Resources
This section contains some of our favourite links to resources, organizations and groups and tools that support the Circles® model.
Circles Canada
Circles® Canada is Circles Muskoka’s parent organization. It is a poverty alleviation strategy working to build relationships across socio-economic classes to empower people and communities to thrive. Its model focuses on these main strategies for people experiencing poverty: crisis management, life-stabilization, education, job placement and job retention; advancement and economic stability.
YWCA Muskoka
Circles® Muskoka is led by YWCA Muskoka. YWCA Muskoka’s continuum of service supports women, girls, youth and gender diverse people, increasing their capacity to thrive. Serving over 1500 individuals in 35 partnered locations in communities across Muskoka.
RAMP Up
Residents Against Muskoka Poverty is a volunteer organization with a mission to reduce regional generational poverty in Muskoka by raising awareness and supporting programs that are working to lift people up, and out of poverty.
Gravenhurst Against Poverty
Gravenhurst Against Poverty, or G.A.P., is an inclusive, open, and transparent grassroots organization with the goal of reducing poverty within the greater Gravenhurst community. GAP has a Compassion Series with speakers on various topics.
Vital Signs
Vital Signs® is a community check-up that Community Foundations across Canada participate in to measure the health and vitality of our communities. Vital Signs® Reports identify significant trends in a range of sectors and areas that are critical to quality of life and maintaining smart and caring communities. The last update was in 2018.
CAP Debt Reduction
Christians Against Poverty is passionate about releasing people from a life sentence of poverty, debt, unemployment, and struggle. Working with local churches, they bring hope, good news, and freedom to Canadians. CAP Debt Centres provide professional debt counselling through community-based home visits to lift people out of debt and poverty and provide holistic support to those who are struggling. The Huntsville CAP Debt Centre is located at Faith Muskoka.
The HUB Muskoka
The HUB is a co-working space located in Huntsville, Ontario that provides an affordable and versatile working environment, professional support, and social networking opportunities that help initiatives thrive. The HUB provides the meeting space for the Circles® Muskoka North site.
Gendered Impacts of Coronavirus
A dive into the gendered impacts of Coronavirus in Canada by the Canadian Women’s Foundation.
Feminist Economic Recovery Plan for Canada
A feminist plan for recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, prepared by YWCA Canada and The Institute for Gender and the Economy.
Gender and the Economy
The Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE) at the Rotman School of Management promotes an understanding of gender inequalities and how they can be remedied – by people of all genders – in the world of business and, more broadly, in the economy.
Make the Month Simulator
Created by the United Way, Make the Month is an interactive digital poverty simulation that enables Canadians to experience living in poverty and face decisions that will either make or break the month. This experience shows Canadians the realities of surviving day-to-day, paycheque-to-paycheque and the impact that has on your overall well-being.
Exploring Diversity & Equity
In Exploring Diversity & Equity: Acknowledging Unconscious Bias, a free online course by Lambton College, students will learn to define implicit or unconscious bias, become familiar with the psychology behind implicit bias and recognize the ways it can impact our daily interactions.
Implicit Association Test
Harvard’s Implicit Association Test measures attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report. The IAT may be especially interesting if it shows that you have an implicit attitude that you did not know about.
Wealth Inequality in Canada
The Broadbent Institute released this video in 2014 highlighting the wealth gap reality in Canada in comparison to Canadian perceptions and beliefs. We know this data looks different today, and we anticipate it has worsened.
