The Resilience We Want: Building Community Resiliency in New Haven
Mutual aid networks and community gardens, buy nothing clubs and neighborhood dinners, ICE rapid response network and food pantries — the ingredients of community resilience are all around us.
We are facing environmental and political crises that can feel overwhelming and insurmountable, and yet all around us, people are coming together to make a better future. Community resiliency is this this critical ability to come together to provide what our communities need for ourselves.
How can we make our neighborhoods more resilient to disasters and other disruptions? What can we learn from other initiatives and communities?
Join us to explore what community resiliency could look like here at home
Our community is navigating climate change, an ICE surge on our immigrant neighbors, and rising living costs from corporate landlords. There are palpable and paralyzing feelings of despair, desperation, and powerlessness.
This is the second workshop where we face these challenges with creativity, care, and joy to help new and experienced organizers relight the fire inside, build our collective power and make real change. Explore with us — what would it look like to not only survive a disaster, but thrive?
Turning Dreams into Reality
Every single person has a unique set of skills and experiences that can meaningfully contribute to building change. Whether that's technical know-how, facilitation skills or baking a great pie, everyone can be part of creating a deeply resilient community.
Together we will explore: What work lights our fire? What do you need to make your work sustainable long term? How can we take care of each other in the process?
Using art, somatic practices, and Collective Imagination activities, we will explore what work is happening in New Haven, what offerings we each can bring, and identify the first steps towards getting involved.
Before we end the day, each person will develop a plan for action, and take the first step into making their dreams reality. You might sign up to volunteer with a local project, or start one of your own. You may sign up for a skills-training, identify steps you can take at home to be better prepared, or folks in organizing groups may find new ways of working together After, the workspace turns into a dance floor where we celebrate the strength, creativity and care that our community has and will continue to grow.
Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Accessibility - Masks are welcome but not required. The event space is up a flight of stairs. Participants are asked to refrain from wearing strong fragrances.
Who is this for?
These workshops are open to all; we welcome aspiring, new and experienced organizers and groups of organizers from local organizations.
Each session will focus on different parts of collectively imagining and creating community resilience. You can absolutely attend one or both of these workshops individually, but we believe folks will get the most out of these if they attend both.
Learn more and register for part one here!
About the Organizers
GROUP PROJECT is a new space created to support locally focused projects in New Haven through relationships, resources, and skill-building.
This offering is supported by the Collective Imagination Practice Community. Imagination can change the world — learn more here.