2022 is in full swing! This year has brought new flows, activities, and engagement. In January, we hit the ground running with virtual connections including Homeschool Club, a 3-week immersion with SWF's RND Research Interns, and Seeding the Future lessons with nearby schools. In February, we hosted the 2022 Sankofa Series with three events that focused on [Re]Membering, [Re]Generation, and [Re]Mediation. With the onset of warm spring days in March, our team began preparing the Community Farm and Garden for the quickly approaching growing season.
Despite harsh weather, we cultivated our hoop houses all winter long, allowing us to harvest on a regular basis to feed our team and community members. We also begin seeding indoors in February on our indoor growing shelf, known as the Shelf of Life to get a head start on seedlings for the farm and SWF's May Seedling Market. In the Work-Shop, we are building new products, such as planter stands, and reviewing our lesson plans in preparation for Apprentice and Fellow cohorts this Spring and Summer. Last, but not least, we have continued to engage with our Values-Based Partners across the nation during monthly calls, and in-person visits.
In 2022, as we continue to share our practice and the works of Sweet Water Foundation and its Values-Based Partners near and far, the new paradigm of The Commonwealth and We The Publics… will spread from 10 acres of The Commonwealth, to 10 neighborhoods, to 10 cities, to 10 countries, and beyond. In 2022, these collective works will root such that they cannot be undone.
There GROWS the neighborhood!
IN THIS ISSUE:
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FEATURE STORY
2022 Sankofa Living Memories Series
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2022 Sankofa Living Memories Series | Recap
During the month of February, Sweet Water Foundation hosted 3 virtual events as part of our Sankofa Living Memories Series. This year, the series welcomed an intergenerational audience to [Re]Member, [Re]Generate, and [Re]Mediate. The three events uplifted the wisdom of elders and ancestors, and demonstrated creative and regenerative ways to share and preserve their memories and practices.
Read more about the Sankofa Living Memories Series events.
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SWEET WATER STORIES
'Communiversity' Connections
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RND [Re]Search CONVERGENCE
Last fall, Sweet Water Foundation Communiversity launched the RND Research Internship Program to expand its existing model of student engagement with universities and begin building a foundation that produces scholarship and creative works, while engaging in action on the ground. The inaugural cohort of interns commenced in September 2021 and took part in a 3-week immersion in January 2022. Read More.
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HOMESCHOOL CLUB RELAUNCH
In early January, SWF also launched a Homeschool Club to engage families not enrolled in one of SWF’s partner schools. The Club met weekly via Google Meet to explore a variety of urban ecology topics. Read more.
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SEEDING THE FUTURE | MAPPING THE COMMONWEALTH
On Friday, November 19, 2021, a second grade classroom from Beasley Academic Center visited The Commonwealth for SWF’s first in-person field trip since the COVID-19 Pandemic began. The visit included a mapping activity of The Commonwealth followed by a session where they designed a growing neighborhood. Read more.
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