Community Circles bring individuals together who want to support one another, heal, resolve conflict and make decisions without an established hierarchy. It is an approach used by BUILD of Chicago, a nonprofit focused on gang intervention, violence prevention and youth development.
Community Circles take place several times a week at BUILD (Broader Urban Involvement & Leadership) where more than 40% of the clients live in Austin.
“A Circle Keeper is one who knows how to hold space for others,” said Edwina Hamilton, senior manager of BUILD’s Peace and Justice Center. “When I say hold space, I mean offer a safe space where individuals can speak their personal truths.”
Hamilton has been a trained Circle Keeper for about six years. She was trained at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation on Chicago’s South Side. When Hamilton was hired by BUILD in December of 2019, her role was to help promote understanding of restorative justice within the organization.
“Then I started building a team of others who not only knew the practice but also knew how to facilitate,” she said. “Since then, its grown by leaps and bounds.”
These days, BUILD hosts its own Circle Keeper training courses for individuals who want to become certified.
“Anyone is welcome to participate, whether that’s a BUILD staffer or somebody from the community,” Hamilton said. “A lot of times we get people from other community-based organizations and individuals from schools. We also get individual residents who live nearby who want to take it home and do it with their families.”
Training takes place at BUILD’s campus in Austin and at offsite locations where training has been requested. Next week, Hamilton is training the staff at a high school in the south suburbs.
“What you learn and what you gain from it can be transported to whatever arena or circumstance you would like to utilize it in,” she said.
Hamilton said that it’s an ongoing learning process.
“What we tell individuals who go through our training is ‘yes, you get a certificate that states how many hours you’ve completed but know that you’re a lifelong learner,” she said. “It’s never one and done. You’re a lifelong learner and you’ve begun the journey.”
BUILD’s Circle Keepers also facilitate circles within communities and organizations where their services are requested.
Last month, BUILD held a circle with officers from the Chicago Police Department’s 25th District and residents within that area.
“That was an opportunity for them not to just address concerns or issues but to sit in circle and learn from each other,” Hamilton said.
When BUILD gets a request for a circle, Hamilton and her team sit down together and make a plan.
“We want to know who is asking, why are they asking for a circle, what type of circle is it going to be, and what the demographics will be,” Hamilton said. “Based on the information we get in the prelim, we are better able to orchestrate a circle experience that best meets the needs of that particular request.”
Another type of circle BUILD conducts is a grief circle, if a block or a family has lost a loved one, and they want to sit in a circle and process what they’re going through.
“There are different types of circles for different things,” Hamilton said. “It’s people gaining a better understanding of each other and cultivating relationships with each other.”
For more information about Circle Keeper training and circles conducted by BUILD, visit their website at https://www.buildchicago.org/