Make Hope Contagious: Join a New Civic Path Book Circle

If you’ve been curious about the energy surrounding The New Civic Path book circles, now is the perfect time to lean in. In a recent podcast episode, host Leah Verier-Dunn sits down with facilitator Carolina Franco to explore how these circles are helping neighbors become partners in possibility. Carolina, co-founder and director of CreArte Latino Cultural Center and The Patterson Foundation consultant with the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading initiative, shares how meaningful conversations can shift from heavy beginnings to hopeful endings.

Throughout their conversation, you’ll hear how book circles move people from simply voicing challenges to recognizing shared aspirations, like dignity, respect, and belonging, no matter their background or language. Carolina tells moving stories, including one participant who learned English and then came back to teach others, showing how even the smallest actions can ripple outward in powerful ways. These examples remind us that change doesn’t always start with sweeping reforms; sometimes it begins with a single person taking a small step close to home.

The circles themselves are intentionally designed to be safe spaces, where every voice matters and where both laughter and tears are welcome. By the second session, participants begin to feel a sense of momentum. Conversations that start with cautious sharing evolve into deeper trust, mutual support, and the contagious belief that good can spread when we commit to listening and learning together.

This podcast is both an invitation and a call to action. Don’t wait to be part of something that builds trust, strengthens relationships, and sparks real momentum for change in our community. 

Listen to the whole conversation with Leah and Carolina on The New Civic Path Beyond the Blog podcast, and discover how you, too, can take the first step toward walking this path of hope and shared aspirations.

Watch it below, or listen to it here. 

Register to join a New Civic Path book circle here! 

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