Any number of events can be planned to bring hope to our cities, to begin the healing. But effective events have certain characteristics, enumerated below.

By Michael deGuzman Nobleza
Hope in the Cities/Initiatives of Change California

Any number of events can be planned to bring hope to our cities, to begin the healing. But effective events have certain characteristics, enumerated below. These key considerations can be remembered by the acronym, STRIDES:

Symbolic: The event should have some deeper meaning. It should tap into the rich language of symbols, thereby encouraging participants to go within and process what is going on in the event.

Transformation-Oriented: An effective event should be forward-looking, striving to create an environment in which each participant is encouraged to transform her/his inner reality for the better.

Reclaims History: Any special event should begin by acknowledging the history of the social issue that we are confronting. Nothing occurs in a vacuum. Reclaiming history allows us then to imagine exciting and different futures.

Interconnected: The conversations that are a part of any event should be able to connect macro-level issues, like racism and injustice, to particular, micro-level acts present in the day-to-day lives of participants. Participants should be able to make connections between experiences in the home to those in the larger community.

Doable: Because of the scale of this work, it is often times the tendency of a planner to imagine more grandiose programming. Although planners should be supported in whatever they imagine, there should also be a realistic assessment of what is and is not possible. If logistics or the social environment are not conducive to conducting an event, it is probably not worth devoting resources to it.

Everyone is included: Any special event should be inclusive, bringing together different sectors of a community together in honest conversation. All have something valuable to say; all should have the opportunity to use their voices.

Specific: The most memorable events tend to be targeted, i.e. they focus on a specific issue. For example, members of the Connecting Communities conference participated in an act of cleansing that was focused on the U.S. government’s culpability in participating in the system of racism.

Hopefully, these few considerations will help your team to take STRIDES in planning and conducting a successful event!