Today, we are going to talk about Men, Poverty, and Pandemics. Because of the current crisis, we see more men falling into poverty—many who have not lived in it before. Men, from a very early age, are socialized to be the provider for their family. We might think gender roles have shifted, which they have. However, it is telling when a man gets startled responses when he says he is a "stay at home dad." Many men in poverty and those falling into it can not live up to what is expected. When they aren’t able to support their family like they hope to, they begin to internalize the message that something is wrong with them.

In my family, my five brothers were raised to make it better for me and my mom and my grandma. They are guys so, because of their “maleness,” they should be able to figure it out. They got strong messages to make everything OK...but they did not know how. Because of these messages, they began to have a lower self-esteem along with feelings of worthlessness. Sometimes, their need to provide combined with lack of marketable skills/education leads to activities that end in incarceration.

Today, we will talk with Matt—a single dad of two kids who is currently working in a low-income job while being homeless and couch-surfing with his kids. He will give us insights as to what poverty has meant to him and what he believes might be some ways that people in his situation can be best supported.

As a way to give back to the community during this pandemic, we are providing the following resources/discounts:

• Action Approach Introductory Video : Watch the video here
• Full Action Approach Curriculum kit: Order Here
• "See Poverty ... Be the Difference": Order here

This link to the video and discount will be available through May 31, 2020.

Help support us on Patreon! Included in your membership will be a digital copy of "See Poverty ... Be The Difference" and more. You'll also make a difference by helping keep focused on delivering content.

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Please tune in next Wednesday for our 5th mini poverty training session. Remember to share with your networks if you think this will be helpful to them!