You have probably heard that 40% of Americans cannot cover a $400 emergency expense, or that about half of Americans are not saving anything for their retirement, or, which might be worse, that there is a shame in our society associated with talking about finances and money. Yet financial fragility and the future of retirement … Read more »
What’s a wonderful way to spend a summer afternoon? There are many. Last summer, IF, in partnership with Culture Saves, IONA, the D.C. Public Libraries, and the D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living, invited Washington residents to a series of four events featuring beautiful music, delicious food, and stimulating conversations. We met at the … Read more »
DC Libraries, discussion, Lunch, Music
This summer the Interactivity Foundation partnered with the High Rocks Academy in West Virginia to offer a pilot program in Collaborative Discussion. Instructors Tristan Nutter and Thea Rossman worked with the Interactivity Foundation to create a new summer camp track focused on collaborative discussions skills. Since 1996, High Rocks has offered a residential summer camp … Read more »
Discussion skills, High Rocks, Summer Camp, West Virginia
COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES (GENTRIFICATION) DISCUSSIONS Some 75 DC residents came out for the launch of the “Vision Grant” award-winning partnership between IF, Howard University and Humanities DC. BRINK Media designed an advertising campaign that included promotional videos that framed the discussion. The Washington, D.C. Mayor’s Office of African American Affairs arranged to make the Frank … Read more »
IF Fellow Sue Goodney Lea has completed a project exploring ways by which we might best promote good mental health in our communities. What resources might communities leverage to help individual and families deal with mental health crises that they might face? We do not, as a rule, do a lot of preventative mental health … Read more »
discussion, Metal Health
How better to spend an afternoon than with music, conversation and lunch in beautiful spaces filled with literature and learning? I am the founder of Culture Saves. I’ve been organizing music performances for several years now to inspire people, restore hope and unite different communities through the arts. And, as a violinist in the Kennedy … Read more »
Culture Saves, DC Residents, Music, Seniors Services
IF Fellows Ieva Notturno and Jeff Prudhomme worked with Lauren Wilson, Director of Community Engagement at the National Building Museum in D.C. to prepare 8 counselors for an upcoming summer camp, Investigate Where We Live, in which teens from D.C. will explore outdoor public spaces around the city. The National Building Museum’s training lasted several days, and IF’s … Read more »
Facilitation Techniques, National Building Museum, Summer Camp
Before the Community Conversation I… “thought that there were few solutions to the eviction epidemic in the US.” Now I…“realize there are many ways to institute change and policy to eradicate homelessness and decrease evictions nationwide.” —Discussion Participant, April 2019 These words from our first Community Conversation on the National Building Museum’s Evicted exhibit are … Read more »
Eviction, Housing, National Building Museum
Between projects, design, and testing, it’s a busy—and exciting—time at EnCiv. Regular newsletter readers will remember that EnCiv is an attempt to build an integrated online civic platform, supported by a network of civic groups. IF was among EnCiv’s founding organizations, along with Ballotpedia (which provides election coverage to millions throughout the US), and ProCon … Read more »
Ballotpedia, EnCiv
