Marion Matters

Marion Matters is a non-profit organization with offices in Pillar Credit Union's Kenton Road office building. We share this information as a community service.

Non-profit group seeks participants for course that improves lives for people living in poverty

Marion Matters, a community partner of Pillar Credit Union, is preparing its Getting Ahead 12 Class and is seeking participant referrals. If you know of someone who is currently living in an unstable situation and/or poverty and is ready to make a change -- or is currently working to change their live -- you can refer them to this program.

In Getting Ahead, instructors study poverty and near poverty through the lens of economic class to better understand how our society and the economy work. In groups of 6-12 people, they investigate the impact that poverty and low wages have and what it takes to move from a just getting-by world to a getting-ahead world. The idea of "getting ahead" means action and movement -- getting ahead of where we are now, toward a future that we really want.

Getting Ahead in a Just Getting by World

Getting Ahead in a Just Getting by World is a step-by-step life-planning process for individuals in poverty.

The two phases of this process are essential to address poverty in our community. First, the Getting Ahead course helps individuals create a mental model of poverty; discover the driving forces and hidden rules of each social class; assess their resources and develop their own unique plan to move from poverty.

Second, the Getting Ahead graduates then carry out their plans and share their knowledge about poverty to assist the community in planning and decision making.

So, in other words, the Getting Ahead process will enable participants to investigate the perspectives of each economic class and learn how to create a future story outside of poverty. The growth they experience in the Getting Ahead sessions will empower them to become decision makers in the community.

Marion Matters is looking for individuals who have lived in poverty the majority of their lives; who are not currently restricted by a substance abuse or mental health episode; who appear to have the motivation to take some steps in a different direction; and who want to participate, share their knowledge and become partners with community organizers.

Who is a good fit for the Marion Matters “Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’ By World” classes?

Class participants (“Investigators”) come from a variety of sources. In the past, candidates have been identified by local businesses, courts, agencies, churches and other Getting Ahead graduates. How do you know who to nominate? Listed below are some the characteristics of a successful candidate:

• Someone who wants to change their circumstances.
• Someone who has tried to change their circumstances and was met with little success.
• Someone who is willing to partner with middle-class individuals and agencies.
• Someone who is able to commit to the 18 sessions that makes up the classes.
• Someone who is not in a crisis that would prevent participation, such as mental health or substance abuse.

Print the Getting Ahead Referral Form (PDF)

Contact Heidi Jones if you have any questions or concerns.
Heidi Jones
790 Kenton Ave., Marion, Oh 43302
740-223-2999
coordinator@marionmatters.org

More information is available at the Marion Matters Facebook page.