CNY Circles is an intentional way for people to build relationships across class and race lines to end poverty in our community. Circles™ is a high impact strategy that will:
 Develop genuine and lasting relationships across socioeconomic class lines with an intention to facilitate low-income people moving permanently out of poverty.
 Empower people in poverty to help solve community problems while transitioning out of poverty themselves.
 Change goals, policies, and approaches to end poverty.
 Change the mind-set of the community so it wants to end poverty.

A Circle is a supportive, intentional, reciprocal, befriending relationship made up of one Circle Leader who is living in poverty and two to five Circles Allies who usually are from middle class. A Circle typically meets once or twice a month to build friendships and to work on the Circle Leader’s dreams, plans, and goals.

Click on this image to see a model:

The CNY Circles Campaign will work to change the community's mindset:

From: Some poverty is normal and tolerable.
To: No poverty is tolerable or necessary.

From: The full responsibility lies with the individual.
To: The responsibility is shared with individual, community and government.

From: Providing piecemeal assistance.
To: Helping people completely out of poverty.

From: We will deliver services to you on behalf of the community.
To: We will help you build community around your family and neighborhood so you reach your dreams.

For a more dteailed description see the following document:
At a Glance.doc