Tag Archives: Resources

Supporting youth through challenging times just got easier. Digital stand-alone sessions of All Together Rising are now available. Target the immediate needs of your Circle by purchasing a single facilitator-guided session on the specific forms of adversity your group members may be experiencing: Community Violence, Loss/Grief, Housing Insecurity ...

All Together Rising is One Circle Foundation’s answer to the call from youth service providers for Circle sessions that directly address some of the familiar adverse conditions affecting many youth. All Together Rising is an innovative collection of supplemental Circle sessions, compatible with any One Circle model (Girls Circle, Unity Circle, or The Council for Boys and Young Men), which has been meticulously developed to address the complexities of eight different adverse childhood experiences: community violence, food insecurity, homelessness & housing insecurity ...

I went through Girls Circle Facilitator Training in 2017, and had the privilege of being trained by the wonderful Victoria Mahand. I remember going up to her after the training and asking her, “How do I do, what you do?” I was referring to her charismatic, inclusive, effective facilitation style. What she did next was model what a facilitator does. She didn’t give advice, she told me, “Danielle, go out and do.” So, that’s what I did for 5 years. I ran circles and grew our program within our community. However, I struggled those first few years with ...

A new video was released today featuring One Circle Foundation trainers, staff, and teen circle participants sharing all about One Circle Foundation and showcasing what an actual circle looks like in Aiken, SC. This video gives an introduction to the One Circle Foundation experience, mission, and impact. Share it with colleagues, friends, and family so they can learn about this powerful work that you are a part of and help us to expand our circle around the world.  ...

I’ve come full circle with One Circle Foundation. When I look back on my family heritage and upbringing, I marvel at the events, large and small, that have led me to be where I am today: at the helm of such an incredible organization. I am the proud granddaughter of Asian American ancestry. A tragic yet beautiful love story, my paternal grandparents met and fell in love in the Japanese internment camps. They adopted my father from Japan from a low-income single mother who couldn’t afford to keep all three of her children. My mother came from Korea as an exchange student and used to sell handmade jewelry at the flea market. My parents met and first flirted at a donut shop where my mother worked, which may be responsible for my life-long love affair with donuts. I grew up seeing my parents work double shifts, night shifts, and overtime to raise me and my two siblings. I’m proud and forever grateful for my parents for all they sacrificed and invested in us. I was honored to be able to see their journey from recent immigrants to professionals as a pharmacist and nurse ...

The best way to ensure youth feel comfortable to share and grow in their circle is to have a safe, stable, and predictable circle structure that occurs each session. This provides girls/boys with a reliable framework that they can trust and count on to happen each time. A crucial part of creating this safe, stable circle structure is the talking piece. The talking piece may be a talking stick, an object from nature such as a beautiful shell or large rock, or another item of value and meaning to the group.  The talking piece is a physical item that is used whenever the practice of attentive listening is particularly important. During check-in and at certain times during the circle session one person shares about the topic at hand by holding the talking piece and speaking from their heart, while all others listen attentively and without interruption. To begin using the talking piece ...

A New Grant Writer’s Template is now available for Unity Circle and we've updated the Grant Writer’s Template for Girls Circle and The Council for Boys and Young Men. The templates are available for free and provide your setting with comprehensive, sector-specific language to craft an effective grant proposal to fund One Circle Foundation professional training, curricula, and implementation that fits your unique needs. Copy and paste the written content right out of any One Circle Foundation Grant Writer’s Template directly into your grant proposal. ...

Summer can be a challenging time for youth and families. Youth may be prevented from engaging in meaningful activities due to a lack of resources, availability, financial access, or a host of other challenges.  During the One Circle Foundation facilitator support meeting in July, some of our partners shared creative ways that they continue to engage youth during the summer months. The ideas were too good not to share. With the permission of both of our partners, we are pleased to make available the following ideas for engaging youth in meaningful activities. ...

One Circle Foundation aims to provide services and resources to support facilitators of youth service programs. We meet the needs of our community where it’s at.  Unfortunately, our community is dealing with too much all at once. We are met with violence, systemic racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ablism, housing insecurity, a climate crisis, mass shootings, war, a worldwide pandemic, and a severe mental health crisis. These large-scale traumas are on top of any personal challenges that individuals may be going through.  These topics can be hard to discuss with the youth and communities that we all work with, but it’s essential that we open the door for discussion to process these issues in a safe and supportive environment. Here is a list of resources for navigating through these topics with the youth and communities that you serve.  ...