Connection Academy 101: Creating Belonging
Connection Academy 101: Creating Belonging is a hands-on introduction to building social connection through an intentional, sustainable in-person community. This is Part 1 of a two-part workshop series. You do NOT need to attend both, but they do not have the same content. Part 2 is linked here.
In this workshop, we'll explore what community actually is (and what it isn't), why belonging doesn't happen by accident, and what it means to step into the role of a community builder while staying true to what you're building.
You'll learn how to:
Clarify what your community exists to do and who it's really for
Understand the early stages of the community-building lifecycle and what your role is at each one
Design gatherings that create real connection and give people a reason to come back
Start building the structures that support long-term sustainability - for your members and for yourself
This workshop is designed for people who feel called to host, gather, and bring people together — whether you're just getting started or already running events and want to be more intentional about how your community grows. Expect lots of conversation and real opportunities to get into the work.
The workshop also includes access to your cohort community via WhatsApp.
About the Facilitator Jesse B Rauch has done the work across every dimension of what it takes to build a community. With 20+ years of experience spanning grassroots organizing, nonprofit leadership, sponsorships, operations, and facilitation, he has repeatedly taken communities from spark to scale and made them stick. He founded and ran a 500-person multi-city karaoke league for over a decade, co-founded a young education professionals network that grew to 3,000+ members, and built and led the community around one of the nation's most iconic outdoor film festivals. At Reading Rhythms, he closed over $100,000 in publisher partnerships helping fuel the growth of a 140,000-person reader community. Jesse is a co-founder of week nights.
About week nights week nights is a community engine and all-in-one platform designed to help organizers build, grow, and sustain their communities. Beyond the platform, week nights offers 1:1 community coaching and the Connection Academy workshop series, providing practical skills for community builders at every stage. week nights is also a founding partner of Community Week NYC, a citywide celebration of belonging and the builders making real social connection possible in New York City. Visit their website at www.weeknights.co to learn more.