# data[].attributes.headline
Support Group for Individuals Experiencing Poverty

# data[].attributes.subject
Support Group for Individuals Experiencing Poverty

# data[].attributes.body
Introduction

This padlet will provide facilitators a guideline in planning and carrying out a support group for individuals experiencing poverty that will incorporate a trauma-informed, anti-oppressive lens. The purpose of this support group is to provide individuals experiencing poverty a peer supportive environment without the stigma of being 'poor' and community resources that will be shared between each other. The goal of this support group is to connect individuals experiencing poverty with a community to promote mutual aid ensure they know they are not alone, to promote their resilience and to gain knowledge on what community resources are out there to alleviate some of the stress and barriers that tend to go hand and hand with poverty. Strier, R. & Binyamin, S. (2012) shared that "...poverty is seen as a direct product of systemic barriers that severely reduce opportunities and access to resources, services and participation in society." (p. 1909)

# data[].attributes.headline
ii. Potential needs/issues and strengths 

# data[].attributes.subject
ii. Potential needs/issues and strengths 

# data[].attributes.body
Working with a group of different people will always see its issues, so when working with individuals who are experiencing poverty may have its challenges as well, such as a distrust of systems. Canada has had a long history of stigmatizing people who live in poverty, as Mitchell, T. (2018) shared "The stigmatization of economically marginalized individuals contributes to maintaining the status quo of entrenched poverty for many social groups, deflecting responsibility from governments to individuals in the process of blaming the victim" which has caused a mistrust in the systems designed specifically to provide assistance to individuals in poverty. This can result in individuals not wanting to attend a support group to begin with and mistrust with the facilitators, which can result in a difficulty in the relationship building process.

Individuals experiencing poverty have gained an understanding of the world from a different lens, sharing this in a supportive group can assist others that may be new to being impoverished. These different views of the world can come with different ways to survive, as shared by Frankenhuis & Nettle (2019) "People in poverty are more likely to be exposed to a variety of adversities, some of which they can developmentally adapt to (e.g., danger)" or learn tips and tricks that can be shared during group.

# data[].attributes.body
The most appropriate type of group for this particular population, is a combination of educational and self-help/mutual aid all through an anti-oppressive, strength-based lens.

Self help/mutual aid is when the group all have a common issue, that gather together helping each other out,

Educational Groups purpose as shared by is to assist the group members gaining new skills and new information. This is important as Toseland & Rivas (2011) shared "Members of education groups are bonded by a common interest in the material to be learned and by common characteristics..." (p. 24)

Role of Facilitator will be there in the beginning to explain the overall goal of said group, to give small details but ideally the facilitator will be hands off until the educational portion of the group will begin and community resources can be identified and shared.

Issue of Power within such a group as this when the facilitator is mostly hands off, is that eventually a leader will emerge and end up carrying the group, often the group can drag and lose its main purpose/goal, this is where the facilitator can step in.

# data[].attributes.body
Organization buy-in and approval can be achieved by first considering Canada's wealth and resources and relate that to our current poverty numbers. As shared by Canadian Poverty Institute (n.d.) "Income inequality is growing and recent estimates indicate over 14% of Canadians suffer from low income." when looking further and into particular populations in Canada, "Indigenous peoples in Canada experience the highest levels of poverty: A shocking 1 in 4 Indigenous peoples" (Canadian Poverty Institute, n.d.) Individuals that experience poverty are stigmatized not only on a systemic level but on a interpersonal level, which can also lead them avoiding services that can benefit them in the end, therefore if we are able to create a safe, peer support assisted, educational group can build resilience within this population.

A group such as this should be open, roughly 10-20 members depending on the comfortability of those attending. Due to stigmatization of individual's experiencing poverty, they may not feel comfortable sharing their own experience in front of a large group, at first. Members attending should be recruited by 'word of mouth', facilitators reaching out to other agencies to let their participants know, reaching out to individuals where they can be often found. Setting the group day and time should be collected by the members themselves, as well as the activities so members  feel they are included with some planning, to feel like they have gained some control back.

Typical conflicts that may arise, could be between the group members themselves, challenging the overall structure of the support group and even possibly the facilitator. "There will always be conflict and tension in groups because to work on a goal together there always has to be negotiation between differing needs, agendas and personalities. It is important that there is a safe environment to negotiate tensions and resolve conflicts." (Schmid, J., 2022)

# data[].attributes.body
Benefits from a support group for individuals experiencing poverty can include the process of working through the stigmatization placed on them by society, build their resilience and empowerment. "Social support, cohesiveness, and a sense of connection to others also have been found to promote resilience. These variables reinforce positive self-esteem and self-worth, characteristics that contribute to resilience in their own right." (Knight, C., 2017) along with the community resources supplied by facilitator and from other group members.

# data[].attributes.headline
vi. Group Ending and Life Beyond the Group 

# data[].attributes.subject
vi. Group Ending and Life Beyond the Group 

# data[].attributes.body
The ending phase with group can feel awkward, as some member may feel like they need more time in group, especially when the group is designed as a more peer support/self-help type. Members can be encouraged to keep in touch with their co-members they connected with to continue the mutual aid. Mayadas, N.S , & Glasser, P. (1981) "...termination is a necessary and critically important phase of group development, since it sets the tone for learned skill transfer to various other experiences in the natural environment of members." (p. 194)

# data[].attributes.body
Support groups for individuals experiencing poverty, that is partially led by a facilitator offering an educational aspect to provide members with community resources that they possibly could not ascertain on their own, remembering this must be though an anti-oppressive and strength-based lens in order for the members to feel they belong and can find connection through mutual aid. As facilitators will not be involved at every aspect, they must remember to still remain active within said group to ensure they stay on task, that everyone feels as though their story is being heard and that they can gain every aspect that this group can offer.

# data[].attributes.body
Frankenhuis, W.E. & Nettle, D. (2018) The strengths of people in poverty - sage journals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0963721419881154

Knight, C. (2017). Group work with homeless mothers: Promoting resilience through mutual aid. Social Work, 62(3), 235–242. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swx022

Mayadas, N.S , & Glasser, P. (1981). Termination. Social Work With Groups, 4(1-2), 193-204, DOI:10.1300/J009v04n01_17

Mitchell, T., Loomis, C., Polillo, A., Fry, B., &  Mackeigan, M. (2018). Projective technique reveals unconscious attitudes about poverty in Canada. Journal of Poverty, 22(6), 500–517. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2018.1490372

Poverty in Canada. Canadian Poverty Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.povertyinstitute.ca/poverty-canada

Schmid, J. (2022) Considering Conflict in Group Work. Vancouver Island University

Strier, R., & Binyamin, S. (2009). Developing anti-oppressive services for the poor: A theoretical and organisational rationale. British Journal of Social Work, 40(6), 1908–1926. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcp122

Toseland, R., & Rivas, F. (2011). An introduction into groupwork practice (7th ed.) Allyn & Bacon