• • Lakefield Standard

Social capital, not money. That’s what local families need to leave their poverty behind. And that’s what Circles of Support is about to start teaching in its multi-week training series on Tuesdays to community members interested in volunteering to help neighbors in poverty.

The series begins next week on March 2 and continues March 9, 16 and 23.

Social capital is a person’s capacity to utilize relationships to mobilize resources in order to solve common problems — connecting to jobs, training, social support or needed community services.

To get social capital, Circles of Support partners three allies to a participant — allies focused on helping with income and budgeting or education and job search or community and friendship building.

“With Circles, the intent is not another social service system,” said organizer Greg Warner. “They have mandates they need to follow. Friendship shouldn’t have mandates.”

By bringing expertise and experience to those who are struggling, along with support and encouragement, community volunteers can help end poverty one family at a time.

“You don’t have to have money to be a valuable resource in the community,” Warner said.

“I’ve learned as much or more than I’ve taught,” added Tamara Berven, another Circles organizer.

For Circles of Support, success is increased access to the resources needed to leave poverty, increased knowledge about the barriers keeping people poor, increased community engagement and increased social capital benefiting the entire community.

“So much of Circles is not quantifiable,” Berven said, “like the relationships, the self-esteem boosts and the feelings of belonging.”

Circles of Support last hosted the ally training series about two years ago. For more information, visit the weekly meetings — a meal and child care are provided — on Tuesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Western Community Action Hilltop Center on South Highway in Jackson. Or call Tamara Berven at 847-2632, ext. 9.