At The Table: A Coffee Chat with Change Leaders
- Circles USA
- Sep 10
- 2 min read
Two Circles USA chapters are partnering with Think Tank as host sites for their third annual At The Table event this month. This decentralized national gathering aims to “create a positive space for dialogue on challenging topics, break down stereotypes, and celebrate the strength and gifts of so many who have lived experience in poverty,” says Think Tank.
Circles Columbus in Columbus, GA and Circles Of Washtenaw County in Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor, MI will serve as host sites for the event. Circle Leaders will share their lived experiences at the intersection of poverty and other socioeconomic factors that may include:
Substance Use Disorder & Recovery: Addiction and experiences as a child of someone with addiction
Behavioral & Mental Health: Mental illness, wellness, and access to behavioral health services
Disabilities & Health Equity: Physical, developmental, and invisible disabilities, and navigating healthcare systems
Child Welfare & Foster Care: Foster care, kinship care, and child welfare involvement
Justice Involvement & Reentry: Includes experiences with incarceration, reentry [to public life], and the legal system
Poverty & Public Assistance: Includes use of safety net programs, first-generation college experiences, and housing instability
Domestic & Community Violence: Experiences with domestic violence and/or gun violence
Discrimination & Unequal Opportunity: Racial equity, cultural identity, and experiences of marginalization or systemic exclusion
During the session, participants sit down for 20 minutes of meaningful conversation with three different “Change Leaders,” who share their personal experiences with poverty and other systemic barriers they have faced.
Heather Cunningham, National Training Director for Think Tank, describes the powerful opportunities At the Table affords. “Neighbors, civic leaders, educators, business owners, and faith leaders sit down to listen—not to debate or solve—but to understand. These moments often spark something unexpected: a school administrator leaving with new ideas for supporting families, a city council member rethinking local policies, a volunteer finding deeper commitment to walk alongside a family on their journey.”
Heather continues: “At the heart of Circles is the belief that relationships are the catalyst for real, lasting change. That’s why At the Table is such a natural fit. The event opens the door for the broader community to experience the same kind of transformative connection that happens in Circles every week, and to see Circle Leaders in their role as community educators and change agents.”
Challenging top-down approaches to poverty that ignore lived experience, Think Tank works to amplify human stories and empower local change agents to be seen, heard, and valued. Through poverty simulations, training content and key initiatives guided by leaders with lived experience, Think Tank equips groups to rethink poverty and partner with those affected to create lasting change. Learn more at https://thinktank-inc.org/table-national.
Check out a video recap of the 2024 At The Table event:
Building Community to End Poverty in 25 States
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