Bridges Out of Poverty workshop is coming to Baraga on May 20

Pre-registration required; deadline is May 3

Copper Shores Bridges invites community members to attend a Bridges Out of Poverty workshop on Monday, May 20, 2024 at the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College’s Niiwin Akeaa Community Building in Baraga. The workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is offered at no cost. 

At the workshop, individuals, institutions and community members will have the opportunity to learn about instability and poverty in communities across Baraga County and the Copper Country as a whole. Attendees will learn to view economic class through a Bridges lens, discuss the causes of generational poverty and why it’s important to have a common language. The workshop will also establish key concepts that underlie Bridges Out of Poverty and the Getting Ahead class that is offered through Copper Shores, which teaches folks in generational poverty to become more stable and establish resources.

The hope is to launch programming in Baraga County this August. This decision comes after a successful pilot year in Houghton, including two cohorts of Getting Ahead participants completing the course and graduating. Getting Ahead is a 16-week course designed to help individuals gain financial stability and independence. Getting Ahead will operate in partnership with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC). The KBIC will help provide amenities to Bridges participants, including classroom space, free childcare and transportation to class if needed.

Doors will open for the workshop at 8 a.m. with coffee and donuts, and lunch will be provided to all participants. Register by Friday May 3 by emailing bridges@coppershores.org or calling 1 (906) 523-5920. To learn more about the Bridges program, visit coppershores.org/bridges. For additional information, contact Michael Steber, Copper Shores Bridges program director at msteber@coppershores.org.