S7E4: Economic Empowerment through Community

Eccles Business Buzz Podcast

The mission at Circles Salt Lake is “building community to end poverty in Salt Lake County.” They do this by building bridges of friendship and community that support individuals and families on their journey from surviving to thriving, ensuring that everyone they work with has enough money, meaning, and friends to thrive.

Leading this critical mission is Executive Director Michelle Crawford. Starting out as a volunteer in 2017 and working her way up to run the organization, Michelle is a passionate and kind member of our community, working fiercely to help those with less.

In this episode of the Eccles Business Buzz host, Frances Johnson sits down with Michelle to discuss eradicating poverty through community building, intentional friendships, personal transformation, and systemic change.

Michelle shares insights on the challenges faced by people living in poverty, the role of social capital, and the importance of community support in achieving financial independence. The episode also highlights the significance of volunteers, the impact of economic instability on the community, and practical steps for fostering economic empowerment.

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes

Being in the Circles program empowers participants to dream and forge their own path.

[07:35]: Once somebody starts their Circles journey, they’re going to start with the 12-week training. So, we do this as an introduction to what Circles is and to provide some training around just the understanding of poverty. So, they may be living it, but there’s a lot that comes along with that, the social norms of the different income classes. And then they learn the things that we all want to learn, right? Budgeting, goal setting. We teach them to dream and pursue those dreams. And one of our sections of that 12-week training is dream boards. So, we’re not here to tell them what their life looks like on the other side of poverty or how to get there. We’re here to empower them, to support them, to say, what do you think life looks like for you on the other side of poverty? And then we build that social capital and the resources and the support around them to help them pursue those goals that they’ve set.

Persistent poverty can perpetuate cycles of intergenerational poverty.

[18:37]: When part of our population struggles with persistent financial instability, you can imagine the cost is significant. Financial instability leads to increased demand for those social services, higher health care costs, and even reduced productivity. All of these things strain our public resources.When individuals are unable to fully participate in the economy, it stifles our local business growth and reduces the overall economic activity. Persistent poverty can also perpetuate these cycles of intergenerational poverty, leading the long-term economic challenges for our community. And so, another area that Utah is unique, I mean, in a lot of great ways, and one of those is that our state’s poverty level is lower than the average national poverty level. But we have a pretty unique high number of intergenerational poverty, which means this cycle that continues. So, for us, we know that investing in financial stability for all members of our community not only improves individual lives, but it strengthens the overall economic health and vitality of the community.

Hope and dignity are deeply intertwined with financial independence.

[26:38]: When individuals have hope, they believe in the possibility of a better future, and then they’re motivated to take the steps towards achieving financial independence.The sense of hope can inspire perseverance, innovation, and then the willingness to seize those opportunities that lead to greater financial stability. Dignity, on the other hand, comes from the ability to support oneself and one’s family without relying on others. So, financial independence then restores this sense of control and self-worth, allowing individuals to participate fully in society with confidence.