There is a lot going on now.

But if there is anything we can learn from the oligarchs of our society, it is that every crisis, whether manufactured or natural, is an opportunity. So let us at least take this time as an opportunity to build community, mutual support, and solidarity together. Take the time to reach out an support people you know and reach out and support people you don't know yet, your future friends.

I've personally been thinking about the difference between "caring about" and "caring for". I've historically been someone who has cared about a lot of things - US intervention in foreign countries, immigration, the climate emergency, etc. That is all good but it can lead to a lot of stress and feelings of helplessness.

Now I'm trying to focus on who I can care for. That generally means the people around me, whether they be friends with humanitarian aid jobs that now need to look for new work or immigrants in my own community who have been targeted. It could also mean looking for more places to send money to help people affected by the climate emergency.

So I encourage you to also focus on who you can care for. There is a lot going on that we can't control now, but there are actions within our control we can do and people around us we can care for. As I've said in previous messages about community:

Highlights from this update:

• KRUST was awesome, problems were solved, friends were made.
• I'm doing Hablando con Nuestros Niños community workshops to help immigrant parents practice talking to their kids about the current political/safety situation. Contact me if you'd like me to do one with your community.
• Due to scheduling conflicts, Community of Communities is rescheduled to April 6th at Red Emma's.

KRUST (Kids Roleplaying Uncomfortable Situations Together) workshop at Red Emma's with Bmore Transform was everything we hoped it would be. We talked about "protagonists" and "antagonists" in social situations and how those roles can change. We talked about how different people find different situations uncomfortable. And, most importantly, the kids got a chance to practice and create new constructive approaches to respond to those situations so they are more ready for future situations.

It is a stressful time politically, all the more so if you are part of an immigrant family afraid being targeted by immigration enforcement. Our kids hear things - from news, from friends, or overhead from adults - and so its important to be the ones who talk to them about what's going.

I am currently working with a community partner to schedule a workshop to engage immigrant parents about this. It is based in part on the Parents Anonymous workshops I did when I was working with resettled refugee parents at the International Rescue Committee. Similar to KRUST, it will also have an interactive forum aspect to help parents share their specific concerns and questions from children, and then collaborate and practice responses to them.

If you think this might be helpful to people in your community, please contact me to set up a session. I can do the session in Spanish or English.

And while we are at it, here is a link to an immigration your rights flyer and a number for a hotline to report ICE activity.

Due to scheduling conflicts, the next Community of Communities workshop I had announced for February 23rd has been reschedule for April 6th from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm at Red Emma's. Participants have very much appreciated the previous sessions and so I look forward to another impactful event. The focus for this session is still in development but I'm currently thinking about continuing previous discussions of confronting entrenched power and building local community by asking:

More to come on this. If you have other interest in helping shape the event more, please contact me.