# Phase 2: community momentum


What is it?	In Phase 2, the Circle Founders take the lead on community engagement and relationship-building, while the Equal Care project team steps into a supporting role. This is when the Circle’s community starts to grow: finding the first independent care and support workers, and connecting with the first people likely to receive care and support through the Circle.
Why do it like this?	Our goal is to create a sustainable social ecology between Equal Care Co-op and local Circles. We want to avoid relationships based on dependency or permission-giving. Instead, we work toward relationships of equal partnership where agency and leadership are shared. Phase 1 establishes this foundation; Phase 2 builds it outward into the community.
Membership	New members join the original Circle Founders — including early potential users of the service, independent workers, family members, advocates, and local professionals (such as social workers and health professionals). The growing community includes a mix of Supported, Advocate, and Worker members.
Principles	- Grow networks and deepen ties - Work openly and tell stories as we go
Time period	- Minimum: 2 months - Maximum: 6 months before Phase 3 (noting that Phase 3 timing depends partly on external factors such as contracting and local capacity)
Evaluation and continuous learning	- A short survey measuring agency, ownership, voice and power - One-to-one interviews with at least one person from each key perspective (receiving, giving, and arranging support) and with all Circle Founders - Continued work on storytelling and archiving the Circle’s development
Outcomes	- Clear shift from Equal Care leading to Circle Founders leading their own Circle - The Circle becomes contract-ready - The Circle defines and expresses its own identity and values

{% hint style="info" %} **A reflection on community cultures** The foundations of any Circle are deeply shaped by the **social cultures** its members live and work within. Culture influences our ability to make decisions that are both **effective** and **equivalent** and it shapes how Circles grow a sense of belonging and connection with their wider community. Building and nurturing culture is not a side project; it is **central** to the work of creating sustainable, relationship-based care and support. We begin this process by working closely with Circle Founders, both individually and as a small group. **The next stage is about opening this work outward**: moving from the founding group into the wider community, and **distributing power back to kith and kin**. Our goal is that these community sessions are **co-facilitated with**, or ideally **led by**, Circle Founders, with Equal Care stepping back to offer support **only as needed**. By grounding leadership in the community we help build a living culture of mutual care, shared responsibility, and collective agency. {% endhint %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://play.equal.care/circle-journey/phase-2-community-momentum.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.