February was a very full month for me! It feels like it flew by! I’ve been working full time at a computer store since May. It’s a family business, so my brother and I have been working hard to start the new year off right. We’re getting better, which feels really good! Other than work, I had some lovely volunteer experiences, attended a virtual conference called Immersive Art Labs 8, and decided that I want to go back to school. What’s really cool about all of this, though, is that all of these things fit into my sacred triangle of community, art, and technology, which makes me happy (-:
The Newark Think Tank on Poverty premiered their February edition of the Digital Recovery Cafe, a sober event featuring local artists. The series started in 2020 as a community event and safe space for folks in recovery. I’m honored to be the artist interviewer for the last few events (-: Check out event in the video below!
On February 10th, I had the pleasure to attend a presentation lead by Ohio Voice called Organizing 101. The training had been shared with me by some of the leaders at the Newark Think Tank on Poverty. The virtual event highlighted different methods of community organizing and strategy. Organizing is defined as “finding & developing leaders that can build a constituency (organization) to leverage communal power through campaigns that can improve people’s lives.” My experience with community organizing has been led by issues that are important to me, such as reproductive health, mental wellness, recovery, and other humanitarian efforts. I find it to be really fulfilling work that brightens my life, not to mention the people that I’ve met through organizing are wonderful!
Speaking of which, on the 23rd, I had my first full day of volunteering with MWA, a local membership based mutual benefit organization. They are dedicated year round to ending poverty and advocating for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. I first met them in 2020 and am continuously inspired by their efforts. During my day with them, we did community outreach in Columbus, a class titled “Making the Future - A New Kind of Labor Organizing,” and finally phoning outreach at the end of the day. I learned quite a lot, and it was nice to see what kind of an impact folks can have in their community with consistent determination.