Circles is an organization dedicated to poverty reduction. Their initiative is meant to develop upward mobility for people in poverty. One way they create upward mobility for those involved is to build social capital. Social capital is a network of shared friendships that connect individuals to wider communities. Fayetteville has a chapter of Circles that was started by locals, Christina and TJ Williams.
What led to you both getting involved in Circles?
Christina: “TJ and I have been in NWA for a long time, and we wanted to put ourselves in places with people that experience Fayetteville differently than us...We began to be frustrated that the people we met with were not able to move up and out of poverty. We saw a lot of the work being done was poverty management, and we wanted to see poverty being reduced.”
For circles, what does it mean to reduce poverty?
Christina: “It means creating the opportunity for upward mobility, in terms of economic success, building social capital, and power/autonomy. This also includes getting barriers removed that keep people stuck in poverty. We want the people who are working hard and doing the right things to see progress upward.”
Connect with Circles NWA
Instagram + Facebook: circlesnwa
www.circlesnwa.org
