With Cooperation Buffalo

In this moment of increasing federal authoritarianism and oppression, it's even more important to practice democracy and liberatory models of relationship to one another. In this session, we'll explore ways to increase democracy in the place where we spend 1/3 of our lives: at work. This could look like forming a union or transitioning to a democractic worker-owned cooperative, but there are actions that workers, managers, and owners can take in any workplace depending on your sphere of influence. Using the four pillars of a democratic organization--money, people, power, and information--we'll examine some tactics, both big and small, that we can all take to move the needle toward more democracy in our workplaces.

With the Partnership for the Public Good

Part 1: The City Charter: What is it, how does it work, and why does it matter?

In this workshop, we'll go over Buffalo's Charter, which is our city's constitution.  This is the document that lays out how our government is structured, and how that government will respond to our needs.

This year, the whole charter is being reviewed, line by line. Learn about that process, and what it means for you, and how you can get involved.

This workshop is for anyone who wants to hear why localgovernmentmatters.

PART 2: Revising the City Charter:

The city charter revision process going on this year is an opportunity for us to think about our rights, and how we secure them.  It's also a rare chance for residents to define what our city should look like, and what our rights ought to be.

This is a hands-on workshop: participants will work together to make their own submissions to the charter review commission, and at the end of our session we will submit them for consideration.

This workshop is for folks who have attended either Part 1 ("The City Charter") or who already know something about the charter-- and are ready to get to work.

With OCAB:

Settler-colonialism is often thought of in the past-tense, disregarding modern-day tactics such as, land dispossession or displacement. This workshop will discuss Indigeneity and Indigenous sovereignty to enhance our recognition of the shared experiences of land dispossession and displacement across North America and Palestine. We will reflect on the interconnected struggles of Indigenous peoples and their resistance to settler-colonial states.

With the Buffalo Parent Teacher Organization:

In this workshop hosted by the Buffalo Parent Teacher Organization, we will explore topics related to Buffalo Public Schools, including what Parent Congress is and the five key areas it focuses on: family and community engagement, suspension prevention and diversion, wellness, equity for vulnerable students and families, and shared decision-making. We'll also discuss strategies for fostering unity in advocacy around these critical issues.

Join Robin Lee Jordan – organizer of the heARTburn civic arts meet-up at Burning Books & co-organizer of ZineFest at WNY Book Arts Center – for a generative zine-making workshop! How can you distill information & ideas exchanged at today's summit into a creative, informative, and impactful zine to help spread the word? 

Contribute to a collaborative zine, begin making your own using an easy template, and get access to zine-making resources to help you continue the practice! No zine-making experience necessary.

With PUSH Buffalo

This two-part series gives Buffalo residents the knowledge and confidence to stand up for their homes. The first session: Focuses on practical tools tenants can use immediately; everything from understanding basic rights to responding to landlord issues. The second session: breaks down Good Cause Eviction in clear, plain language and shows how this policy can strengthen neighborhoods and stop displacement.

Together, these workshops build power, spark action, and help people stay rooted in their communities.

Sessions can be taken together or separately.

With Our City Buffalo and Our City Action Buffalo​

Join us to learn how Buffalo, like other US cities, has a dominant power structure, rooted in business and real estate interests, that wields an inordinate level of influence over the direction of the city. In Buffalo, this rich and powerful elite is organized around business advocacy vehicles like the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and social institutions like the Buffalo Club; controls key aspects of the local economy; exerts political power via campaign contributions and a number of other mechanisms; and wields special influence over the local narrative of the region.

With Justice for Migrant Families and New York Immigration Coalition

Join us for an interactive community defense workshop! This workshop will include practical lessons learned and losses acknowledged from the past year, including how local policing systems are impacting our immigrant neighbors and how we can alter those systems. Together, we’ll practice strategies for advocacy, resistance & explore ways to continue taking meaningful action in solidarity with our Buffalo Community

By the East Side Parkways Coalition

AM session: Current Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) status and the possibility to fully restore Humboldt Parkway with an emphasis on past tragedies. We will also discuss the lingering problems hung-over from the struck-down, short-cut Environmental Assessment process.

PM session: We will discuss and celebrate the great opportunity to fully restore Humboldt Parkway right now, with this EIS process, and what that could mean for all of the East Side. A current critical advocacy goal is to prioritize the health of the community instead of just maintaining vehicular capacity.