ReThink Poverty

Imagine that you are recently divorced, now solely responsible for your three children. You work full time, but are barely getting by. When your car breaks down unexpectedly, you wonder how you are going to get to work, pay rent, and feed your family this month. How how will you survive?

This real-life scenario and many others are the daily experience for people across our city. Many are working hard to make ends meet, but are faced with challenges nearly impossible to overcome. Those seeking to alleviate poverty often have assumptions and misconceptions that prevent them from responding effectively. Many times, they end up hurting those they are trying to help.

In order to effectively respond to poverty, we must first ReThink Poverty.

Brookside CDC’s ReThink Poverty Simulation is designed to help participants move towards a greater understanding of what life might be like as a low-income family trying to survive from month to month. When you attend, you and your team will be given a story, like the one above, of someone living in poverty. You will try to survive a “month” in the town of Realville as you work to keep your job, feed your family, and pay rent. It will encourage you to ReThink who struggles with poverty, your beliefs about those in poverty, and your impact on poverty. 

Brookside CDC takes a holistic, Gospel-centered approach to meeting the needs of the residents in our community. We emphasize personhood while equipping others to make meaningful connections when building relationships. It’s refreshing when we begin to realize that the gap between us is much smaller than we realize. The fortunate truth is we are very much alike.

Now imagine what it may feel like when you begin to understand a few nuances of poverty and have a renewed sense of how you can be more effective in making connections. We invite you to sign up for the next ReThink Poverty simulation. Confront your assumptions. Learn more. Get involved. You can learn more about the simulation and Sign Up Here