S7E4: Economic Empowerment through Community w/ Michelle Crawford

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.



Show Links:

Michelle Crawford | LinkedIn

Circles Salt Lake

Team - Circles Salt Lake

Utah Department of Workforce Services




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.