OCF Blog

As we wrap up the year, many people working in youth-serving spaces are doing what they always do: giving energy, care, and presence to the youth who count on them. It’s meaningful work, but let’s be honest, it can also be exhausting. Before stepping into a new year full of goals, Circles, and fresh possibilities, it’s important for facilitators to pause and refill our own cups. 

This season, the most meaningful gifts aren’t wrapped; they’re felt in the connections we help create.

At the Fairfield PAL Teen Center, youth mentor Fatima Adeboye is using creativity, compassion, and the Girls Circle model to inspire transformation. By blending fun, themed activities, like her “Defying the Drama: A Wicked-Themed Girls Circle” with meaningful dialogue, Fatima creates a safe and engaging space where girls feel seen, supported, and empowered to grow. Her work at the PAL Teen Center highlights how creativity in Circle can spark connection, confidence, and lasting change for youth in the Fairfield, Suisun, and Travis communities.

Facilitating a Circle in just 45 minutes can feel like a challenge—but it’s absolutely possible with a few thoughtful adjustments. In this blog, we share strategies to help you stay true to One Circle Foundation’s model while keeping every essential step intact. From concise check-ins to choosing just one activity per session, these tips will help you create a meaningful, connected experience without feeling rushed.

One Circle Foundation’s community partner, Oliver Spring (he/him), is a Prevention Specialist with the Delaware County Prevention Education Program (PEP) at Child and Family Focus, Inc. (CFF). Growing up in Delaware County, PA, Oliver is passionate about giving back to his community by educating youth and families about substance use prevention. 

For today’s youth, raised on fast, scrollable content, long talks in circles or slow activities can feel like watching a movie on 1% battery. Research shows the average attention span has dropped to just 47 seconds today. Circles don’t offer the quick bursts of entertainment youth get from TikTok and other social media, so keeping them engaged takes extra skill. In our Advanced Facilitator Skills Training, you’ll learn how to turn that challenge into an opportunity, creating dynamic, interactive experiences that spark participation, build connection, and hold attention, even with today’s shrinking attention spans. 

One Circle Foundation is bringing the Girls Circle Facilitator Training to the SF Bay Area on September 11-12, 2025 at Uptown Station Oakland. Join us for a training in California to elevate your Circle facilitation skills and connect with others who strive to make a positive impact in the lives of youth and teens. Read more

In a time when educators are navigating constant shifts, including diminishing attention spans, new AI technology, and shrinking budgets, One Circle Foundation returned from the United School Leadership Conference in Seattle this week with a very clear message: United in community, we are stronger together.

This journey I speak of has been decades in the making, with so many twists and turns. It’s funny because before my father passed, he would say: Tysha is going to be my personal psychologist. She’s going to fix me.

Adolescence is one of the most formative stages of life. It’s a time when identity, independence, and self-worth begin to take shape. During the early stages of adolescence (11-12), youth enter a stage of relational impasse or “crisis of connection” where they have to decide whether to be their authentic selves or forgo who they are in order to “fit in.” Amid the emotional highs and lows of this time, one factor stands out as a protective shield against many of life’s challenges: self-esteem.