©2010 Visions for Change, Inc. and Housing Visions Unlimited, Inc. all rights reserved.

Visions for Change, Inc. is a non-profit affiliate of Housing Visions Unlimited, Inc.
1201 East Fayette Street
Syracuse, NY  13210
315.218.0938
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How Can I Get Involved?
Become A Circle Leader
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/his Circle; convening, leading, and giving and receiving support. She/he will work with the Allies to complete her/his plan that was developed in the Circle Leaders Training and with the Circles Coach. Circles Leaders Training uses the Getting Ahead In a Just Gettin’ By World workbook (based on Bridges Out of Poverty). Getting Ahead prepares Circle Leaders to take a leadership role and to use their knowledge and skills as problem solvers to also work on poverty issues in the community.
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. 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 economic class, race, and community prosperity that builds relationships of mutual respect.
Be A Circle Ally
A Community 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 Bridges & Circles implementation and assures it is a high-impact strategy that changes the mind set of the community. Coalition members learn the Circles™ lexicon by attending an orientation on the Circles™ model and a workshop on Bridges out of Poverty constructs.
Join the Guiding Coalition