Inspiring & Equipping Communities To End Poverty The mission of Move the Mountain Leadership Center (MTM) is to inspire and equip communities to end poverty. Move the Mountain Leadership Center provides transformational leadership and planning programs to align leaders and their organizations to high impact strategies that can reduce and eventually end poverty. The Circles Campaign™ was initiated by Move the Mountain to provide transformational leaders a structure to engage the community in ending poverty. Join us on Facebook
 

How does Circles work?


Circles™ is an innovative model based on a body of research suggesting that in order for families with low income to improve their situation, they must have bonding social capital within the community, bridging social capital to access the resources available to higher income networks, and linking social capital that connects the first two with public institutions.
Operating in communities around the country, each Circle™ initiative consists of a family working to get out of poverty and several middle and upper income Allies who befriend them and lend support. The family is the Circle Leader, setting direction for activities. With the help and friendship of their allies, each family sets and achieves goals unique to their own needs.

Getting Ahead is a comprehensive curriculum in which Circle Leaders learn to use the hidden rules of class to build up financial, emotional and social resources. Leaders also research the causes of poverty in their community. Bridges out of Poverty is a training program that provides Allies with community planning tools to address poverty and teaches the hidden rules of class. Weekly Community Meetings gather Circle Leaders, Circle Allies, and other interested community members to provide support and networking opportunities. At Big View Meetings, held once a month, all the causes of poverty in the community are addressed over time, including community and system barriers.