Getting Ahead

“Getting Ahead in a Just-Getting’-By World” is a facilitated 45-50 hour program that meets for 13 to 16 weeks. It helps individuals in poverty build their resources and personal plans for a more prosperous life for themselves, their families and their communities. It is about building stability and a better future for our communities.

It is built on the work and ideas of Dr. Ruby Payne on the hidden rules of economic class, and the subsequent applications of those principles in two books by Philip DeVol (“Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities”, and “Bridges to Sustainable Communities: A system wide, cradle-to-grave approach to Ending Poverty in America”).

This course includes 10 modules: Getting Started, What’s it like now, Theory of Change, Rich / Poor Gap & How it Works, Hidden Rules of Economic Class, Eleven resources, Stages of Change, Self-assessment of resources, Building resources, Community Assessment, Your Plan for getting from poverty to prosperity, Creating mental models for your personal path out of poverty and for community prosperity, Where to Go to build personal and community resources, and Closing & Transition to mentoring.

The program shows how to build up financial, emotional, social, and other resources. Understanding the hidden rules of the middle class and wealth, and choosing to use them, can open doors to new relationships, new jobs, and higher resources.

The workbook is designed to be used as an investigation tool by individuals working in groups with a trained facilitator. The participants explore the impact that poverty has had on them, investigate economic realities, complete a self-assessment of their own resources, make plans to build their own resources, and develop a mental model of community prosperity.

This workshop is offered throughout the US and Canada and in several other countries also. Here in Boone County we have had great success with this program and have partnered with our local Habitat for Humanity. It is required that HFH families complete this course before becoming a homeowner. The course hours are counted by HFH as “sweat equity hours.” We are the only agency that offers this program in Boone County at this time.

Since January of 2022 we have offered the class two times a year, it is our plan to continue. We have had many inquires about this program and would appreciate your help in providing this life changing course to Boone County residents.