America’s Heartland is bursting with new approaches to some of our country’s toughest challenges, and they just might work in your community too. Take Resilient Chicago, for example, a new effort recently announced by the city to build a more sustainable and resilient future for its residents. Resilient Chicago is part of the larger 100…
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/ By Kristina Gawrgy Campbell / For 18-year-old Michelle Serratos, being a part of Upswell LA was a motivational and educational experience. “It really touched me to hear the [awardees] speaking about their work and I really learned something being there,” she said. Michelle was a young photographer-in-training hired to capture moments at the Upswell…
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This post is one in a three-part introduction to the Upswell experience. Other installments focus on design and community. Following two years of planning, intentional outreach and listening to changemakers for design and programming ideas, Upswell LA sprang to life bigger than almost anyone could have anticipated. With more than 225 activities scheduled across three…
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This post is one in a three-part introduction to the Upswell experience. Other installments focus on the program and community. We heard it over and over at the first Upswell in Los Angeles last November: “This doesn’t feel like any conference I’ve ever been to!” That’s exactly the reaction we wanted, because we didn’t set out…
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This post is one in a three-part introduction to the Upswell experience. Other installments focus on the program and design. We like to say that Upswell is a community rather than a conference, but what does that mean, exactly? It’s hard to explain a “sense of community,” and harder still to build it into a three-day gathering.…
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/ By Tamieka Briscoe / Jessica Stern never identified as a “foster child” growing up—but at age ten, one week after her mother passed away of cancer, Stern and her seven siblings began living with foster families. According to Stern, while her family had “a whole lot of love,” they struggled in poverty, so much…
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/ By Jackie Brennan / During Upswell LA, and in the weeks since, we were glad to hear from more than a few people that the three-day gathering in Downtown LA didn’t look or feel exactly like a traditional conference. That was intentional—and we made a very deliberate effort to not bill it as a…
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The wave has crested! For the final episode of the season, we take you to Los Angeles to experience Upswell 2018 – and there’s a twist! We were lucky enough to have three student artists from DC-based AOK (All Our Kids) in LA to document Upswell. So, on this episode, we start with a conversation…
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In early November, Amira Resnick told us that while the allure of being a changemaker energizes and invigorates her, she worries that “we don’t spend enough time evaluating whether the changes we make are the best or most needed. Or even good at all.” Amira, who works at the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, has…
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/ By Debra Rainey / Earlier this year we introduced you to Vera deVera and Carola Secada — two amazing community organizers with strong cross-sector experience and deep ties to the many neighborhoods that make up Los Angeles. Vera and Carola worked with us to ensure that Upswell’s “LA Inside & Out” tours and community…
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