Innovation Workshops
Innovation Workshops
Track Description/Goals:
The Grassroots Fund encourages grassroots groups to experiment, test and innovate, particularly at the intersections of social and environmental justice. Some of the most exciting local projects are those that are addressing interrelated community challenges in unique and cross-cutting ways, and inviting new, often surprising partners into that work. This track highlighted groups that are working at the vibrant intersections in new and exciting ways, and explored the condition necessary to create safe spaces to foster innovation.
The Grassroots Fund encourages grassroots groups to experiment, test and innovate, particularly at the intersections of social and environmental justice. Some of the most exciting local projects are those that are addressing interrelated community challenges in unique and cross-cutting ways, and inviting new, often surprising partners into that work. This track highlighted groups that are working at the vibrant intersections in new and exciting ways, and explored the condition necessary to create safe spaces to foster innovation.
Morning Workshop - 10:20AM - Noon
Great Groups are Creative Groups: How Group Dynamics Can Foster Innovation
During this interactive session, Toxics Action staff member, Mary Jones helped unpack challenges groups often face internally that make it harder for us to create space for innovation. Grassroots organizer, Kristen Mello, discussed her work with Westfield Residents Advocating for Themselves and how thinking about and addressing group dynamics has helped drive innovation and change for their group. Participants left with tools and tricks to help make their group meetings feel more effective and rewarding, setting them up to achieve their goals and create the world we want to live in.
Further Take-Aways:
1.) Tools for "mapping" the dynamics in their group meetings to help take a step back and unpack some of the challenges they may be facing.
2.) A deeper dive into following common challenges for groups: communication, building community, and unexamined group habits. Each of these included an interactive activity and opportunity for reflection.
3.) A "Menu of Options" on how they can start to address these challenges and will have made a commitment to trying at least 3 new things from this menu at their next meeting.
Great Groups are Creative Groups: How Group Dynamics Can Foster Innovation
During this interactive session, Toxics Action staff member, Mary Jones helped unpack challenges groups often face internally that make it harder for us to create space for innovation. Grassroots organizer, Kristen Mello, discussed her work with Westfield Residents Advocating for Themselves and how thinking about and addressing group dynamics has helped drive innovation and change for their group. Participants left with tools and tricks to help make their group meetings feel more effective and rewarding, setting them up to achieve their goals and create the world we want to live in.
Further Take-Aways:
1.) Tools for "mapping" the dynamics in their group meetings to help take a step back and unpack some of the challenges they may be facing.
2.) A deeper dive into following common challenges for groups: communication, building community, and unexamined group habits. Each of these included an interactive activity and opportunity for reflection.
3.) A "Menu of Options" on how they can start to address these challenges and will have made a commitment to trying at least 3 new things from this menu at their next meeting.
Workshop Leaders - Mary Jones, Toxic Action Center
Mary is Toxics Action Center’s Western Massachusetts and Connecticut Community Organizer. She is passionate about social justice and community-driven change. Prior to joining the team at TAC, Mary worked as an environmental educator and non-profit development officer in Richmond, Indiana. While in Richmond, she helped spearhead and managed several community initiatives focused on food access and food justice. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Earlham College and and MS in Environmental Justice from the University of Michigan.
Mary is Toxics Action Center’s Western Massachusetts and Connecticut Community Organizer. She is passionate about social justice and community-driven change. Prior to joining the team at TAC, Mary worked as an environmental educator and non-profit development officer in Richmond, Indiana. While in Richmond, she helped spearhead and managed several community initiatives focused on food access and food justice. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Earlham College and and MS in Environmental Justice from the University of Michigan.
Kristen Mello - Westfield Residents Advocating For Themselves
Kristen is a co-founder of Westfield Residents Advocating For Themselves (WRAFT). She began investigating the history and chemistry surrounding the perfluoroalkyl substances in Westfield’s municipal water supply after a Notice of Drinking Water Health Advisory Level Exceedance for Well #2 was sent out by the City in September 2016, which alerted her to the fact that she’d been giving concentrated amounts to her exclusively formula fed infant niece, born in July 2015. Born and raised in Westfield, MA, she has consumed this water herself for most of her life, along with the rest of her family and community. Kristen received her BS in Chemistry from UMASS Amherst and MS in Analytical Chemistry, specializing in Chemometrics, from the University of Delaware.
Kristen is a co-founder of Westfield Residents Advocating For Themselves (WRAFT). She began investigating the history and chemistry surrounding the perfluoroalkyl substances in Westfield’s municipal water supply after a Notice of Drinking Water Health Advisory Level Exceedance for Well #2 was sent out by the City in September 2016, which alerted her to the fact that she’d been giving concentrated amounts to her exclusively formula fed infant niece, born in July 2015. Born and raised in Westfield, MA, she has consumed this water herself for most of her life, along with the rest of her family and community. Kristen received her BS in Chemistry from UMASS Amherst and MS in Analytical Chemistry, specializing in Chemometrics, from the University of Delaware.
Afternoon Workshop: 1:30PM - 3:00PM
Transforming Communities Through Innovation
Without innovation every single one of our movements is set to remain static, stuck between systems of oppression and fear. To truly propel us forward, to transform our communities we must innovate, in every essence of the word. As we innovate we not only come up with new solutions, addressing root causes that have never been tackled before, but we also reflect on what has and hasn't worked in the past, and of course, we fail, a lot. Without failure there can be no innovation. Failure, like most things differs greatly based on our different identities as we are far more forgiving of the failures of the privileged and are ruthless to the most marginalized. So, how do we turn things around? Not just changing the way we innovate but our community's culture to naturally be a culture where innovation thrives in all its forms.
In this workshop, individuals learned about building safe spaces, and transforming community foundations to become healthier spaces that are built with innovation in mind and are constantly moving forward. The workshop also talked about next steps for innovation and how to sustain our innovations and communities. Lastly, participants learned about the importance of self care and safety in sustainable and healthy innovations, and the role of each community member in our quest for self-actualization. After the session participants had a better understanding of safe spaces, belonging, innovation, building community, and have a few tools for community transformation.
Transforming Communities Through Innovation
Without innovation every single one of our movements is set to remain static, stuck between systems of oppression and fear. To truly propel us forward, to transform our communities we must innovate, in every essence of the word. As we innovate we not only come up with new solutions, addressing root causes that have never been tackled before, but we also reflect on what has and hasn't worked in the past, and of course, we fail, a lot. Without failure there can be no innovation. Failure, like most things differs greatly based on our different identities as we are far more forgiving of the failures of the privileged and are ruthless to the most marginalized. So, how do we turn things around? Not just changing the way we innovate but our community's culture to naturally be a culture where innovation thrives in all its forms.
In this workshop, individuals learned about building safe spaces, and transforming community foundations to become healthier spaces that are built with innovation in mind and are constantly moving forward. The workshop also talked about next steps for innovation and how to sustain our innovations and communities. Lastly, participants learned about the importance of self care and safety in sustainable and healthy innovations, and the role of each community member in our quest for self-actualization. After the session participants had a better understanding of safe spaces, belonging, innovation, building community, and have a few tools for community transformation.
Workshop Leader - Ahmad Abojaradeh, Life in My Days
Ahmad is the Founder and Executive Director of Life in My Days, a Global Non-Profit paving the way for starting difficult conversations around Mental Health and Disabilities, Abuse and Trauma, and Social Justice. Life in My Days specializes in starting these difficult conversations, empowering community members, and creating spaces of Belonging. He is also a Social Justice and Mental Health advocate, sharing his personal experiences about Mental Illness and Oppression worldwide, and supporting organizations in creating more accessible and safe spaces. He has worked with dozens of communities worldwide, working on the individual, community, organizational, and policy levels. His work has been featured on Healthline, The Mighty, This is My Brave, Communications Rebel, Muslimgirl, and many local publications in the communities he works in. He is also a Peer Support Specialist, supporting individuals from around the world, specializing in working with individuals displaced by war, torture and complex childhood trauma, living with Mental Illness and/or Disability, and individuals living with Suicidality. In his free time, Ahmad is also a novelist writing YA Fantasy, and the occasional Non-fiction. Currently, he's writing a memoir about his own complex childhood trauma. He has a Bachelors in Engineering from WPI, and a Graduate Certificate in Traumatic Stress. When he's not on the road he lives in Northfield, NH.
Ahmad is the Founder and Executive Director of Life in My Days, a Global Non-Profit paving the way for starting difficult conversations around Mental Health and Disabilities, Abuse and Trauma, and Social Justice. Life in My Days specializes in starting these difficult conversations, empowering community members, and creating spaces of Belonging. He is also a Social Justice and Mental Health advocate, sharing his personal experiences about Mental Illness and Oppression worldwide, and supporting organizations in creating more accessible and safe spaces. He has worked with dozens of communities worldwide, working on the individual, community, organizational, and policy levels. His work has been featured on Healthline, The Mighty, This is My Brave, Communications Rebel, Muslimgirl, and many local publications in the communities he works in. He is also a Peer Support Specialist, supporting individuals from around the world, specializing in working with individuals displaced by war, torture and complex childhood trauma, living with Mental Illness and/or Disability, and individuals living with Suicidality. In his free time, Ahmad is also a novelist writing YA Fantasy, and the occasional Non-fiction. Currently, he's writing a memoir about his own complex childhood trauma. He has a Bachelors in Engineering from WPI, and a Graduate Certificate in Traumatic Stress. When he's not on the road he lives in Northfield, NH.