2019 was a year of Re-Rooting...
via Routine, Ritual, and Reflection
At the onset of 2019, Sweet Water Foundation had reached a point of critical evolution, a point at which our work had moved beyond a mere demonstration of what is possible to the establishment of a new normal. This year, we intentionally sought to re-root the community through a return to the Three R’s… Routine, Ritual, and Reflection.
In 2019, we formalized a decade of educational programming, community outreach, and daily routine via the launch of Sweet Water Academy - a 21st century redux of the Academy. We continued to ritualize the transformation of The Commons from “blight” to light via the practice of Regenerative Neighborhood Development and urban acupuncture. We also took time to reflect and re-root people in community via arts + culture, memorials, and celebrations.
December 2019 marks Sweet Water Foundation’s 10th Anniversary and the close our most successful year yet. This year, the fruits of a decade of labor culminated in recognition via the Joyce Award, Leaders for a New Chicago, and a MacArthur Fellowship, and our work was featured in the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial.
Sweet Water Foundation is just getting started. In the next 10 years, we hope to expand our footprint to 10 city blocks, seeking to build 100 new homes and rehab countless others.
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