Possibility Day Reflections: Neighborhoods and Communities

To keep you connected to current issues and topics discussed in the Flagship Program, LT shares reflections and resources from our Possibility Days. Last year, we changed the name from Challenge Days to Possibility Days to reflect our focus on how leaders can work collectively toward solutions and possibilities. We hope these reflections from two LT'24 class members help bring the program and conversations to life for you.

Our recent Neighborhoods and Communities Possibility Day was designed to support these Flagship Program goals:

Community and Belonging: Build a diverse multi-sector learning community in which participants can find belonging, inspiration, and support for action during and after the program year.
Regional Challenges and Opportunities: Introduce a range of regional challenges and opportunities through the lenses of equity and antiracism; envision and explore examples of policies, institutions, and systems that promote equity.
Leadership: Build a toolkit of leadership skills for individual and collective action so that organizations, communities, and the region may thrive.

During our time together, members of the LT'24 cohort learned about the seven elements of a healthy community framework; built knowledge of structures and policies that determine neighborhoods and the outcomes experienced by residents; and practiced Collective Leadership skills. To get a feel for the day and resources, read the agenda.

Cindil's Reflections

Cindil Redick-Ponte, LT'24, Washington State Department of Health

Coming into our first Possibility Day was an anxiety inducing experience for me. It's been a minute since our Fall Retreat and my drive into Goodwill was plagued with racing thoughts. Are people going to judge me for not reading? Am I dressed appropriately? As I parked my car and opened the Four Pivots to speed read the chapters for the day, I had an interesting moment of clarity: You are not alone in your fear and insecurity. We all want to belong and bring value to our communities.

Neighborhoods and Communities Day started with important grounding in what it means to live in a neighborhood and belong in a community. After thinking through the healthy communities framework, we had a dynamic discussion with our facilitators, Shomari Jones, LT'10, and Jessica Paul Werner, LT'05, where we identified what structures and supports need to exist to have a thriving community. Our class also had a few things to add (no surprise!), specifically the presence of arts/culture, faith/spirit, public safety, and caregivers (children and elders).

My neurodivergence gave me a gift that morning. My early morning racing thoughts had actually helped me walk face first into Shawn Ginwright's first pivot: from lens to mirror. This almost-but-not-quite panic attack grounded me by forcing a hard look into my own mirror, which opened me up for a day of deep reflection, listening, and learning on community and belonging.

The discussions and engagement throughout the day highlighted how deep this need for connection is and how when it doesn't exist, our communities suffer. We suffer. This came to light in our Community Panel, where my group discussed and grappled with how isolating and exhausting being a change agent is. How do we support each other in this work? Where do we find the strength to keep going? How do we keep our authentic selves intact?

One of my biggest takeaways from this first Possibility Day was the confirmation that I indeed was not alone in my anxieties – the desire for belonging is universal, and now all 80 of us have the knowledge and power to begin (or continue) cultivating communities or neighborhoods where belonging thrives.

Tiffani's Reflections

Tiffani Lambie, LT'24, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

I enjoyed my first Possibility Day, focused on neighborhoods and how their composition can affect how people live and thrive. I’m a native of the eastside, so learning the history of the Seattle neighborhoods I travelled to while growing up was enlightening.

Specifically, learning about the 23rd and Union block, an area that has undergone significant change, was fascinating. I enjoyed my table discussion with Nora Liu, who was intimately involved with the development process on that block. She ensured that the new plans preserved as much of its history as possible and included the voices of the neighborhood. As a former resident of the Central District, I’ve watched it change a lot over the past decade. My hope is that the history of the area is never lost. Learning about the Liberty Bank Building gave me hope that historical preservation is possible.

It’s easy to drive past areas and turn a blind eye to issues. This Possibility Day reminded me to take a moment to consider how neighborhoods have been impacted by racism, gentrification, and the mass exodus of Black people (specifically in the Central District), due in part to skyrocketing costs of living in Seattle.

As we listened to the speakers and met with small groups to discuss our own neighborhoods, I was struck by how much accountability and belonging came up. Accountability in the context of how neighborhoods have arrived at where they are and what they will be, and the importance of feeling like you belong where you live.

There will always be a need to have a diverse group of people involved in how neighborhoods are planned and executed. Without diverse voices at the table, the belonging piece will inevitably lag. Learning the history of the neighborhoods that I drive through and live in is something that will stick with me and influence how I support the areas, businesses, and people around me.