Thrive Circle (Círculo de Prosperidad) is our program for caregivers. A small group meets every week over several weeks, and each round is built around a goal the group is working toward. This summer's was a second source of income.

Two hours, every Wednesday, for six weeks. For caregivers holding down full-time work and raising children, two hours is not a small thing to give. Six of them gave it.

Each of them came in with a plan.

• One wants to learn to cut hair, so families can find an affordable and patient option for their children.
• One wants to build a social media presence to elevate her skincare business and sell merchandise.
• One already sells tamales and wants to expand her sales and her capacity this winter.
• One wants to learn to do nails.
• One hopes to help her family open an auto repair shop. Cars are a shared passion for all of them.
• One wants to sell prepared meals, and eventually own a food truck.

Over six weeks, they worked on identifying their dream clients. They looked at the networks they already have. They learned Canva and built logos for their businesses. They worked out how they could support one another. One caregiver launched her first official Facebook business page while the group cheered her on.

On the last day, one caregiver described what the six weeks had done:

"Aprendimos cómo hablar un poco más. Unas veces como nos estancamos, y ahora estamos compartiendo más."

"We learned how to speak up a little more. Sometimes we get stuck, and now we are sharing more."

The community showed up with them. Two local small business owners, Ixchel "Ix" Garcia of Angela's Café in Orient Heights and Pamela Leins of In the Cut, came in to talk honestly about their own journeys and what it takes to balance full-time work, caregiving, and building a second stream of income. Volunteers from State Street sat beside caregivers, helping them navigate Canva and ChatGPT and get their pages built.

The first five sessions were held at our East Boston location, within walking distance for the caregivers taking part. The final session was held at our Roxbury location, so the group could spend a day in another Friends-Boston space and know it as one more place they belong.

We run Thrive Circle because the dreams in a household do not belong only to the children in it. The Core Assets we build with Achievers are at work here too. A caregiver finding her own spark and building her own network is showing her children what that looks like.

Past groups focused on education and continuing education. Four of these six caregivers come from families that joined us recently, and two already have Achievers matched with a Friend (professional mentor). For some of these families, Thrive Circle was one of the first things they did with us.

This is not new thinking for us. As our Executive Director, Yi-Chin Chen, said back in 2021:

"Caregivers have to be a really critical part of the equation in more ways than we have done before. We have to proactively engage them, and also we have to proactively build on what their own hopes and dreams are for this next phase."

The final session was August 12. Six caregivers left with a plan, and with five other people who know exactly what they are working toward

"Agradecida por la oportunidad de estar aquí. Me gusta ver que cada quien mostró su logo. Me van a hacer falta el próximo miércoles."

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here. I enjoyed seeing everyone share their logo. I'm going to miss them next Wednesday."

Thrive Circle runs in rounds, and each one is shaped by what the group wants to work on. If you are a caregiver in a Friends-Boston family and you want to be part of the next one, talk to your Friend or reach out to us.

Their children were not in the room for any of it. They will see the work and what it builds.