As a pastor that works mostly with a marginalized population, I have learned that talk is cheap and offers little….actions speak louder than words. However, I have witness loads of wasted federal, provincial and municipal time taken up talking about what should be done about poverty….where the only action taken, other than lining the pockets of the vendors for the space used to host the meetings and conferences were additional committees and sub-committees on the subject! What a waste of Action!
People want to see something….anything so long as it is something that has an intent and is moving forward. I read this recently…..
Intent Reveals Desire
Action Reveals Commitment
People want to know that they are heard….that you are committed to taking action to help them. They have heard the empty political promises….they may be caught in a marginal economic lifestyle, but they are not stupid or foolish. At the Urban Haven Project, we take the time to engage people….to hear their story….to learn what makes them tick. We listen! Listening is the key to taking action. You cannot take a middle-class approach to situations that folks caught up in a marginalized lifestyle face day in and day out….they just don’t get it. In order to “take action,” you have to build relationships to fully understand what fits and what doesn’t. Plain old talking accomplishes nothing and furthermore, some may not even grasp what is being said to begin with because the language used may not even be understood.
A few years ago during a public meeting, a local municipal political figure was addressing some marginalized folks and honestly, the other professionals along with myself….all of us University educated, could barely understand what was being said because this guy was so busy positioning himself to be above everyone in the room as the know-it-all that he came off like a didn’t-know-squat that had no idea what he was saying! I was embarrassed for him and frustrated at the same time because this guy held the purse strings to the funding. Bla….bla….bla, just talk. Talk doesn’t solve anything. Action, regardless if it is organized or not is at the very least action….it’s something tangible that can be further adjusted later….but something.
Talk takes no work and certainly no effort. Whereas, action is something that tells people that you care enough to move forward on a subject and are committed to a goal. Our goal at the Urban Haven Project is to build relationships that would give us a base of trust to hear people’s stories so we could begin to break cycles of poverty. One way is to address the issue of Dignity. There is no dignity in a handout. We offer hot, well-balanced lunches for $1 with the goal of teaching budgeting by offering a greater discount in pre-paying $15 for the month. It’s not about the money, but the principle behind it. We work with a group of folks that have little financial planning or budgeting skill and have little income to work with each and every month. Using the meals as a teaching model to show the value of planning ahead was our goal….and it has worked out wonderfully as two-thirds of our regular guests pay for the month now in advance. This requires one to budget for the meals. We could talk about it….but walking folks through this plan….showing them the benefit of paying their own way and ahead of time is much more tangible….and dignified.
Teaching people to problem-solve for themselves was another goal. Through 12-step and Life-skills groups we are able to walk people through the process rather than talk about what they should do. Again, for many folks living in a marginalized setting, there are various learning abilities that may be lower than most in mainstream society. In other words, some folks just don’t get what other people say because they simply just don’t get it. They have to be shown, which takes patience and understanding….and action. Helping people help themselves is much more dignified than doing it for them.
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
Sometimes….most time actually, people talk so they can avoid doing anything. If they can stay busy talking or in meetings or in committees they actually believe that that is action. Well, it is NOT! If I have learned anything through the years I have worked with people it is that action….regardless of anything is indeed action and it can be adjusted. At the Urban Haven Project, we have come into an area hurting and hopeless and turned things around in less than 10 months….not by talking about it, but through action!
Dan
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