Radical Ecosystem Pods
Having a well-connected and skilled network of neighbors minimizes the need to reach beyond our own community for crisis support. Many of us already have the skills to assist our neighbors in navigating the minor incidents that arise in our lives – what’s lacking is often connection, coordination, and support.
That’s where REP’s Radical Ecosystem Pods and studios come in.
REP’s Pods fortify existing networks and support the creation of new networks by improving relationships between neighbors, identifying webs of support that already exist within reach, and reimagining what loving community looks like.
REP supports the formation of pods through ongoing trainings called “studios”. support neighbors in building skills in de-escalation, mental health support, and situational awareness.
What is a Pod?
At its most basic, a pod is a group of people organized around shared agreements and common goals.
When REP talks about pods, we use the following definition:
A POD is a group of people who have come together to support each other through crisis or change. The people of a pod can connect based on geography, identity, values, a time-specific need, and/or other factors. Pods have shared agreements for consent, communication, accountability and care.
The term “pods” was coined to describe, define, and replicate the ways communities of care self-organize as a response to state harm.
People have been intentionally coming together since time immemorial, long before the language of “pods”.
REP’s pods framework is synthesized from Bay Area Transformative Justice Project Pod and Pod Mapping Worksheet, BATJC “Lessons Learned”, and SOIL: A Transformative Justice Project.
Why Pods?
“A pod is a tool to address and prevent harm, violence, emergency or crisis. Pods can also be used to address specific needs and aid in general support. Pods are made up of the people in our lives we can turn to first and rely on. These are the people in our lives who have consented to being there for us either for general or specific purposes.” -- SOIL: A Transformative Justice Project.
“Prior to this, we had been using the term ‘community’ when we talked about transformative justice, but we found that, not surprisingly, many people do not feel connected to a ‘community’ and, even more so, most people did not know what ‘community’ meant or had wildly different definitions and understandings of ‘community’” - Mia Mingus
Upcoming Offerings
REP’s Radical Study Group is back in a new way! - First Session November 17th 6-8pm
Join us across November and December in reading “Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics” by Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò. Every other Tuesday, 6-8 PM, hosted at REP’s offices at New City Center (3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407).
We host these spaces to give BIPOC community members the space to study and discuss topics related to capitalism and imperialism, white supremacy and the forces of criminalization. We ground these sessions in the values of REP: Black love and liberation, radical consent, and ancestral knowledge. Check out the schedule!
• Tuesday, November 17, 6-8 PM: Introduction & Ch. 1 – What is Elite Capture?
• Tuesday, December 1, 6-8 PM: Ch. 2 – Reading the Room
• Tuesday, December 15, 6-8 PM: Ch. 3 – Being in the Room
• Tuesday, December 29, 6-8 PM: Ch. 4 – Building a New House
• Tuesday, January 12, 6-8 PM: Ch. 5 – The Point is to Change It
What has Changed?
What is changing in Radical Study Group, and what is staying the same? While we are going to continue our core practices of somatic grounding, collective read-aloud and discussion circles, we are also implementing a few changes in the format of our study group sessions.
• Shifting to reading long-form content, like books, across multiple sessions.
• Incorporating exercises to practice skills related to the themes of the text.
• Establishing and practicing explicit Radical Study Group Community Invitations
We have wanted to read books with community for a long time now. The spaciousness of long-form content will give us the space to slow down and sit with new ideas. If you have recommendations for books, let us know! 📚🌟
The registration form will ask which of the five sessions you plan on attending – one form for all five! Folks who register will be emailed the reading prior to the session, but pre-reading is not required.