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Doña
Ana
Communities United
July 2019
Newsletter
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Greetings to our supporters and friends! We hope your July has been jolly, and your fields fruitful.
In this newsletter, we share updates about our participation in the Power Summit hosted by Strong Families NM, how you can help us rename our timebank, our new storytelling initiative, and of course the guests who appeared on
Just Community
this month.
Many thanks for all you do to make our work--and our world--wonderful! It is a joy building community with all of you.
In good health,
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Upcoming DACU Events
Timebank Orientation
August 9, 5:30-7 PM (DACU office)
For those who wish to join the timebank. If you are already a member,
refer a friend who joins and you will receive three hour credits!
Timebank Get-together: Potluck with our NM HEP partners!
August 16, 5:30-7:30 PM (DACU office)
All timebank members are invited: b
ring a dish to share if you like.
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Strong Families NM Power Summit
At the
Strong Families New Mexico Power Summit in late July, eight DACU members learned how we can continue to strengthen and support New Mexico families of all kinds. We heard from our neighbors in Sunland Park who organized and obtained City support for flood relief, friends from McKinley County who coordinated a phone bank to call unlikely voters (they had a 98% turnout!), and staff at the NM Center for Civic Policy who reminded us that we need to stand up and be counted in the census so we command the resources, representation, and power we deserve!
Each of us was also able to attend two break-out sessions. Topics included black liberation in NM, collecting data across language and culture, healing justice, canvassing unlikely voters, navigating the healthcare system, and policy change work for direct service providers. We learned so much and met great people along the way!
We shared some reflections from our trip at our team meeting and look forward to incorporating what we learned into our work and lives.
If you might be interested in participating in a future group adventure with us, such as our annual trip to the legislature, please
reach out to let us know.
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The DACU contingent after a full day of workshops: Sean, Teague, Mairead, Michel, Connie, Kari, and Kevin (not pictured: camera-shy Cynthia!)
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Kevin shares his reflections on the Power Summit at our July DACU Team Meeting
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In Search of a Name...
Members of the Timebank Steering Committee (TBSC) are coordinating an outreach effort to rename our timebank. (A number of timebankers find the current name--
Do
ñ
a Ana hOurTime--hard to remember and locate online.)
We are seeking your help in coming up with a name that better describes what our timebank does and who our members are. There are two specific ways you can get involved:
- Suggest creative new names to us! You don't need to be a timebank member to do so, and you can suggest as many names as you'd like. Communicate your suggestions by stopping by our office, filling out this online survey, or commenting on our Facebook post if you are a member of our timebank Facebook group.
- After the suggestions have been consolidated by the TBSC, help us select a new name in early September. We will use Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) as a way to get ready for the Las Cruces local election in November, when the City will be using this innovative form of voting for the first time. You can click here for more information on how RCV works.
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| Thanks to Timebank Steering Committee member LeeAnn for creating this graphic! |
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Story Circles
After a successful and moving Story Slam in June, we were inspired by the energy and compassion that sharing our lived experiences can create. We want to offer an ongoing space for people to share personal stories in a supportive environment and grow in their understanding of how systemic oppression impacts us as individuals, and what we can do to create a more just society.
Teague has offered to lead a story circle to be just that space! She is experienced in coaxing difficult stories from people, using prompts, art, and creativity to do so.
The first exploration is August 6th from 11AM - 12:30 PM, downtown at the Plaza de Las Cruces.
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Kari continues to host
Just Community
on KTAL-LP every Thursday morning from 8 to 9
AM.
The show focuses on social equity and features voices not often heard in our community. Locally, tune your dial to 101.5 FM, or listen to the show online from anywhere in the world. As of last week, Kari has some help at the control panel, so she is now taking phone calls! Dial 575-526-5825 to visit with her on the air.
These guests and topics were featured in July:
- Frank Duran (caring for an adult child with autism)
- Pat Temple (hoarding)
- Nidia Holguin (providing home health care for folks with memory loss)
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Frank brought his youngest child, Isias, to join him as a surprise guest
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You can listen to archived shows
here
. Stay tuned, because soon we will have an exciting new listening platform!
If you know someone who would be an interesting guest, please
contact
Kari.
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Directions to Our Office
151 South Walnut Street, Unit B13
DACU is based in Las Cruces, New Mexico. You'll find us at the corner of Walnut and Griggs in the Walnut Business Park.
Please call before you come by as we may be out and about in the community!
We are just a few blocks away from several bus routes: Route 6 (stops 16 and 17), Route 7 (stop 20), and
Route 8 (stop 5).
For more information, visit
the
Roadrunner Transit webpage.
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Our Mission:
Doña Ana Communities United (DACU) creates welcoming spaces for all people, especially those whose voices and stories go unheard. We build genuine relationships, carry out uplifting projects, and engage with local government.
Our Initiatives:
(1) Social equity mapping: Undervalued community members explore their neighborhoods and work with local decision makers to implement policies and projects that advance health equity. Current efforts focus on the Community of Hope, Gallagher Park, and the Nevada Neighborhood in Las Cruces; Elks Drive in Doña Ana; and Lisa Drive in Chaparral.
(2) hOurTime timebank: Members build social cohesion and practice an equitable form of alternative economics by exchanging
services.
(3)
Just Community radio show: Residents with lived experience of social inequities share their insights into how we can work together to advance equity in our county.
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