Community Connection Cards
Based on the Lower East Side, Fourth Arts Block (FABnyc) partners regularly with local organizations, coalitions, stakeholders, and residents on creative projects and community initiatives. As part of NOCD-NY’s Cultivating Neighborhood Networks project, FAB developed their Community Connection Cards to capture the informal knowledge built up within the organization over the past two decades which has been critical to developing these relationships and collaborating with these partners.
Ryan Gilliam, FABnyc's ED, teamed up with urbanist Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani of Buscada to interview and distill learnings from present and former FAB staff as well as community leaders across the LES. The result is a deck of cards that provides pragmatic pathways for reflecting on and deepening relationships in order to strengthen connection, build equity, and thoughtfully expand as an inclusive community.
FABnyc’s project page coming soon!
Introduction
Community means a multitude of things. Organizations sometimes think of their communities as encompassing those who are similar to themselves in one way or another; they think of the community whose needs drive their work—sometimes they also think of these people as their audiences, their publics, their constituents. Sometimes they think about the power in gathering their people together.
Yet everyone is also surrounded by other people and other organizations. None of us is neutral in the places we are in; both taking part and not taking part have real impacts, especially in gentrifying neighborhoods. We have responsibilities to the people around us; connecting as neighbors is part of the sustainability of places and organizations.
How do we prioritize community relationships in place, in addition to our relationships with our many other communities and publics? Relationships in community are like other relationships; they require trust, time, mutuality. There are many guidelines for building community, but too often these are too general; the only way to do this work is to get specific, and to practice. These cards help you do just that.
- Ryan Gilliam, Fourth Arts Block (FAB)
- Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani, Buscada
How to Use Cards
1. Choose a card
2. Read the quote aloud
3. Flip the card over and read the core value
4. Tackle the activity
5. Share your thoughts on the story and value.
Use these cards to help your group address specific issues, or to start a conversation. There are cards about both community and project relationships, and about different relationship stages—beginning, sustaining, and facing challenges. Each card has a story, a core value, and an activity to help you in your own community relationships.
Values of Community Connection (examples)
- History is always present.
- Have a vision that's larger than your needs.
- Go to them.
- Take a good look at power.
- Be in community for the long haul.
