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“At Circles I feel like I belong”

March 2, 2018
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Many of us who have struggled to fit in, find our place in the world and who work to achieve a true sense of success know the power of truly feeling like we belong. In Dr. Brene Brown’s research on belonging she asked a large group of eighth graders to define belonging…here is what they said: Belonging is being somewhere where you want to be, and they want you. Fitting in is being somewhere where you want to be, but they don’t care one way or the other. Belonging is being accepted for you. Fitting in is being accepted for...

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Is the answer Social Capital?

January 26, 2018
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We believe that an important tool in the toolbox necessary to get out and stay out of poverty is social capital! Have you ever found yourself in a new situation, good or bad that you had no idea how to manage? You knew that you had to make a change but you had no idea how to maneuver this new environment? No idea what to do, or how to respond… uncomfortable, like an outlier? How did you figure it out? Did you Google it, read up, find some info online, collect resources from an info center? What if this new...

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Can children end poverty?

October 25, 2017
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Can Children End Poverty? Similar to and in conjunction with parents and educators in schools, we believe that a significant part of our job is to teach the next generation. When children are born, their parents are their primary source of knowledge.  Once a child enters school their teacher plays a significant role in their lives as well, teaching them the core of academia. And one of the most important things, we believe, is that we ALL need to teach kids the value of helping others.  We view ourselves as educators and part of our goal is to properly educate...

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Together we can overcome poverty

September 6, 2017
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For many, living in financial hardship is a daily struggle. One in 7 Canadian adults and 1 in 5 Canadian children are currently living in poverty.  Globally, World Bank projections suggest that about 700 million people are affected by poverty with about 1.2 billion living on less than $1.25 USD per day. Thankfully, there are many organizations focused on improving the quality of life both within our country and across the world. The key to reducing poverty is to provide opportunities for advancement.  Economic growth goes hand in hand with human growth.  For this be established, people need to have...

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What’s Great about Getting Ahead?

August 16, 2017
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| Categories: Getting Ahead

The goal of Getting Ahead: To help individuals in poverty to build their resources for a more prosperous life for themselves, their families, and their communities. By creating an actionable plan for change graduates of the Getting Ahead program build the capacity to move towards being financially self-sufficient. The Getting Ahead curriculum: Involves work done in a safe learning environment with the support of an experienced facilitator and co-facilitator with lived experience of poverty. Enables you, the participant, (also known as “investigators”) to examine your own experience of poverty as well as explore issues in the community that impact poverty (banking, housing,...

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How to Become a Circles Ally

August 8, 2017
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Are you looking for a great way to give back in your community? Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity that will give you the chance to help change people's lives for the better? To help individuals and families reach their ultimate potential and as a result strengthen the community you care for? Do you see the effects of poverty and wish there was something you could do to help support the members of your community who are struggling? I know you recognize that poverty is a systemic issue and as you learned in your Bridges Out of Poverty training, blaming people for...

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Building Community One Meal At A Time

August 3, 2017
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Have you ever really thought about how sharing a meal or a cup of coffee can change your life? When you sit down with your family over dinner - which I know doesn’t always happen since Amara has soccer and Kingston has basketball - you engage in conversation, laughter, fun and interaction, which all provide you with opportunities.  Opportunities to learn, share and grow. There are plenty of statistics telling us why it’s important to eat meals together as a family, but how does that relate to us personally? The fact is, we’ve all had those moments, ones that have...

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Find Out Why Circles® Is More Than Just A “Program”

June 29, 2017
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People have asked me "What is Circles?" As the Simcoe County Circles Coordinator, I have the privilege of working and learning from so many wonderful people in our community. Recently I engaged in a powerful conversation with a wonderful woman who is currently struggling to get herself and her 4 children out of poverty. What I learned from her (even though I thought I knew) was that the circumstances that forced her to make some very tough decisions, which led to the struggle to keep her family together, could VERY EASILY have happened to me. What also moved me (to tears)...

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Getting Ahead Is Just Getting Started!

May 18, 2017
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| Categories: Getting Ahead

Well we are almost all the way through our first run of the Getting Ahead Program and we are so excited about the future of this program in Simcoe County, specifically in the Midland/Penetanguishene area. The current participants have expressed immense gratitude to the staff and supporters of Getting Ahead and are really looking forward to taking the next steps towards their goals. We asked our current Getting Ahead participants ... Why Choose Getting Ahead?    Here is what they had to say: Before I joined the program I struggled with trying to improve my life on the poverty line as I...

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