What Is the Generational Poverty Mindset?
Hopelessness defines the generational poverty mindset. When a child sees their father and mother living in poverty, and their parents before them also lived in poverty, it is hard to see a different path. It becomes easy for that child to see poverty as part of his or her identity.
To break that mindset, several things can help:
Provide Opportunities
Poverty often steals the opportunities that help people grow and develop—like education, cultural experiences, social interactions, and so on. When those opportunities are given, a person’s mindset begins to change. They can see past their circumstances toward hope for the future.
Teach Skills
When income-generating skills are introduced and learned, people in poverty begin to see a way to financial freedom and a way to provide regularly for their families. For example, when a woman learns sewing skills, she now has a skill to make clothes for her family. She can also use her skills to make items to sell at the local market, providing an income for her family.
Introduce Jesus
Hope is “confident expectation.” Without hope, life doesn’t have meaning. Jesus is the bridge that leads someone from hopelessness to hope, as they learn that Jesus died for them and has a plan for their life.
God has used GFA to change this mindset of poverty throughout its history. Since 1979, we’ve brought hope to people who didn’t see a way out of their present circumstances. We’re experts at bringing people hope. Partner with us in helping break the generational poverty mindset.