Notes from workshop by Deepa Iyer and Adaku Utah from the Building Movement Project, Dec 2024
what are your personal core values, beliefs, and convictions?
values
- identify highest/boldest visions
- help us set goals
- anchor us during conflict and conclusion
- offer guidance for reflection, evaluation, course correction
what are the issues you’d like to engage on?
what ecosystem(s) are you part of or want to join?
- an ecosystem is a space where different people and organizations come together around common values and goals in order to play roles in right relationship with one another
- any space, network, online community, organization, place of worship etc - that are formed around common goals/values
- when looking to expand social change ecosystem, find community-based groups that do the work that you’re interested in
- some cities have departments of volunteerism with lists of groups. people in these groups/spaces may have connections and introduce you to other, less formal networks
- no ecosystem is ideal, and all ecosystems will break our hearts in some way
- having a more realistic approach to ecosystems - and not expecting purity and perfection - can be helpful
roles
- self-awareness of our own skills/aptitude/interests PLUS understanding of what is needed in our community
- what are the roles that will be most in service to my community in this moment?
thinking in incremental steps, not trying to be Audre Lorde tomorrow, not comparing ourselves to others. the smallest change is still change