Our goal with Let’s Go Together is to draw us out of our separated silos and begin to know one another, work for the common good, and respect each other in public. But there are many obstacles that keep us from seeing each other.
We are not simply separated in silos, we human beings also do not have access to the same resources. We are dangerously unequal in wealth, time, internet access, and so on. We want people of every group to be represented in the LGT planning team. But we can’t expect people who are working 70 hours a week to also serve on a committee.
How can we organize so that we don’t add additional burdens to people trying to survive, while also including them, their communities, and their wisdom?
This last week we made contact with groups that serve unhomed and formerly incarcerated people. We had a wonderful time with the local Muslim community in Mount Vernon. We spoke with students at Skagit Community College. We welcomed a leader of a large social service non-profit to join our LGT Planning team.
It was a great week!
Talking with one leader, the answer to my question began to emerge. In addition to our LGT Planning Team we will also gather a Community Connection Team with representatives from the many communities we want to work with. Community Connectors won’t need to spend time on the details of planning our Let’s Go Together Partnerships but they will give important input to ensure that our plans can work for members of their community. Two examples:
- Ensure that our events are not happening when farm workers are super busy.
- Ensure that registration for our events can work for people without internet access.
We are making great progress in gathering leaders to organize our events. As we do this, we continue to listen and learn how to create a space for inclusion in a world of inequity and separated silos. With open hearts and a thoughtful strategy we can begin to see each other as human – like when the skies clear and the stars shine brightly.