Community data parties, fall reflection, voting resources, and The Light Eaters
Happy Fall! I want to share with you a little about the community data party workshops I am facilitating.
What is a community data party?
A flexible approach to engage community members and partners in reviewing data in a playful, culturally responsive, and celebratory environment
What is the purpose of a data party?
To support program leaders and community members to:
Get Comfortable with Data: Simplify data interpretation so community members feel less anxiety and fear around numbers and other data
Improve Rigor: Bring diverse stakeholder perspectives into the data sense making process to uncover a wider variety of insights and possibilities
Own Community Data: Foster shared ownership of data collection, protection, analysis, and sharing findings
Take Informed Action: Collectively secure resources and enact meaningful changes and improvements.1
Get your hands-on guide to participatory data analysis here.
Last Week
Data Parties for Social Justice Workshop
I was joined by fellow evaluators and researchers to discuss the what, how, and why of data parties for social justice. We explored how they can provide a container for data sense-making and storytelling in a community with people who are wrestling everyday with problems that need solutions. Participants left with deeper understanding and additional resources for using data parties to facilitate community self-determination, deepen learning, and provide more authentic and compelling stories for staff, board, funders, donors, and organizational partners. Thanks to the American Evaluation Association LGBTQ+ Voices Topical Interest Group for sponsoring this session.
Coming Up September 27th
Beyond the Numbers: Making Data a Tool for Collective Creativity and Change
In this interactive workshop activists and other leaders creating change in their communities will develop their knowledge about and ability to tell the story of their work—both with their teams and others. Data-informed storytelling is an essential part of growing awareness of and resources for the changes a program/initiative is contributing to in people’s lives. Participants will leave with a framework that guides drawing from community-centered knowledge and experiences to learn, play, grow, and co-create solutions and support for the work they care about. They also will receive practical tools to put to work right away.
Thank you!
A shout out of gratitude for Erin Fordyce and Corey Newhouse & Public Profit's work on Dabbling with Data that informs this powerful and fun work.
Here is Veronica’s calendar link if you would like to chat 1:1 or discuss hosting a data party or community conversation to make sense of the data and use it for good in your community.
Resource Highlight
November 3rd is Election Day – about 5 weeks away!
Voting gives you the power to create positive change for your community and determine a better quality of life for you and your family.
Make your voting plan now and share it with your friends. To find credible and reliable information about voting in your U.S. State/Territory go to Vote411.org. It is hosted by the League of Women Voters, a non-partisan non-profit organization.
Once I entered my address I could:
Check my voter registration status.
See my voting options including voting dates and deadlines.
Find my polling place or drobox locations.
See what will be on my ballot.
Discover upcoming debates.
Register to vote.
And more...
Book Highlight
The Light Eaters by Zo Schlanger
The Light Eaters, by Atlantic staff writer Zo Schlanger has received many accolades: The New Yorker's Best Books of 2024 - TIME's 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 - New York Magazine's 10 Best Books of the Year - Washington Post's 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction of 2024 - Smithsonian's 10 Best Science Books of the Year - A Best Book of the Year: Boston Globe, Scientific American, New York Public Library, Christian Science Monitor, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly
While I am not a biology person, this book drew me in at the start. The author describes diving into plant research and finding herself asking “How long had I spent in the presence of plants while knowing next to nothing about them?” She then opens up a world of the tremendous biological creativity it takes to be a plant. To survive and thrive while rooted in a single spot, plants have adapted ingenious methods of survival. Their ability to communicate, recognize their kin and behave socially, hear sounds, morph their bodies to blend into their surroundings, store useful memories that inform their life cycle, and trick animals into behaving to their benefit are incredible.
The Light Eaters is an eye-opening and informative look at the ecosystem we live in. This book challenges us to rethink the role of plants--and our own place--in the natural world.
#SelfCareCorner
Make Space for Self-Compassion
You may be feeling stressors from a number of angles in your life. Perhaps it is a family member who is struggling, a job or life transition, or perhaps health issues (physical and/or mental) or a relationship. Regardless of what it is, it’s important for us to find ways to relieve stress and experience more comfort and care.
Dr. Kirsten Neff is a leader in the research and practice of self compassion. She writes:
“Self-compassion simply involves doing a U-turn and giving yourself the same compassion you’d naturally show a friend when you’re struggling or feeling badly about yourself. It means being supportive when you’re facing a life challenge, feel inadequate, or make a mistake. Instead of just ignoring your pain with a “stiff upper lip” mentality or getting carried away by your negative thoughts and emotions, you stop to tell yourself ‘this is really difficult right now,’ how can I comfort and care for myself in this moment?”
Take this self-compassion test and check out these self-compassion practices for cultivating more self-compassion in your life. Take good care.
