"Why Are Women More Likely to Experience Poverty?"
On March 19, 2009, ICA-USA held its first Critical Inquiry Forum on the Persistence of Poverty with a brown bag luncheon titled "Why Are Women More Likely to Experience Poverty?" Approximately thirty people, from organizations ranging from City department to homeless shelters and churches, gathered at this brown bag forum to hear a presentation by Amy Rynell, who is the Director of the Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty (MAIP); MAIP was established in 1989 to provide dynamic research and analysis on today's most pressing social issues and solutions to inform and equip those working toward a just global society.
Following Ms. Rynell's presentation, guests split into four groups and participated in an ORID exercise; the exercise was facilitated by ICA-USA Executive Director Nino Tillman,ICA-USA Board member Karen Snyder, Keystone Ecological Urban Community member Ed Feldmanis, and longtime ICA colleague Terry Bergdall.
The ORID, which stands for Objective, Reflective, Interpretive and Decisional, is a tool used in the Focused Conversation section of the ToP® Facilitation Methods course. Objective level questions allow the whole group to pool facts, data, information and perceptions about the problem. Reflective level questions elicit memories, feelings, experiences and reactions. Interpretive level questions allow the group to explore questions, significance, implications and options. And Decisional level questions permit people to give opinions about what should be done and next steps.
The results were reported back to the entire group; notes will be posted on ICA-USA's website. The event was also taped for Chicago Access Network television (CAN-TV), and that air date will be announced in the coming weeks.
Click here to watch a video of the forum
Click here to view the ORID notes
Click here to read ICA colleagues' stories on their work to combat poverty
