha Process! Inc. for a community approach to help people investigate their way out of poverty.
How We Do It
After an online application is completed, in-person interviews are conducted by the Program Committee, and between 12 and 20 people are then selected for a cohort.
After an online application is completed, in-person interviews are conducted by the Program Committee, and between 12 and 20 people are then selected for a cohort.
Each Getting Ahead cohort is between 16 and 20 weeks, aka between 4 and 5 months, depending on Oklahoma weather and holidays.
Each cohort meets once a week for class, and receives free curriculum materials, free childcare, a free meal (for participants and children) and COMPENSATION for participation.
Graduates are honored at the“Getting Ahead” Graduation Ceremony and are presented with a certificate of achievement.
The Resources Learned
Our graduates consistently push the envelope of learning.
FINANCIAL: To have income to purchase goods and services and to save/invest money. Having an educated understanding of how money works and a stronger financial literacy.
EMOTIONAL: Be able to choose and control emotional responses to negative situations without self-destructive behavior. This "state of mind" determines the way we think, feel, and behave in moments of stress and joy. This is also about interpersonal skills like teamwork, leadership, negotiation, and working with people from different backgrounds.
MENTAL/COGNITIVE: To have the mental ability and skills (reading, writing, computing) to manage with daily life, including the education and training investigators have in order to compete in the workplace for well-paying jobs or start and run their own business.
LANGUAGE: To have the vocabulary and negotiation skills to succeed in a work and/or school environment.
SOCIAL CAPITAL: To have friends, family, and support systems available in times of need.
PHYSICAL: To have stable, physical health and mobility.
SPIRITUAL: The option to believe in divine purpose and guidance and/or to have cultural connections of support and guidance.
INTEGRITY/TRUST: Trust is linked to two issues: predictability and safety. Am I certain this person will do what they say? Can I predict with some accuracy that it will occur nearly every time? The second part of the question is safety: Will I be safe with this person?
MOTIVATION/PERSISTENCE: To have the energy and drive to prepare, plan, and complete projects, jobs, and personal changes.
RELATIONSHIPS/ROLE MODELS: To have frequent access to adults who are appropriate, nurturing, and don't engage in self-destructive behavior.
KNOWLEDGE OF HIDDEN RULES: To know the unspoken cues and habits of poverty, middle class, and wealth.