Circle of Empowerment

Tuesday's post got moved to today.  Yesterday was crazy.  My boss was out due to a scheduled surgery, and the other Circles Coach unexpectedly landed in the hospital.  Tuesday is Circles Workshop day; I facilitate in the morning and my co-worker facilitates in the evening.  This involves getting the food and setting up the space, handling all the paperwork, etc.  It was a long, busy day yesterday.

The Circles workshop is a 15 week class that is meant to provide tools for a more stable life for participants.  We screen interested individuals who are below poverty level, and those who pass commit to the workshop sessions.  The workshops are designed to give people an accurate picture of what life is like for them right now, help them envision what life could be for them in the future, and work on the plans and steps in between the two.  The material begins with the concept of what living in poverty is like: survival mode in a context of the tyranny of the moment.  It introduces the theory of change: you can't get out of where you are now by doing the same things you are doing now.  It talks about the rich/poor gap and how it works: the top 10% of the population possess 70% of the wealth, and the policies in place today will only increase that gap.  We uncover the hidden rules of middle class society that the marketplace is based on; people in generational poverty are usually unaware of these and their importance.  We talk about the eleven categories of resources (financial is only one category), and why each is important.  We evaluate which resources we have as individuals and which we lack, then strategize about how to build those areas of resources we are low in.  We conduct a community assessment to evaluate how well our community supports families, and talk about how to build community resources.  We look at financial priorities, and how to develop a personal financial plan.  Ultimately, each participant develops a detailed map of where they have been, where they are, and where they want to be, with specific and measurable goals they wish to work on over the next 18 months.  (Which I will talk about next time).

Along the way, the participants learn a lot about themselves, society, political and economic systems, and exploitation.  They form strong connections with one another, which gives them support while they work to change things in their lives.  They have a Circles coach to help them troubleshoot, stay accountable, stay motivated, and connect to resources.  The participants learn the joy of giving back and take up little responsibilities within the program, for which we try to reward them with points they accumulate and can redeem for computers (our favorite one, because of the necessity of a computer to navigate in the marketplace) and "fun" items they usually do not get to treat themselves to like movie tickets or restaurant gift certificates. (We gratefully accept donations of these types of things! *Said in my very best non-profit begging voice*!)

This is a powerful experience for those who commit themselves to it (including the coach).  The underlying principle is that people are problem-solvers, and each person is the authority on their own experience. 

It is difficult to describe the privilege of watching people become empowered to change their lives. It is inspiring to see our participants persisting in climbing over some pretty big obstacles.  It is amazing to see them develop the courage to try new things, to test out their voices, and to buckle down and exercise impressive discipline.  It has been an absolutely joyful experience to link arms with these women (and a few men). 

And you can too.  More on that next time;)