High impact strategies are the actions taken to move the community from the current reality of poverty to a preferred future for individuals, families, and the community. One aspect of the preferred future is for individuals and families in poverty to build resources to become economically self-sufficient and to meet other needs on a consistent basis so they can thrive. Through Circles, people can find reasons, relationships, and the resources to thrive.
A Circle is a supportive, intentional, reciprocal, befriending relationship made up of one Circle Leader who is living in poverty and two to five Circles Allies who usually are from middle class. A Circle typically meets once or twice a month to build friendships and to work on the Circle Leader’s dreams, plans, and goals.
A Circle Leader is an individual or family with a low-income who is interested in meeting her/his household needs on a consistent basis and becoming self-sufficient. The Circle Leader is responsible for her or his Circle; convening, leading, and giving and receiving support. She or he will work with the Allies to complete her/his plan that was developed in the Getting Ahead Leadership Training class and with the Circles Coach. Getting Ahead prepares Circle Leaders to take a leadership role in the Circle and to use their knowledge and skills as problem solvers to work on poverty issues in the community as well. In Monroe County, child care and dinner are provided to course participants during classes. Participants receive a small, weekly stipend while they are engaged in the Getting Ahead training.
Circle Allies are community members who want to be in a supportive, intentional, befriending relationship with an individual or family working to get out of poverty. Circle Allies work with the Circle Leader to figure out how to accomplish her or his plan. Within the guidelines set by the Community Guiding Coalition, Circle Allies do what makes sense and what brings joy to the relationship, and provide Circle Leaders with a link to the larger community. Circle Allies are trained in Bridges out of Poverty as a way to work with Circle Leaders in supporting their plans to get out of poverty.
Allies and Circle Leaders build and use social capital across class and race lines to build a healthier community. A special vocabulary is learned to understand the relationships among poverty, economic class, race, and community prosperity that builds relationships of mutual respect.
A Community Guiding Coalition designs the local community-based Circles™ initiative. The Guiding Coalition is a representative group that includes people from all economic classes and races who are committed to building their community and ending poverty. The Guiding Coalition is responsible for Circles implementation and assures it is a high-impact strategy that changes the mind set of the community. Guiding Coalition members learn the Circles™ lexicon by attending an orientation on the Circles™ model and a workshop on Bridges out of Poverty constructs.
The Circles™ Campaign is led by a National Guiding Coalition that is made up of experts in the anti-poverty field, people in poverty, people of color, people from many disciplines, and people from nationally recognized anti-poverty organizations including:
Move the Mountain Leadership Center, aha! Process, Inc., Wider Opportunities for Women, the Charitable Giving Resource Center, and the Wilder Research Center.
The Circles™ Campaign will initially work with up to 50 communities which commit to working with 12-25 Circles each, for a national total of 1000 families. Phase I involves thirty-two communities and Phase II will bring the total up to fifty. Once the model has been tested, evaluated, and refined, we will reach out to 1000 communities in the next decade through a network of Training Centers.
The Scott County Partnership is introducing the Circles™ model to Scott County. but the project must be owned by the community and the Guiding Coalition determines direction. Following the Getting Ahead training for Circle Leaders and Bridges training for Allies, Circle Leaders will attend weekly meetings with child care, dinner and a program provided. Allies are encouraged to attend these whenever possible. One meeting per month is a “Big View” meeting, to which all community members are invited to work on problems that commonly keep people impoverished.
|
