This blog is an excerpt from the Spiritual Resources video that was recorded in the fall of 2024. Click to watch the full video.
Hello, my name is Nicole Baptiste, and I wanted to spend a little time talking about the spiritual resource. So we’ll spend some time today discussing how to build the spiritual resource. And this resource comes from the Bridges Out of Poverty framework. And so again, today, we’ll talk a little bit about building a spiritual resource and how it can be a pathway to hope and how it can also be a pathway to designing one’s future story, whether that’s at the individual level, the organizational level, or at the community level. Let’s jump right in. As we all understand, when it comes to defining poverty through the Bridges lens, we define poverty as the extent to which one does without resources. Many times when we think of poverty or when we think of instability, we may define it as a lack of financial resources, but according to the Bridges lens, there are 11 resources that are key indicators of stability.
When we think about overall quality of life, when we think about what defines stability or instability, there are 11 resources. What are other resources beyond money, beyond financial resources—what other resources can lend to an overall quality of life? There are 11 resources. These can be considered key indicators of stability. That’s how I like to look at them. And these resources can help build an overall quality of life, but it also can be a pathway, a bridge to helping folks bridge out of poverty or instability.
When it comes to the Bridges framework, we’re always encouraging individuals, whether it’s through Getting Ahead or communities, and organizations to build resources that can help bridge individuals out of poverty and give them resources that can build stability. And one resource that I want to spend a little time on today is the spiritual resource.
What is the spiritual resource when it comes to the Bridges Out of Poverty framework? The spiritual resource is really believing in something larger than yourself, something beyond yourself. And so it’s the capacity for hope, it’s the capacity for purpose, and it’s also the capacity for meaning in life. Oftentimes, a spiritual resource is tied to something bigger than us. It really is an internal drive that can empower individuals to envision and pursue a better future. So this is a really critical resource, especially when we think about a day in the life of someone experiencing poverty or instability.
Life can be riddled with challenges and crisis after crisis after crisis. And oftentimes, it’s the spiritual resource that can help us tap into an internal power, an internal drive to help us begin to envision a future story. The spiritual resource oftentimes can be tied to our faith. But I do want to say that it’s not necessarily religion, but it’s really thinking about what is a driver that really helps us to see beyond today. And so for most folks, that would be religion. For many folks it would be faith. It really helps to build purpose and to build hope.
The spiritual resource is critical in helping individuals overcome the survival mindset. When overcoming the survival mindset, one is able to develop the ability to dream, to plan, and to take action towards long-term goals. And so this resource is really important when we think about bridging out of poverty or building a life of stability.
Let’s talk a little bit about hope. What is hope? Hope is the belief that a better future is possible, and it’s also within reach, even in the face of hardships, difficulties, and challenges. It’s this belief that this better future exists and that I can reach it, that it can be tangible for me.
Hope also acts as an internal motivator, and it can help individuals see beyond their current struggles to envision a life of greater possibility and purpose. When we think about the Bridges framework, we’re really helping to build hope through the spiritual resource. Through the many years that I’ve spent in the social impact space, there’s conversations and thoughts around how to help folks experience stability by providing financial support and financial resources, financial literacy, education—all of that is important. But if the spiritual resource is low, oftentimes hope is low as well. And through this spiritual resource, we are not only building hope, but we’re also building one’s internal confidence to begin to see a future beyond their today. And the other key here is that hope also fuels resilience. It helps people persist in achieving long-term goals despite setbacks and despite systemic barriers.
Taking the time to invest in building a spiritual resource within our organizations, within our communities, and even at the policy levels has long-term implications when it comes to helping folks to experience sustainability and bridge out of poverty.
Nicole Baptiste was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. As a dedicated licensed social worker, Nicole has more than 10 years of experience working in health and human services. Nicole’s expertise is in program development, community building, and community engagement. She adopts a creative and strategic approach to linking and leveraging community resources.
