So we have now had a few weeks to process the Faces of Circles Tour and put our thoughts together. This has not been as easy of a task as we had originally thought. Over the course of the trip we traveled over 3,300 miles, conducted almost 50 interviews, saw 14 states, and visited 8 Circles sites in 8 very different communities. Trying to boil all of it down into a few concise paragraphs seems like an insurmountable challenge. Nevertheless, here are some things we learned:
1. Circles Creates Community
At every weekly meeting we visited we saw smiles, hugs, and laughter. People who had no connection outside of Circles genuinely enjoyed one another's company. One couple going through Getting Ahead told us, "Our favorite days of the week are Thursday and Sunday: Circles and Church." Many Getting Ahead participants and Circle Leaders have a common obstacle they must overcome to meet their goals: isolation. Not only are they unaware or unable to attain the resources necessary to step out of poverty, they often have no encouragement, no accountability, and no one who will simply sit and listen to their struggles. Circles doesn't simply provide people who want to help. It brings together those who are going through the same issues. In each community we saw a tight-knit group that had formed as a result. It was not uncommon for us to hear the word "family" associated with other Circles members. With ties like this created, we realized Circles won't be going away in any of these places.
2. Circles is Adaptable
The Jackson, Mississippi metro area has a population of over 500,000 people. Baldwin, Louisiana is home to 2,500. There are Circles communities in each of them. Wilkes County, North Carolina sits in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Springfield, Ohio lies between Dayton and Columbus and is surrounded by the corn and bean fields that typify the Midwest. There are Circles communities in each of them. The chamber of commerce in Albany, Georgia acts as the lead organization for Circles there, while Pensacola, Florida's Circles community is run by Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida. From geography to economic drivers to city size, these places are drastically different. But the Circles initiative has made headway in each community. While programs often struggle to adapt to a new location due to a host of variables, Circles tackles the universal issue of human relationship. This allows it to function in vastly different locations...and it's functioning well.
3. Circles is Crossing Class and Racial Lines
At almost every site, one of our interviews included some variation of the phrase, "I had never had a friend like (fill in the blank) before." People in each of these communities are bravely stepping out of their comfort zones to try intentional friendship with those different from themselves. In each Circles campaign we listened to Circle leaders tell us how their allies were teaching them what it was like to function in a middle-class world; and then we heard story after story from allies of the way their Circle Leaders were inspiring them. In many cases, we talked with people who had never met an individual from a different socio-economic background. Circles is providing an avenue for these friendships, and it not only fosters new relationships but is shattering stereotypes all over the country.
4. Circles is Asking Tough Questions
In Baldwin, Louisiana there are train tracks that divide the town in half. The majority of the social services, including the fire and police departments, are located on one side of those tracks. If a particularly long train is passing through, one side of town is cut off from assistance. In Pensacola, Florida the city has made efforts to move a homeless shelter out of the downtown area and away from the eyes of the tourist population. In Albany, Georgia a neighborhood with staggering poverty is 96% African-American. These issues, and similar ones at the other sites we visited, were brought to our attention by members of the local Circles community members. While they are focused on intentional relationships, they are refusing to ignore the systemic issues that plague their community as a whole. Each site addresses these issues in their own way, but the issues are being addressed. And they are starting to affect change.
5. Circles is Working
Perhaps the most encouraging part of our two-week tour was hearing about the victories. We met Circle leaders who were first-time home owners, eliminating credit card debt, and coming completely off public assistance. There were others who were going to college for the first time, or finding a stable job, or opening their first savings account. And there was the other side. Middle-class community members told us how Circles had changed the way they thought about poverty and provided them with an opportunity that had enriched their lives. Several allies told us how their Circle leader was helping them far more than they were helping their Circle leaders. And these reciprocal relationships are changing the way their communities are thinking about poverty. They believe they can end it. After all, they are seeing it everyday.
