#blockbridgebuild

#block

#south

#Midatlantic #WashingtonDC

#Westcoast #California

#Northeast #NewYork

#south #WilmingtonNorthCarolina

A method of facilitating conversation and fostering understanding, in which a small group sit in a circle and goes around the circle one-by-one telling personal stories based on a generative theme. While stories are shared, listeners are encouraged to listening with full attention and without judgement. At the end there is a group reflection on the stories shared.

#Midatlantic #WashingtonDC

#NewEngland #Massachusetts

How can we cultivate an ecosystem that intentionally and systematically advances a worldview of love, care, regeneration, and interdependence through our institutions so that a future based on that worldview becomes irresistible and eventually inevitable? What is already taking place that might be scaled, replicated, and shared more widely?

Learn more: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/building_the_cultural_power_ecosystem#

Offers insights from mapping the field of community based arts from theories, to case studies and professional development training resources.

#Westcoast #California

"We cannot defeat authoritarianism through policy and elections alone. Culture shapes the way people perceive reality, who they believe they are, and what they think is possible. By investing in cultural work, we lay the foundation for a democratic future where all voices matter, and no one is erased."

And how their strategies negatively affect our brains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp9Qg3OXp6g

Authoritarians rely on symbolism to communicate authority. Satire, public murals, and viral digital content can mock authoritarian leaders, and destabilize their legitimacy.

Authoritarians shrink expression in public spaces. Art that reclaims physical and digital space with dissenting visuals, disrupts authoritarian dominance over media and public consciousness.

Authoritarians rewrite history to justify their rule and erase resistance. Grassroots media, alternative news outlets and social media projects bypass state propaganda and challenge state-controlled narratives.

From The Power of Cultural Strategies | Scot Nakagawa

Authoritarians create division through spreading "us" vs. "them" narratives. Protest music, spoken word, and theater create shared emotional experiences that can deepen solidarity and collective action.

From The Power of Cultural Strategies | Scot Nakagawa

Authoritarians use spectacle and propaganda to create a culture of fear and obedience. Writing, performing, and creating, empower individuals to see themselves as agents of change rather than passive subjects.

Authoritarians shrink public imagination. Art can make new futures feel possible. Time-based installations, performance pieces, and durational works, in particular, force audiences to engage deeply with complex issues and cultivate sustained resistance.

From The Power of Cultural Strategies | Scot Nakagawa

• Harms to safety of individuals and communities

• Harms to environment

• Harms to cherished principles like rule of law

• Harms to institutions (educational, business, medical, environmental, legal, etc.)

• Differences between justice-seeking and peacebuilding groups focused on different issues, since many are working in silos

• Differences between those on the left and those on the center and center-right

• Differences in ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age/generation etc.

• Differences in educational backgrounds

• Difference between the cultures and needs of urban and rural communities

• Differences between Western and Indigenous worldviews and practices

• Imagining a future we want for ourselves and our children

• Dealing with tensions inherent in multi-sectoral work

• Breaking down systems and silos that are no longer working, to rebuild more inclusive resilient systems

BLOCK anti-democratic practices

BRIDGE across many differences

BUILD strong and resilient democracies that are ethical and inclusive

Watch an introductory video on the Block Bridge Build framework: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmt92brtjnI

• Actions of solidarity with those who are being harmed

• Creating disruption to bring attention to injustices

• Organizing and mobilizing affected communities

• Protecting civil rights (from access to public services, due process, right to vote, protection against deportation)

#NewEngland #Maine

#Atlanta #South

Highlander is a place where leaders, networks, and movement strands come together to interact, build friendships, craft joint strategy and develop the tools and mechanisms needed to advance a multi-racial, inter-generational movement for social and economic justice in our region.

#TN #Tennessee #South

"Theatre of the Oppressed (TO), is a tool for artistic activism originating in Brazil and now practiced around the world. Through games and exercises, communities come together, build solidarity, and share their stories about challenging injustice and oppression. These stories are developed into short plays, developed and performed by community members."

"Publicly funded arts have a unique responsibility to enable collective dreaming. By reflecting on the past and acknowledging the legacies of colonialism, capitalism and exclusion, the sector can help communities imagine futures that prioritise resilience and justice."