Category Archives: Intentional Communities

by Heather Walker Peterson

When I mentioned to a friend that I was interviewing Rod Dreher about his book The Benedict Option, my friends response was that Dreher struck him as reactive. Since then, Ive read the book and multiple reviews. In light of my background and career, I believe that Dreher is being pro-active not reactive as long as direct measures are taken to avoid some of the sins of the kingdom building of past fundamentalists.

A driving force behind The Benedict Option as a response to liquid modernity or Moral Therapeutic Deism is the U.S.s cultural movement toward a full embrace of nontraditional sexual ethics. This embrace is not just the Supreme Courts ruling regarding marriage but the social expectations of open affirmation of diverse sexual mores in the educational and corporate spheres.

For my own setting, my ears are deaf to accusations that Dreher is fearmongering regarding the loss of job and educational opportunities for conservative Christians. I work at an evangelical postsecondary institution, and among such universities we are currently planning for not if we lose our accreditation or our students become ineligible for state and federal loans but when in respect to our institutional stances on traditional sexual ethics.

When recent alums have talked to me about career aspirations as faculty in conservative Christian universities, I have praised their desires but told them that they may need to consider one of the parallel structures that Dreher writes about: Christian study centers near major public universities. Perhaps more shocking, a friend of mine is reconsidering his option to send his graduating high schooler to a prestigious evangelical institution because hes concerned his child will have less job opportunities with that institutions name on her resume.

Like many evangelical reviewers, my initial reaction to the idea of the Benedict Option, a strategic withdrawal, was that it smacked of the separatist, fundamentalist cultural ghettoization of my childhood, a bunker mentality. In the cultural wars, we lobbed critiques at contemporary thought with no regards for its grains of veracity or the individuals behind the ideas. We labeled social justice as liberal and focused on Bible studies instead. It seemed that truth, disregarding our limited interpretations of it, was more important than love.

Can the Benedict Option be different? How do proponents, as a church, community, or other organization, not relive the sins of the fundamentalist movement that began in the 1920s?

In his book, Dreher is direct about the need for Benedict Option Christians to work with their hands as much as their minds. Many monks take care of the basic need of their monasteries along with their intellectual studies. Therefore, an intentional part of Benedict Option organizations has to include hands-on ministry to help evangelicals pull themselves out of a mind-only, bunker approach. It could be soup kitchen volunteering or as simple as my local Christian study center, which has a coffee time with refreshments available for the international students who need a place to hang out.

Dreher touches on this with his comments on the thoughts of Reformed theologian Hans Boersma. Dreher, rightfully I think, insists on the need for liturgy to restore Christians collective memory. However, as Ive become more immersed in churches with historical liturgies, I can vouch that liturgy may aid but doesnt make worshippers view the world sacramentally, what Dreher calls real participation in the eternal, echoing Boersma.

In his book, Heavenly Participation, Boersma writes about the sacramental quality of the world, the created order as all being a gift from God. To avoid the nonsacramental views of the world that many Christians have now (Catholic and Protestant, according to Boersma), the parallel structures of strategic withdrawal will have to include intentional teaching on sacramental ontology. In viewing the world as gift, members of Benedict Option communities must be trained to love not only the natural world around them but also to love those not like them but still made in the image of God.

To study sacramental ontology contextualized, one must study church history.

Dreher relies on the historical church in following Benedicts rule in approach to culture, but will those who branch off into their own Benedict Option also do so?

Im somewhat tentative about the ability of many evangelicals to set up intentional communities. These will be evangelicals who are responding to what they see as the downslide of Western culture. Theyre from a subculture focused on interpreting Scripture for oneself (and who also have a tendency to just pick and choose a historical tradition here or there without a full understanding of its context).

Gods Word is authoritative, but as Vanhoozer has noted almost twenty years ago in Is There Meaning in This Text?, fundamentalism teaches the authority of the text but practices the authority of the interpretive community. Scandals in megachurches have shown us that leaders with charismatic personalities can become untouchable. The leader who interprets Scripture can become more authoritative than Scripture itself.

Members of the Benedicts Options parallel structures will need to rely on the history of the church to understand varied interpretations of Scriptures in their engagement with culture. They will also have to be intentional about an openness to critique within and outside of their structures.

After quoting Dietrich Bonhoeffers book Life Together, Dreher writes, a community that cannot face its faults and love each other through to healing is not truly Christian. He wisely points out in the chapter The Idea of a Christian Village the dangers of idolizing community or of excessively controlling it to make it perfect.

In my mind, an important book for those with plans for a Benedict Option church or community is Andy Crouchs Strong and Weak to understand how healthy vulnerability in power relationships leads to flourishing. I believe that any community who wants to grow needs to have intentional places and times for critique. Making ourselves open to critique is hard, but this vulnerability is central to transformation as Christians, whether individually or collectively.

Ultimately, Dreher is making a call for faithfulness in resistance to cultural assumptions we as Christians have been habituating. As we become disillusioned with our culture, I pray we also become disillusioned with ourselves, even as we create new Christian community. As Bonhoeffer wrote, it is when we experience the disillusionment of our close fellows and ourselves that true community can happen.

Heather Walker Peterson is a writer, mother, assistant professor and department chair. She also writes at humanepursuits.com

Excerpt from:

Why We Need the Benedict Option and How It Doesn't Have to ... - Patheos (blog)

Two of 14 tiny homes that will soon populate a city-owned lot in Kenton. This was taken in December, while they were under construction. Karney Hatch

At some point, probably next month, 14 homeless women will move into 14 tiny homes not far from the heart of Kenton.

On one level it's such a small thingless than 1 percent of the city's unsheltered residents finding temporary homes, while hundreds of others see no end in sight.

On another level it could not be larger.

This new village, informally okayed in a 178-75 vote among Kenton residents Wednesday evening, might ultimately represent a new chapter in how Portland works to ease this growing crisis.

Where for years officials have grappled with whack-a-mole camps or retroactively worked with unsanctioned organized communities after they'd taken root, the city and county are for the first time partnering with grassroots homeless advocates, social service workers, local designers, and others on establishing a new kind of intentional community.

Which means the Kenton Women's Village (a temporary name) is now under pressure. With the hard-won nod of Kenton neighbors and businesses, officials now need to deliver, showing the new community will be what they've envisioned: a welcoming, aesthetic new development that fits well into the fabric of the neighborhood and helps women find permanent homes.

If they can do that over the course of the year-long pilot project set to begin in April, the village model could proliferate in other neighborhoods throughout the city.

"As far as Im concerned, no neighborhood is going to be exempt from this conversation," Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said at the Wednesday evening meeting, parrying concerns that Kenton was being picked on and hinting she was working up plans through the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, which she controls. "What you don't want is the kind of camps that emerge because no one will say yes."

"We can learn a lot from this project," Mayor Ted Wheeler said after her. "This will serve as an opportunity for us to learn, for us to try it." (One woman told me after the meeting Wheeler's brief speech is what sold her on the plan.)

The village, at 2221 N Argyle, will feature 14 innovative tiny homes designed and built last year through the efforts of the Village Coalition, a grassroots network of homeless residents, activists, advocates, designers, architects, and more. At the time we first wrote about that city-funded effort, there were no indications that the "sleeping pods" had a home.

Marc Jolin, director of the county's Joint Office of Homeless Services, explains the village concept on Wednesday. Dirk VanderHart

That changed quickly, with outgoing Mayor Charlie Hales anxious to see progress on a village concept, which he'd pushed for a while. Officials and advocates held their first meeting with Kenton neighbors in mid-December to pitch the ideaessentially: pods surrounding structures that include laundry, showers, restrooms, and a kitchen, with social services on site.

But people wanted more details, kicking off a months-long process that culminated in last night's vote.

The meeting shook out as the vote suggests. Most Kenton residents spoke in favor of allowing the homeless village for a year-long pilot, while a dedicated and vocal group near the back of the room would not be moved from their opposition.

Most interesting were the people who'd seen their positions evolve since Hales' office first proposed the project in December.

"I came to my first meeting not in favor," said Sheila Mason, a Kenton resident who wound up serving on a committee that studied the proposal. "As I was listening to my own voice asking my questions [at the meeting] I actually could hear my bias coming through, and these assumptions I was making about people that I really don't know."

Among the things that changed her mind in the intervening months? "These women are already our neighbors. Theyre already living here."

That's trueat least in theory. Catholic Charities, which will hold a contract with the county to provide services on the site and will help place its residents into permanent housing, has pledged to prioritize women who've been displaced from housing in Kenton for the 14 homes. The agency has an 80 percent success rate at keeping women in housing, according to its housing program manager, Margi Dechenne.

Under a tentative good neighbor agreement between the city, the county's Joint Office of Homeless Services, Catholic Charities, the Village Coalition, and Kenton neighbors and businesses, Catholic Charities is responsible for the bulk of the work at the village. The Village Coalition will chip in by hosting "social and cultural" events and monitoring the area for "unsanctioned camping," the agreement says. City and County officials are pledging to scour the city to find a new home for the village when its time in Kenton is over.

The ballot

As it happens, there may be a hard deadline for the women's village to leave its upcoming home. The Portland Development Commission, which owns the land, is in talks with Transitions Projects about building 72 units of affordable housing on the site. That could begin next year, officials said Wednesday, offering an organic end to the village's time on the lot.

All of this assurance wasn't enough for some. Concerns persisted that the city would keep the village in Kenton longer than indicated, though officials said they'd ask for neighbors' blessing before that happened. Some residents complained about messy camps that have shown up in the area for years, and said the city wasn't accountable for cleaning it up.

"The current condition of our neighborhood and Portland as a whole is embarrassing," said a man named Larry Mills, who's lived in Kenton for decades and was by far the loudest opponent to the new village. "This city has been burying their head in the sand for decade or more. It's time to draw a line in the sand."

He was met with others speaking forcefully the other way. One notable example was Jessie Burke, owner of Posies Bakery & Cafe in Kenton, and also a partner in the Society Hotel in Old Town. Burke spoke about her love for Kenton and ongoing efforts to make it a fun, welcoming place. And she talked of her experience in Old Town, working with city officials to solve a homelessness issue that presents no easy fixes.

"Ive been trying to talk to the city for three years, trying to kickstart this issue," Burke said. "These are hard problems to solve. It's really easy to complain, but it's really hard to solve a problem."

The vote Kenton residents took Wednesday had no legal teeththe ballot itself even included a disclaimer noting the vote "will not necessarily determine the final outcome" of the proposalbut officials had pledged not to press forward without the neighborhood's consent.

That the coalition working on the village was able to win that consent is hugely important. If all goes well, this pioneering community might well pave the way for others.

And of course, that the city and county insisted on winning over residents, whether than merely pushing forward with the camp, counts for something, too.

"That just doesn't happen," Kenton Neighborhood Association Chair Tyler Roppe told audience members Wednesday. "I can't emphasize that enough."

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A New Kind of Homeless Village is Coming to Kenton. It's a Big Deal. - The Portland Mercury (blog)

When the St. Paul police department put out a call late last year for licensed officers, Ehdoh Ezekisoe showed up at an informational session ready to join their ranks.

But the St. Paul resident who immigrated from a Thai refugee camp to the United States in 2005 didnt have the schooling or licensing required to apply for the police academy. St. Paul police Sgt. Pamela Barragan, a member of the departments community engagement unit, saw potential in Ezekisoe and stayed in touch with him; thered be an opportunity opening up soon.

On Wednesday, St. Paul police unveiled its first ever Law Enforcement Career Path Academy, a program aimed at mentoring recruits from diverse backgrounds who face financial, educational and employment hurdles.

I related a lot to him because I moved [to St. Paul] from Ecuador, Barragan said. He doesnt have a traditional support system.

For Ezekisoe, 22, who is Karen, its a chance to move beyond years of restaurant work and a short stint as a contract carpenter. Hes been working as a security guard since late 2016.

I want to have a career that I can be proud of, said Ezekisoe, who plans to apply. I think I can be a role model.

Between 20 to 25 participants are expected to enroll in the 2-year program that starts in April. A combination of private and public funds will help pay the recruits a stipend of $10.50 an hour while they are in class at Century College working toward their law enforcement degree. Senior Cmdr. John Lozoya, head of the community engagement unit, said the stipend is only for classes this summer, and that the department is working with Job Corps to find recruits employment afterward as they continue their education.

Although the program is aimed at diversifying the department and fostering interest among recruits between ages 18-24 from underrepresented groups, anyone of any age who faces financial and educational barriers will be considered, Lozoya said.

Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties, a private nonprofit, will also assist recruits with access to educational programs, transportation and employment.

The program was created because traditional recruitment efforts, such as job fairs, werent reaching underrepresented communities. Of the departments sworn staff of 619, about 25 percent are officers of color. Meanwhile, about 40 percent of St. Paul residents are people of color.

That really wasnt meeting the needs of our community, Lozoya said of traditional recruitment efforts. We are very intentional about recruiting from our own community and surrounding communities.

Recruits will be expected to volunteer 40 hours per week with the department this summer, and continue working with a St. Paul police mentor throughout their participation, helping with youth programs and outreach, and going on ride-alongs.

The program ultimately aims to act as a pipeline for new hires in St. Paul, but Lozoya expects that some recruits might change their minds and shift out of law enforcement, and completing the program doesnt guarantee anyone a spot with the department.

The bigger goal, Lozoya and Barragan said, is to create a diverse pool of educated and licensed officers ready to apply for jobs across Minnesota. If more funding is secured, Lozoya said, the department would consider starting another class next year.

We help each other, Barragan said. We rather have diversity across all law enforcement not just in St. Paul.

Applications are being accepted through March 31 at http://www.stpaul.gov/jobs.

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New St. Paul police program aims to mentor recruits - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Centre Daily Times (blog)

Healthy communities have engaged members Centre Daily Times (blog) And I've been feeling lately like it is time to be a bit more intentional about that. Don't misunderstand, please. We still have very good friends in State College and my neighborhood book group has graciously ... Communities that are healthy are those ...

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Healthy communities have engaged members - Centre Daily Times (blog)

Some residents across the North Olympic Peninsula are considering downsizing their homes as the tiny house market slowly makes its way here.

For those unfamiliar, tiny houses are a movement where individuals or even families choose to live in a custom home typically 200-1,000 square feet. They can be mobile or permanent.

The concept has been put in the mainstream with television shows and growing media coverage.

Jefferson County and Olympia currently are the closest efforts to develop tiny houses as affordable housing and/or as extensions of homeless tent camps.

But in the Sequim area, city and county officials say theres only been interest as of late and no action.

Sequims Assistant City Manager Joe Irvin said city staff have received several inquiries about zoning regulations related to tiny houses and accessory dwelling units, small homes behind existing homes, but no development proposals have been made yet.

I think it is good for communities to offer a range of housing types, therefore giving our residents a choice, Irvin said. If the market exists for tiny houses, Im sure someone will try to meet the demand.

Irvin said permanent tiny houses are allowed in the R4-R8 zoning district, which is throughout the City of Sequim in residential neighborhoods. However, mobile RV type tiny homes on wheels are allowed in RV parks, similar to travel trailers.

Mary Ellen Winborn, Clallam County director of community development, said interest in tiny houses is there and planners treat it similarly to an RV when zoning it.

She said staff plan to discuss the concept for possible changes in the next six months with the countys permit advisory board.

Were more focused on safety and certification, she said. Nobody is stopping any (type of development).

To build a tiny house within the city limits, Irvin said the basic requirements include being in compliance with the International Building Code and connection to city utility services.

State law mandates tiny houses must be hooked up to a permanent septic or sewer hook-up and have a permanent water source similar to park model homes. The homes also must have at least one habitable room, a ceiling at least 7 feet high and an egress door with a single hinge providing a clear width of 32 inches.

Jeffcos tiny houses

Zoning for tiny houses already is underway in Jefferson County.

In 2015, The Port Townsend Leader reported the Port Townsend Affordable Housing Action Group built a tiny house in the hopes of building future tiny house developments in Jefferson County. The idea was for a cost-effective model of a 250-square-foot house with an estimated cost of $5,000-$6,000 to build each unit.

Barbara Morey, a housing advocate for the affordable housing group, said the organization started developing tiny houses as a solution to the housing crisis in Jefferson County.

She said her group reviewed several studies in areas of the United States that concluded villages of tiny houses of less than 250 square feet were an effective model for providing subsidized, supportive housing and a tool to address both homelessness and the lack of affordable housing.

Morey said the City of Port Townsend has permitted the building of three tiny houses on property in the Eco Village, which provides new low-income, affordable housing units in an intentional community in Port Townsend.

Potential tiny house owners are being interviewed, she said.

Tiny house owners may build or bring their homes to the sites, which cost $300 per month including utilities.

Some social service representatives say tiny houses could help combat homelessness.

Homelessness in Clallam County is rising in recent years, according to the Point in Time (PIT) count. The total of homeless individuals increased by 117 persons from 2015-2016, including both sheltered and unsheltered individuals. The number of unsheltered individuals alone also increased from 41 to 105 from 2015-2016.

During a panel discussion on homelessness in February, Kathy Morgan of OlyCAP said tiny houses would only be one solution to house homeless individuals, but it has worked in big ways in different communities that have established tiny home communities.

Kevin Harkins of Serenity House said tiny houses may only work for certain individuals, such as veterans and people who have social issues.

While staff for these entities dont have a plan in place for tiny houses, Morgan said Quixote Village in Olympia is a good example of tiny houses used to help those in need.

Once a homeless tent camp, Quixote Village consists of 30 tiny house cottages and a community center.

Community Framework, a charitable nonprofit organization that supports and develops affordable housing in vital communities, conducted a study on the village in 2015 arguing that tiny houses can be effective in combating homelessness.

The study states most of the residents in this village meet the Department of Housing and Urban Developments definition of chronic homelessness.

The 30 cottages are 144 square feet and include half a bathroom plus a closet, with a front porch and garden area. The village also has a community building with a kitchen, bathing facilities, recreational and social service space.

Community Frameworks study states most of the capital funding for a tiny house village would need to be in the form of grants instead of loans because the project would not generate enough rental income to support debt service.

As for proposed tiny houses in Port Townsend, officials with the City of Port Townsend report work continues and no building permits have been submitted for tiny houses as of March 7.

Matthew Nash contributed to this report.

Reach Erin Hawkins at ehawkins@sequimgazette.com.

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Is Clallam opening the door to tiny houses? | Sequim Gazette - Sequim Gazette

A few weeks after the prairie burn. Photo by Lucas.

I love the month of March. Every year, as winter cold dissolves into spring, I find myself amazed at the sheer heartiness and determination it must take for plants and animals to survive a climate that turns against them for months on end. Im reminded of the creativity and strength of will our ancestors must have had to possess in order to survive and thrive without so many of the technological advances we enjoy today.

Lucas here, contemplating the spirit of the grass as it sprouts up through the scorched landscape of a recent prescribed burn site here at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage.

Its odd to see the charred landscape with such a subtle veneer of green, fading in and out as I walk along the path. The black and green contrast creates a stunning effect, almost like ocean waves, washing up and down the rolling hills. Brutal destruction, softened by the presence of the next generation, an unbroken chain of survival and balance that stems back millions of years.

Of course, this particular bout of destruction is designed to have an overall positive effect for the land, boosting native wildflower populations and ensuring a suitable habitat for all the little brush-dwellers. A bittersweet prescription for the health of the system as a whole.

Therein lies an analogy. Our environment is the basis upon which we survive. Everything weve accomplished, good, bad, and in between, has taken place within a climate and environment that is stable and relatively predictable. Its important for us to gather as much information about our atmosphere as we can, and respond when the data shows trouble on the horizon. Weve done it before with CFCs in the 1980s and 90s, and now were finding out that weve been poking a bigger, badder beast, and for much longer.

The diagnosis and prescription suggested by those working in the field of climate science, taking the measurements and crunching the numbers, is also bittersweet. I count myself fortunate to have friends and neighbors who are willing to hear and respond to these warnings by adjusting how we live our everyday lives.

Unfortunately, its going to take much more than a few folks, or a few communities to tackle our dependence on fossil fuels. Its going to take the majority of us, reaching back and finding some of that collective ancient creativity and determination to carve a more sustainable path forward. I consider my time here at Dancing Rabbit to be another form of service to my country, as helping tend the flame of sustainable living until folks figure out just how vital these strategies are.

And people are figuring it outover the last couple of years Ive been here Ive had numerous conversations with not only some of the visitors, but some of my military friends as well. Ive watched as some of my friends and family have come to understand the severity of the situation, and watched opinions shift in ways I didnt think possible. As a result, Ive become more confident that, given time, the argument for sustainable living will only become stronger and more persuasive.

Im also realizing that I am not solely responsible for convincing and changing the world; I can only take responsibility for changing myself, and doing it well enough that others can incorporate those strategies when they choose to.

I have no doubt that over the course of the next few decades, demonstration projects and communities like Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage will be integral in developing and demonstrating practical solutions.

Like the brilliant green grass poking through scorched Earth.

Until then, well be here, experimenting, learning, and teaching as though our lives depended on it. Indeed, they might, soon.

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community and educational nonprofit outside Rutledge, focused on demonstrating sustainable living possibilities. Public tours are offered April October on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month. In the meantime you can find out more about us by checking out our website, http://www.dancingrabbit.org, calling the office at (660) 883-5511, or emailing us at dancingrabbit@ic.org.

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Sometimes the Grass Really is Greener - Memphis Democrat

Stateside's conversation with Jeff Hadley, chief of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.

Have you ever seen an old movie where police officers are walking the beat in a neighborhood? It turns out foot patrols are more than just a movie trope. They can actually be a way for police and public safety officers to build closer ties with the people they serve and protect.

A recent study by the Police Foundation examines that tradition of foot patrols, and how its working in four communities, including Kalamazoo.

Jeff Hadley, chief of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, joined Stateside today.

The report from the Police Foundation singles out Hadleys department as taking a particularly innovative approach to build trust and enhance its relationship with the community.

Back in March 2014, the department launched its initiative by sending officers to knock on every single door in the city. Hadley said thats approximately 15,000 doors.

I mean, it was ambitious I will qualify that by saying not everybody answered the door or were home at the time we knocked on the door, but we figured wed reached a good number of our citizens, he said.

The department accomplished the task in 15 months time. Hadley said the experience was eye-opening for both the community and its officers.

"We have to humanize each other. And you cant do that on Facebook. You cant do that in a car. You have to do it connecting with people in a real way."

[Officers] really realized theres so many good people out here, in our community that support them, that need them, that want them. And, you know, that really came through in their discussions with the citizens during those contacts, he said.

This type of on-the-ground interaction with community members wasnt meant to be a one-time experience.

It really needs to be part of the everyday toolbox for any officer in any community, Hadley said. So it should become natural to them, right? Im going to get in my squad car, Im going to go to my district, Im going to answer my calls for service because thats part of what we do but in my free timeIm going to get out of my car, Im going to connect with people.

He said departments should be intentional about it until walking the beat and connecting with community members becomes part of the DNA of the organization.

We have to humanize each other, Hadley said. And you cant do that on Facebook. You cant do that in a car. You have to do it connecting with people in a real way and it has to be authentic and genuine thats what connects people and community together is their trust in you, their belief in you and their support of you. And this is just one way to do that from a grassroots organizational perspective.

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By walking the beat, Kalamazoo officers nurture genuine relationships with community - Michigan Radio

Leslie Orrantia, right, poses with a hero of hers, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Leslie Orrantia, right, poses with a hero of hers, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Leslie Orrantia is the director of community relations at the University of Wisconsin, a post shes held since August. She has been on campus for four years, serving since 2012 in the School of Educations External Relations office and as assistant director for the Wisconsin Collaborative Education Research Network within the School of Education. Prior to her work with UW-Madison, she served as a caseworker in Madison for nearly five years, collaborating with area nonprofits, government institutions, community organizations and local media to best address client needs. It was her work as a caseworker that really taught her the value of listening to others.

Rank your Top 5 MCs. I listen to almost every genre. My mood changes with my music and my music with my mood, so this question is a tough one. For my top MCs, Ive decided upon those who make more than good music, those who remain relevant throughout time and those who politically engage and inspire their listeners to do the same.

1. Nina Simone, the original MC 2. Blackalicious 3. Killer Mike 4. 2pac 5. Salt-N-Pepa

Which motivates you more: doubters or supporters?

Without a doubt, I need supporters in my life to thrive. I surround myself with supporters in large part because if all my time and energy are invested into building up someone who will forever doubt me, themselves, or our world, then Im wasting what could otherwise be invested into making today better than yesterday and making positive change in the lives of others. Supporters are more likely to be thought partners and we need an even playing field to truly build community, empower ourselves and one another to best contribute to the collective good, and produce the most impact and sustainable change.

I believe perspective is critical. We may not have a lot of choices in life, but each day we can choose a positive outlook. Weve all had hardship, some greater than others, but its an intentionality around reflection upon that hardship to inform who you are and who youll continue to be. I choose to be positive. I feed off of other peoples energy, so on a day Im feeling bummed, I selfishly push out good energy because I know folks will send it back my way. And on the majority of days, when Im my optimistic self, I recognize some other folks may be feeling bummed and the least I could do is make them smile, even if its limited to that moment, so I give hugs, make jokes, smile big, and ask, then listen to, how people are. Kindness, consideration, and warmth feed good energy into people and they send it back your way. Yall are feeding this in me so Im always sure to return the favor.

Why do you live in Madison?

I want to make our community better.

I grew up in a large suburb outside of Los Angeles. Although my community surely had some positives, one very big challenge I recognized in my teens was that folks simply accepted hardship with an it is what it is mentality and were often politically and civically disengaged, keeping their heads down and living their day-to-day dis-empowered.

Madison is different. More people care here and more are involved. I love the shared governance structures, community-building efforts, marches, the greater voter turnout, so many folks being the change they wish to see, and the rowdy folks that inspire others to be more rowdy than theyd otherwise be.

I believe change is made and sustained by people. And since we reside in a smaller community than others in which Ive lived, I feel that change is more viable here. Madison is smaller, smarter, and less broken in many ways than other places Ive lived and I believe all of this makes change possible, but we need to bring light to the areas that are not well-lit, bring attention to the issues and areas that arent getting any, and this starts with relationships, leverage, and intentionality. I think we have this as a community and I believe my skills, capacities, and ambitions fit Madison to aid in this change making effort.

What three leaders in Madison under 50 have impressed you the most?

Karen Menendez Coller. Karen is a good friend, an inspiration, an advocate, a team player, and most importantly a role model. Shes strategic, visionary, patient, humble, immensely kind, and endlessly supportive.

Gerardo Mancilla. Im proud to know Lalo. Hes got more grit and tenacity than most and could be anywhere making change, especially with his doctorate in curriculum and instruction, changing today for tomorrows future, and yet he has chosen to make change in our community. Hes thoughtful and strategic about how his interests and capacities align for making much needed community change, he shows up, and he delivers.

M Adams. I dont know M well, but I do know she leads without ego. She recognizes that leadership is support for grassroots organizational growth and sustainable change is a product of grassroots civic and political engagement and top-down support. Shes immensely wise and lives an important role some leaders never learn, deciphering when we pick up the mic versus when we share it with others.

All these folks recognize our youth are our future, equity needs to be our first priority, we must organize and unite for sustainable change, and the answers to our challenges exist within our communities.

Whats the biggest stumbling block in Madison to turning the corner on our racial disparities?

First, race is a complicated political construct made further complicated by distinctions across cultures, class, histories, and a multitude of other factors. Im not sure I can capture such a complex issue in a few paragraphs, but Ill scrape the surface by saying this: Race relations are quite different here as compared to other places I have lived. I believe this is in part because our community has historically been predominantly white and mostly homogenous. As our minority communities have grown rather dramatically over the past decade, the majority communitys social justice theoretical mindset is now being challenged to be applied to our new reality. Much like any transition from theory to action, this process is awkward, difficult, takes practice and intentionality. Now that issues within our marginalized communities are becoming more widely known, many across our broad community recognize the need for addressing racial disparities, but have not deciphered their individual role in facilitating meaningful collective and culturally sustainable change.

I believe this plays a role in the biggest stumbling block in Madison to turning the corner on our racial disparities. This leads to the conflation of two purposes when engaging in community dialogs to move our community forward, if and when folks intentionally engage in these spaces. One purpose is to outline where we are at present, validate the challenges of our marginalized communities, and get on the same page so we build our next steps together from a shared foundation. The second purpose is to collectively identify our individual roles and establish our shared approach to making positive change and ensuring socially just, equitable outcomes.

What are your top three priorities at this point in your life?

Be better to others than I was the day before, myself included.

Keep learning.

Choose happiness.

Name three things you miss about living in Oxnard, California.

Outside of the obvious answer, my family, I deeply miss eating oranges and avocados off trees and visiting farmer-operated fruit stands; solo drives through the desert, fields, orchards, mountains, and along the coast; and the Latino influence on mainstream culture, between pan dulce at the chain grocery stores, Spanish in your ear in public spaces, huevos rancheros at every diner, and Banda or Norteo music on the radio.

There have been numerous challenges on the UW campus. As the Director of UW Community Relations, what four things would you like the community to know UW is doing to address the brown and black experience on campus?

One of the biggest challenges I tackle in my position is sharing everything of value happening on and off campus. Whether research, outreach, teaching, inclusivity, no matter the area, UW is a community of 65,000 faculty, staff, and students doing a ton of incredible work. There are a number of efforts, both top-down and bottom-up that are in development with regards to improving the student experience, but Ill highlight the following:

1. Our Wisconsin, piloted in fall 2016, is a program designed to build reflection, understanding, and community into the first-year transition for undergraduate students. The Division of Student Life worked with leading faculty to develop curriculum prioritizing reflection around identity, equity, and inclusion. The program was successfully implemented and recent evaluation confirmed its value to our students. Results indicate that compared to those who did not participate in the program, participants showed greater interest and openness to conversations and interactions with diverse groups. As a result, this summer, the program will be introduced to Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) to serve 99 percent of incoming students. This effort ensures all students participate in building community and alleviates the pressure on students of underrepresented identities from bearing the burden of educating the majority.

2. Many of these issues are deeply embedded in our institutionalized structures on and off campus. In recognition of this, last spring Chancellor Blank urged all units, academic and administrative, to prioritize equity and inclusion training. As a result of this effort, a few schools and colleges are leading the development of resource creation to bolster faculty and staff support for our students. Personally, the larger unit of which I am a part, University Relations, comprised of marketing, communications, corporate and government affairs, is collectively participating in a learning community through the remainder of the year. Similarly, units across campus are developing equity and inclusion training to address this need.

3. Last week in the good company of 150 members of our campus community, I was excited to participate in the soft-opening for UWs Black Cultural Center. In addition to a space for our Black students to call their own, it is an intentional space that has been designed collaboratively to celebrate Black culture and history on our campus. The Black Cultural Center will have an official opening later this year, so stay tuned.

4. We have a number of campus-wide efforts that have been implemented over the past few years and are in various stages of development. As I mentioned before, remedying some of these issues is only half the battle. Our institution is fortunate to have extensive engagement of alumni, students, staff, faculty, and others, all invested in sustaining our institution for the long term and improving it for future Badgers. With that said, communication of our efforts is equally critical. To address this need, we have created a campus climate website to keep folks updated on the progress of these priority initiatives. Check it out at http://www.campusclimate.wisc.edu.

What song that you really love would you be embarrassed to let people know you like?

I made a decision a long time ago that I wouldnt get embarrassed anymore. Obviously, this was one of the wiser decisions in my life, because lets be real life is too short. However, I think people might expect me to feel embarrassed about Electric Light Orchestras Mr. Blue Sky.

Would you rather be rich or have a position of power and why?

Wealth may provide comforts and security, but it can also cloud our pursuit of living a robust, purposeful, and fulfilling life. A position of power has the capacity to do the same, but with intentionality and reflection, I believe it can enable long-term and sustainable change for the better and, most importantly, you can always pass the mic to others.

If we asked some of your best friends about you, how would they explain you?

So I asked and was fortunate to hear what I hoped for: genuine, intentional, passionate, energetic, fun, and hilarious.

Do you believe there is a Latino and black divide? If so, how do we address that division?

Lets say ish. I believe there are clear cultural divides, though I believe they are a product of passive circumstance in lieu of active discrimination. I believe if and where we dont interact with other people unlike us, we either dont think about what we dont know or we fill in the blanks with guesswork. The truth is, day-to-day life is hard and logistics run the show. We dont always have time, money, or energy to do something outside of eat, sleep, work, and care for our families. We strive for balance, and while striving for balance is good to keep one on track, its hard to challenge ourselves to get out of our comfort zone. So, I believe our greatest divides exist at the working-class level because folks are busy working and caring for their families, and outside of libraries and grocery stores, there arent a lot of organically diverse places for adults to meet others unlike themselves.

To address this issue, I think we need a two-generation approach. We need to create spaces for our youth in our schools to reflect on the self, our individual role in making our society a better place, engage in meaningful community building conversations and discuss these larger societal issues. For adults, I think we need to meet people where they are by building free opportunities for folks to meet in familiar spaces like libraries, churches, schools, and break bread together in community, and be intentional about building a respectful discourse.

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12 on Tuesday: Leslie Orrantia - WISC - Channel 3000 - Channel3000.com - WISC-TV3

Nick Kotsopoulos Telegram & Gazette Staff @NCKotsopoulos

WORCESTER - An independent research group is sounding an alarm about the city's long-term liability for retiree health insurance, saying its current funding system is "unsustainable."

In a report on Other Post-Employment Benefits, known as OPEB, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau stated that unless the city changes the funding system to cover future retiree costs, the problem will only grow, and could ultimately force reductions in municipal staffing and services, and increases in taxes to cover those annual costs.

According to the research bureau, the city's unfunded long-term liability for retiree health insurance is $860.8 million for this fiscal year.

It is $133 million more than what it was two years ago, and $205 million more than four years ago.

"Worcester faces an OPEB liability significantly larger than the city's entire annual budget ($611 million)," the research bureau report stated. It is unsustainable. Local government, like all governments, must adopt a system whereby costs are paid as they are incurred and not deferred to future generations.

"A defined contribution post-employment system rather than a defined benefit system is needed," the report said. "The OPEB liability will be a difficult challenge for Greater Worcester communities for decades to come. It requires intentional and strategic action today, or it will one day prove insurmountable."

The research bureau's report, which goes before the City Council Tuesday night, comes out as City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. is in the midst of putting together his fiscal 2018 budget proposal.

The report urges the city to take steps to reduce its current OPEB liability, such as expanding cost-sharing requirements so retirees would have higher contributions rates, and reducing the future number of eligible individuals by outsourcing or privatizing certain municipal functions.

It said the number of OPEB eligible employees could also be reduced by extending the period before an employee vests or increasing the number of weekly hours worked for eligibility (currently 20 hours, excluding teachers).

In addition, the research bureau suggested that communities work with the state to develop a comprehensive plan to eliminate OPEB, though it acknowledged that this and the one to extend the vesting period for employees would likely require state approval.

"Worcester and its neighboring communities should look at creative ways to transition from an employer-sponsored retiree health care system," the report said. "Admittedly, it is likely a long-term approach. Eliminating OPEB for new employees is a start, but it could require six or more decades to phase out current employees."

Under state law, the city is required to provide health insurance benefits for retired employees.

A city or public school employee is considered 100 percent vested after 10 years of credible service, according to state law. That means the city is then responsible for contributing to the employees and the employee's spouse's healthcare costs upon retirement for the rest of their lives.

The research bureau said the projected $860.8 million OPEB liability is generated by the city's 4,146 active employees potentially eligible for future benefits, and the 5,083 retired employees or their survivors currently receiving benefits.

Worcesters unfunded OPEB liability is equal to 6.5 percent of its total assessed property valuation for fiscal 2016.

No community in the Worcester area has fully funded its OPEB liability. In fact, the highest level of funding among local communities is less than 7 percent of the total obligation, according to the research bureau.

Unlike the city's pension system, state law does not require municipalities to address OPEB liabilities. Municipalities are required, however, to calculate and report current OPEB liability, and determine an annual payment for fully funding OPEB over 30 years.

For many years, no funding source was in place to finance the city's future post-employment health benefits. As a result, the city simply paid as it went, but as health insurance costs continued to escalate, they took up a bigger share of the overall city budget each year.

When the city adopted its Five Point Financial Plan a few years ago, it established a policy that commits 30 percent of free cash surplus funds from the previous fiscal year for deposit into an OPEB trust fund account.

In addition, Mr. Augustus took an unprecedented step in this fiscal year by setting aside $500,000 in the citys operating budget that serves as an additional OPEB contribution for the year.

The manager has acknowledged that the city's OPEB liability is a significant, long-term financial risk to the city. He said efforts have been taken each year to pre-fund the liability and, in turn, help mitigate the citys long-term-risk.

In addition, the city has taken several actions in recent years to lower its health insurance costs, which in turn have prevented the OPEB liability from increasing even more significantly.

But the research bureau pointed out that while the citys OPEB trust fund had nearly $8.9 million in assets as of June 30, it represents only 1 percent of the total liability.

As a result of its failure to systematically address OPEB, the city of Worcester is currently $281.2 million in arrears on a 30-yar program to retire its OPEB liability, the research bureau report said. With no new efforts to reduce OPEB obligations, the citys liability will reach more than $2.5 billion in 30 years.

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Worcester's retiree health costs 'unsustainable' - telegram.com - Worcester Telegram

Reforestation and Civil Disobedience: Aldeia Maracan Urban Indigenous Community Reclaims Olympic Parking

An intimate groupsits on two wooden benches in a parking lot. In some spotsthe asphalt has been removed and there are a numberof indigenous bamboo constructionsin beginning phases. The afternoon sun is burning, not a shadow to retreat to. The group is discussing methods of reforestation, the toxicity of tomato seeds and invasive species in Brazilian forests. This is part of a three-day workshop called Reforestation Experience held at the Aldeia Maracan. In the heart of Rios urban core, this is the name of the indigenous community occupying the terrain since 2006.

Multi-lane highways and the massive abandoned Maracan stadium encircle this heavily paved region of Rios North Zone, where about a dozenpeople are living to care for the space. They are theremaining members ofAldeia Maracan, an urban indigenous community that occupiedthe former Indigenous Museum, also on the site but declared unsafe to occupy since their last eviction. Twice they wereevicted, including in 2013 whenthe Museum was decreed to turninto a Reference Center for the Culture of Indigenous Peoples in time for the 2016 Olympic Games. In fact, from 1953 to 1977 the old building hadbeen an Indigenous Museum dedicated to indigenous culture in Brazil, the first of its kind in Latin America.

Yet the Reference Center for the Culture of Indigenous Peoplesnever materialized. Instead, the government not only left the building in disrepaira move the indigenous community views as intentional, in order to encourage the building to decay and ultimately be demolishedbut also paved over the wooded areaand historic horticulture research site next door, leaving behind an overflow parking lot for the Maracan stadium. Public resources were used forextensive modifications of the famous soccer stadium where theOlympics opening and closing ceremonies took place. The pedestrian bridge over there cost R$14 million, says Paulo Csar Vidal, a supporter of the indigenouscommunity. But no one ever uses it.

The whole Maracan stadium has become a ghost stadium, as Vidalput it. The people who built itMarcelo Odebrecht, Eike Batista, Srgio Cabralthey are all in prison. Everything is paralyzed. Before the Olympics, there used to be a swimming pool open to everyone and a public sports ground. They destroyed that, too. At least we could fight the plans for the shopping mall they wanted to build here (on the land of the Indigenous Museum).

Given the States unfulfilled promise, inNovember, the indigenous inhabitants of the Museum who had been forcibly evicted by the Military Police in 2013, and had not been among those who had taken public housing from the State, returned to the land intent on reclaiming the parking lot as an Indigenous University in the middle of Rio de Janeiros urban core. A place tospread indigenousknowledge about agriculture and sustainability.

Korubo, who arrivedin Rio five years ago from the state of Acre inthe Amazon rainforest, where his tribe still lives, explained, We want to show society that Indians are doing good things. Look at the people running around this place [Rio de Janeiro]. The air they breathe is so polluted from all the cars. If you would ask them, they sure would prefer to have some trees.

Pedro Lima, a street artist whose great-grandfather was indigenous, is another resident of the community. He came here two months ago, looking for a peaceful place and to save a bit of his ancestry. Pedro enjoys workingin the community. I dont have the impression that we are building an Indian village inside the city. To me, its more like the opposite. Indigenous people have been here long before the city came. The idea is to build a place where people can recover a bit from modern society.

Now he carries water in plastic bottles to irrigate the small plants that are shyly growing in the crevices that have been broken at the edge of the asphalt: corn, pumpkin, wild cabbage, among others. It is a difficult business, since there is no running waterand sometimes the site goes for weeks without rain. To accesswater, community members cross two major roadsand climb down a concrete channel. Sometimes a nearby gas station provideswater.That is why building a rainwater basin is part of the workshop, too.

On the second day of the workshop, the group learns about green manure, as they incorporate leaf and organic waste compost into the nutrient-depleted, packed soil dug up from under the removed asphalt. In particular, they discuss leguminous green manure, and introduce a number of hearty seeds that can be planted in such difficult conditions to reclaim the soil through intense nitrogen fixation. One of them sounds like a tiny maraca when shaken. The groups plan is to reforest the entire parking lot as a collective project, inviting more and more supporters to join then and in the process learn from this indigenous knowledge. Lessons can be taken elsewhere in the city, to help build a more sustainable Rio.

After the theoretical presentation of the workshopis over and night has fallen, participants grab a pickaxe and a wheelbarrow to get rid of more pavement. Although eviction threats are at bay,the conflict remains. And oneadvantage of the poorly executed construction works in the run-up to the Olympicsis that in some places the asphalt is already falling apart without any human influence.

Korubo points out the ant trail at his feet: Look, we have a lot of ants living here. This one is carrying a leaf. They are already helping us with the reforestation. Even if it takes some time to grow a forest here, hes optimistic: The indigenous people have more than 500 years experience resisting. We will stay.

Korubo adds that the community is looking for donations of 1000 seedlings.

Catalytic Communities, the US 501[c][3] nonprofit that runs RioOnWatch, can act as fiscal sponsor for those who would like to make a donation online here. Please write Aldeia seedlings in the earmark category. Or simply message donate@catcomm.org informing us that your contribution is earmarked for Aldeia seedlings.

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Reforestation and Civil Disobedience: Aldeia Maracan Urban Indigenous Community Reclaims Olympic Parking - RioOnWatch