Our Programs
Community Circles are a proven, turn-key platform and curricula that enables collaborative dialogue. The work is most effective when including citizens, community leaders, national and local businesses, faith leadership, healthcare, law enforcement and emergency services. Key constituents will work together to build action plans that address systemic racism in the community.
With Community Circles:
- Citizens come together to create change;
- They learn to put aside differences;
- They identify the issues that lead to substandard experiences for people of color;
- They collaborate to develop systemic solutions for a better future.
The program compels deep understanding of our own thought patterns as individuals, allowing us a path to Uncover, Unpack, Understand and Unform our Biases while working together to solve the problems we face within our Community. Discussions will support the development of systemic solutions intended to erase racism and discrimination toward people we consider as different from ourselves.
Community Circles consist of a minimum of four collaborative sessions in a remote meeting format. During the meetings, participants will be prompted to look deeply at their own values andbeliefs, using our U4™ methodology to Uncover, Unpack, Understand and Unform their Biases. To learn even more about themselves, personally, participants are encouraged to complete UYB’s 4-part series, U4™, online; however this is not required.
As participants work to unform their own Biases, they are able to be fully present with and speak openly with others during the collaborative part of the session in which citizens identify challenges and begin to develop systemic solutions.
Circles are typically facilitated by a UYB certified Circle Facilitator, who leads the meetings. For maximum participation, multiple groups are formed to participate in sessions. In this case, UYB certified Community Liaison will coordinate the meetings and the work they produce to enable the different groups participating to come together to with their ideas and streamline and prioritize solutions across the entire group of participants.
This is designed to be a community participation experience. In many cases, entities involved will also benefit by providing training to employees to support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Participating organizations should also focus on developing a strong culture to support these tenets.
*Meetings are 2 hours. Format and cadence is determined by the group. **Materials Cost is $12.00 per person; pre-work required. Meetings can be done remotely, or in person if logistics allow.