Circles Playbook
The “Circle” needs to become central to the community. Even as it needs a political entrepreneur to drive and sustain it, others must feel part of it. Here are a few starting ideas on what the Circles could do.
Activities
- Micro-libraries – start with a collection of 50-100 books
- Debating clubs – organise weekly match-ups
- Education classes / vocational training
- Counselling / Mentoring / tutoring kids and preparing them for better jobs
- Solutions for neighbourhood problems
- Micro-finance
- Self-help groups
- Help local youth get jobs
- Micro-campaigns eg. tree planting
- Civic action: Holding government officials accountable for service delivery
Location (for meetings)
- Someone’s home
- School hall
Getting Started
- Get a group of 20 people together
- Each one can talk up responsibility of improving lives of 5 others
- Try experiments to see which activities work
Models (to study and learn from)
- RSS / Shiv Sena Shakhas
- Rotary Club / Lion’s Club
- NCC / Boy Scouts
- Amish / Mormon Church
- Salvation Army / Red Cross
- Teach for India / Pratham
- Micro-finance Institutions (MFIs)
Hopefully, this gives a useful set of ideas for interested political entrepreneurs to get started and create their own Circles.
Tomorrow: Part 9
Have you participated or created such a movement