Transforming as a Community
December’ 21, TTC announced that we were taking a step back from public work to focus on the health of our organization and to strengthen the foundation that we stand on as a community. Since then, we’ve embarked on a journey that’s created an inspiring shift for us.
We want to share this journey with you. We’re committed to radical transparency and in doing so our intention is to be the change we want to see in the world.
The internal challenges we experienced as a community are not uncommon. All communities reach points of tension where healing and or transformation are needed. This is also true for communities engaged in a movement for social change.
Given our experience, we believe through accountability, healing, capacity building and community building, transformation is possible.
We hope our journey inspires you.
A journey through accountability, community, healing, and action
TTC’s official apology by Interim Adult Executive Director, Thiviya Saraswati here:
“One of the great lessons we explored is the role accountability and naming harm can play on a journey towards healing and growth”
- Thiviya Saraswati
About Our Journey
To do the internal work without burdening our youth, we enlisted the support of organizer, activist, conflict coach, healer, strategist, and founder of A.M. Consulting, Altagracia Montilla.
This partnership breathed new life into TTC, changed lives, and transformed how we see ourselves and how we function and work together as a community of organizers.
Through this partnership we:
Centered Black-femme members as leaders
Lived the belief that we cannot move forward without addressing our past
Honored those who have come before us in this work
Prioritized healing, wellness, and meaningful relationship building
Explored the importance of accountability and naming harm as part of healing
Explored indigenous practices to sustain anti-white-supremacy practices
Developed our skills as organizers and activists
Used a collaborative approach to creating internal systems to sustain our radical transformation and prevent ourselves from repeating the same mistakes
Leveraged our transformation to inspire and inform organizers and organizations across the city
Every journey has a beginning.
Challenges and Root Causes
Learn about our challenges, and what was at the root of them
Our process was divided into three phases:
Phase 1:
We set the foundation
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Set the foundation for a community made up of individuals who trust, respect, and value each other
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Exploring data; unpacking the presence of trust in the community
Exploring the Characteristics of a Healthy Community
Creating Passion Projects: we engaged in a series of workshops that helped us unlock our magic, deepen our relationships, and share our passions with each other
Engaging in a “Conflict Bravery” workshop day where we unpacked points of conflict from our past at TTC and reframed our relationship to conflict
“sow the seeds”
Phase 2:
We built the skills
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Build consistency between the values of a healthy community and our internal practices
Develop and practice skills critical to organizing
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Engaging in the process of antiracist transformation in real time
Engaging in collaborative freedom dreaming
We created four action groups to systematize the characteristics of a healthy village: Recruitment & Legacy, onboarding & learning, mentorship/ TTC besties, and wellness
“live the change”
Phase 3:
We applied and shared the skills
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Bring characteristics of a healthy community to life to protect future of TTC and prevent TTC from repeating challenges from our past
Radical transparency: share this journey with our community to continue the community’s healing process and inspire others
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We translated our freedom dreams into action plans using fishbone diagrams
SYEP youth gathering for six weeks over the summer to bring these actions plans to life
Engaging in radical transparency: we shared this journey with our community through a public apology, a partner roundtable, a reflection roundtable, and social media posts - this process represents our commitment to living the change we want to see in the world
“apply the change”
Video Gallery
Watch as some of our community members reflect on this journey
Gratitude
Organizers:
Zenab Bakayoko
Isabella Juma
Kai-Lin Kwek-Rupp
Behruz Mahmudov
Mariam Mtchedlishvili
Lily Plevin
Farzana Pritte
Zane Reedy
Dennise Reyes
Emmanuela Sepetia
Gilana Steckel
Nina Worley
SYEP Youth:
Zane Reedy
Yousof Abdelreheem
William Diep
Tiffani Torres
Sierra Fraser
Nina Worley
Mariam Mtchedlishvili
La’Toya Beecham
Kai-Lin Kwek-Rupp
Farzana Pritte
Dorothea Dwomoh
TTC Adult Staff & Youth Interns:
Thiviya Saraswati
Emma Thadani
William Diep
Jenny Bueno
Steering Committee:
LaToya Beecham
Dorothea Dwomoh
Brianna Gallimore
Jeanna Raphael
A.M. Consulting Team:
Altagracia Montilla
Natalia Foreman
Joyce Lundy
Najee Omar
Pam Segura
Anne Vierse
Additional Support & Inspiration:
Youth Power Coalition
ExpandED Schools
Here2Here
Urban Youth Collaborative
Special thank you to talented photographer LaToya Beecham, for providing many of the photos in the above gallery.
Next for TTC…
Takeaways
We can’t believe in change for the world, if we can’t see it for ourselves first
In order to be the change we want to see, we must commit to accountability and radical transparency
A community cannot organize externally without organizing internally
Healing is work, healing takes work
Wellness, relationships, and community care are at the root of antiracism
Humility; knowing when to seek help from an external party is a strength
There are so many beautiful things happening at TTC this season. Join our newsletter for resources, and to follow us on our journey.