Poverty Awareness & Community Action

The PACA: Support Circle provides wrap-around supports for Lived Experience Educators who volunteer with Poverty Awareness & Community Action, including education and training, individual advocacy support, mutual aid (weekly produce deliveries and monthly grocery deliveries), and monthly social programming.

Joining the PACA: Support Circle is an opportunity to learn how to work in good ways with low-income communities. Support Circle volunteers receive poverty awareness education and peer advocacy training, so that they can appropriately volunteer, facilitate events, and provide 1-1 advocacy support.

The PACA: Support Circle has weekly one-hour meetings to share information, receive training, and provide support to each other as advocates and volunteers. Support Circle volunteers are expected to attend regularly, though we understand that people may be absent occasionally due to other unexpected commitments. 

The weekly meeting time will be set according to people's availability. Meetings will begin in October.

We ask that Support Circle volunteers make a one-term commitment, and we appreciate and encourage people to volunteer on a long-term basis.

This program is free and open to UM students and members of the wider community who want to learn how to work in good ways with low-income communities. UM students who successfully complete the program will receive recognition for Community Engaged Learning on their Experience Record.

Community Engaged Learning facilitates online and in-person poverty awareness workshops for students, staff and faculty at the University of Manitoba. To book a workshop, please email povertyawareness@umanitoba.ca.

If you are from the wider community, please contact the United Way of Winnipeg to book their workshop, Living on the Edge: Taking a Look at Poverty.

Timing

The workshop is 3-4 hours long and is preferably scheduled in the afternoon or evening.

Cost

Workshop fees are charged on a partial cost-recovery basis of $1,000.

The workshop fee covers:

• Student staff wages
• Food, transportation, and venue costs
• Wrap-around supports for the lived experience educators, such as training, mutual aid, and recreational programming

Fees can be paid via interdepartmental charge (ID charge) to FOAP 127062 307006 710408 1700.

Each workshop can accommodate 25-60 students. We limit workshops to 60 students to enable a more intimate learning atmosphere and encourage deeper discussion.

Interested participants who may not be able to book their own workshop should inquire about joining another workshop!