The City Repair Project is group of citizen activists creating public gathering places and helping others to creatively transform the places where they live.
City Repair’s projects:
inspire people to both understand themselves as part of a larger community and fulfill their own creative potential, and
activate people to be part of the communities around them, as well as part of the decision-making that shapes the future of their communities.
The many projects of City Repair have been accomplished by a mostly volunteer staff and the help of hundreds of volunteer citizen activists.
City Repair was formed in Portland, Oregon in 1996 by citizen activists who wanted a more community-oriented and ecologically sustainable society. Born out of a successful grassroots neighborhood initiative that converted a residential street intersection into a neighborhood public square, City Repair began its work with the idea that localization (of culture, of economy, of decision-making) is a necessary foundation of sustainability. By reclaiming urban spaces to create community-oriented places, we plant the seeds for greater neighborhood communication, empower our communities and nurture our local culture.
Dear Transitioneers, September approaches rapidly and next week is the monthly TPDX Heart and Soul meeting (Tuesday the 7th from 6:30-8:30pm in the Che Room at the St. Francis Church, SE 12th and SE Oak across from the Red and Black Cafe, up the stairs to your right, take your first right in the hallway and head back). I would like to offer the agenda here and also request for people to RSVP if they are planning on attending. Also please include any special announcements/topics/questions etc. you have to bring and I will try and include them into the agenda for the evening. I have both attached and pasted below the rough agenda...
~Joy, Abun-dance, Gratitude~
Transition PDX Heart and Soul Mtg. 9-3-10 (6:30-8:30pm Che Room)
Reports from the Field:Reflections on Global Community and Permaculture from the World - Marisha Auerbach - 7:00-7:50pm
How does an awareness of our relationship to the global community reflect in permaculture philosophy, which is focused on local action? Marisha Auerbach has been fortunate to travel to from the remote mountains of Vietnam to the rainforests of Nicaragua and the high-impact ecologies of Haiti. Throughout her travels, she has observed and applied her studies of permaculture design in collaborative projects. Through amazing photography and engaging examples of permaculture, Marisha will share her unique perspective and broaden your awareness on how our choices in the United States reverberate around the globe. This evening will enhance your perspective on other cultures as well as offer suggestions for supportive action.
Join us, as Jon Sands, one of the nation’s most celebrated Spoken Word artists, takes us across Brooklyn sidewalks, through the spaces where we keep our love, and into our own lives where we laugh and cry in the same minute. This promises to be a night of storytelling, music, and electricity.
Jon Sands is a recipient of the 2009 New YorkCity-LouderARTS fellowship grant, and has represented New York City multiple times at the National Poetry Slam. Jon has performed and facilitated workshops with university and arts organizations throughout North America, and is currently the Director of Poetry and Arts Education Programming at the Positive Health Project, a syringe exchange center located in Midtown Manhattan.
The Emerging Field of: Urban Village Building - TrackersNW, Matt Bibeau, Leonard Barrett, Mia Van Meter, Michael Cook - 7:00-8:50pm
Core VBC organizers and allies are excited to present a collage of visions and possibilities for what the future holds for our city. Grounded in permaculture design principles and encompassing some of our many approaches to Urban Village Design, we will present a spectrum of scenarios for the unfolding of the years to come. From urban gardening, community organizing and block-scale design to the creative use of existing structures and materials to a re-wilding of our culture, we will explore many faucets of village life in an evening that will be lively and engaging.
Consider the possibilities! What if our city looked even more like a forest? What if our days were a string of pleasant affirming encounters with nearby folks whose livelihoods wove into ours? What if we could come to trust the people around us, through that kind of steady affirmation of good will? What if our neighborhood associations drove the agenda of the city council, and the agenda of the neighborhoods was driven by the day- to-day concerns of the villagers. What if we grew up knowing what it’s like to participate in a village council? To know the plants along the street, park or path?
Music!
Mixing together taste and passion of the best Gypsy, Russian, Ukrainian, klezmer and Balkan musical traditions, Chervona brings the fire of Eastern European carnivals to the land of America. With their authenticity and genuine fire Chervona has stolen many hearts. Shining with their brass section and capturing soul with the traditional sounds of the old world and new interpretations, Chervona transforms a celebration into an ultimate party!
Communication at the Crossroads: A Pattern Language of Group Process - Tree Bressen - 7:00-7:40pm
The crossroads is the place we come together, to meet. At those meetings, decisions get made that shape our lives. Are those meetings held with a sense of the sacred, of honoring all, serving life? If not, how can we deepen our capacity to come together for the good of the whole? Come join as a co-designer of excellent process for meetings that matter.
Tree Bressen is an experienced facilitator working with nonprofits, cohousing groups, activists, schools, and a wide variety of other organizations. Her base is in intentional communities, groups of people who live together and have to deal with each other every day! Her work arises from a desire for people to learn the communication skills that will enable all of us to build a better world together.
