We’re committed to a new civic future where people feel agency over their lives, where neighbors are connected through relationships of trust, and where communities have the power to shape their own futures. Whether you’re rooted locally or approaching this work nationally, we invite you to join us by signing onto this letter.
I love the section about relationships being the substance of the work, not a means to some other end. When I worked as a community organizer (funded through United Way), I butted up against the institutional need for metrics often. We hosted a monthly block party, and they wanted every attendee to fill out a survey, which included information about their income and education levels. Spoiler: Asking someone how much money they make is not a great way to forge community bonds. When we view people merely as demographics, and not as citizens and neighbors, we've already missed the point.
Courtney this is a significant observation and frustration. I work with Community Renewal Capital Area which is a subsidiary of Community Renewal International out of Shreveport, LA. For 30 years they have been innovating a methodology for systematizing intentionally caring relationships in community which has transformed lives and neighborhoods all around the world - but the demand for measurability of love and care is so difficult to meet that the struggle has been continual. Our priorities are wrong. Relationships, as Toynbee said, are the system upon which all societies function. If we don't address them, we are doomed.
The demand for measurability of love and care is exactly what it is. We have to build trust with organizations on the ground and funders, so that care can be measured in storytelling and neighborhood engagements, not demographics or mere numbers. It's certainly an ongoing challenge and one where there's a lot of room for advocacy at the funding level.
Sam, this is beautifully articulated. Grounded, generous, and quietly radical in its insistence on agency, joy, and place. Grateful for this invitation and the care behind every word. What a hopeful, clear-eyed articulation of what civic life can be when it’s rooted in trust, relationship, and the wisdom of place.
We at the Hub see this as an opportunity and we are excited and we as individuals all have a unique way and opportunity to help along in our own way. As a collaborative community we share an outlook on something bigger than ourselves.. and that.. is what makes this post stand out. It’s all about what we could become and in many ways what we are becoming…
I love the section about relationships being the substance of the work, not a means to some other end. When I worked as a community organizer (funded through United Way), I butted up against the institutional need for metrics often. We hosted a monthly block party, and they wanted every attendee to fill out a survey, which included information about their income and education levels. Spoiler: Asking someone how much money they make is not a great way to forge community bonds. When we view people merely as demographics, and not as citizens and neighbors, we've already missed the point.
Courtney this is a significant observation and frustration. I work with Community Renewal Capital Area which is a subsidiary of Community Renewal International out of Shreveport, LA. For 30 years they have been innovating a methodology for systematizing intentionally caring relationships in community which has transformed lives and neighborhoods all around the world - but the demand for measurability of love and care is so difficult to meet that the struggle has been continual. Our priorities are wrong. Relationships, as Toynbee said, are the system upon which all societies function. If we don't address them, we are doomed.
The demand for measurability of love and care is exactly what it is. We have to build trust with organizations on the ground and funders, so that care can be measured in storytelling and neighborhood engagements, not demographics or mere numbers. It's certainly an ongoing challenge and one where there's a lot of room for advocacy at the funding level.
A demographic being managed is such a good way to put it, and I think it’s a frustration shared across identities and the political spectrum.
Sam, this is beautifully articulated. Grounded, generous, and quietly radical in its insistence on agency, joy, and place. Grateful for this invitation and the care behind every word. What a hopeful, clear-eyed articulation of what civic life can be when it’s rooted in trust, relationship, and the wisdom of place.
Yes!!!!🙌
We at the Hub see this as an opportunity and we are excited and we as individuals all have a unique way and opportunity to help along in our own way. As a collaborative community we share an outlook on something bigger than ourselves.. and that.. is what makes this post stand out. It’s all about what we could become and in many ways what we are becoming…