Here’s How To Help Your Denver Neighbors Right Now
Nov 18, 2024
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Tran Wills, a longtime Denver business owner and outreach director, joins in to discuss the aftermath of the recent presidential election. She highlights the urgency for community support and actionable ways to help neighbors in need. Wills emphasizes the importance of mutual aid, genuine activism beyond social media, and identifying local organizations that facilitate real change. Learn how to engage thoughtfully with marginalized communities and make a lasting impact where it counts.
Engaging in mutual aid strengthens community ties by sharing resources during challenging times, reflecting grassroots support in small neighborhoods.
Active involvement in local politics fosters meaningful change, encouraging individuals to prioritize community relationships over reliance on broader political systems.
Deep dives
Building Community Through Mutual Aid
Mutual aid is presented as an essential practice for building strong community connections. It emphasizes the importance of sharing resources and supporting one another, especially during tough times. This concept is rooted in personal experiences, as many immigrants rely on community support to navigate challenges in a new environment. The discussion highlights that mutual aid is often an unrecognized but intrinsic aspect of small communities, where helping each other is a natural way of life.
Engaging with Local Politics
Involvement in local politics is a powerful way to make a difference in the community, especially after a significant election. Rather than relying solely on top-down political systems, the approach focuses on grassroots efforts and the necessity for individuals to engage on a local level. This perspective encourages people to foster relationships within their communities and to support one another more effectively. Emphasizing local issues can lead to more tangible impacts than waiting for broader political change.
The Role of Social Media in Activism
Social media serves as a double-edged sword in the context of activism, offering both opportunities and challenges. While it helps amplify voices and raise awareness, it can also lead to superficial gestures that don't translate into meaningful action. The importance of authentic allyship is stressed, calling for deeper engagement beyond mere online expressions of support. Encouraging true involvement, the conversation points out that making a difference requires direct action in collaboration with community leaders and organizations.
Practical Ways to Get Involved
There are numerous practical ways to contribute positively to the community and assist those in need. Finding local organizations that are already doing impactful work is highlighted as a great starting point for helping. This could involve volunteering time or expertise, participating in community drives, or even offering skills that address specific needs. The need for accessible support and resources underscores that every individual has the potential to make a significant and direct contribution to their community's well-being.
The presidential election left many folks feeling discouraged and defeated. But it also energized people looking to plug in and start helping their neighbors right now — but how? And where? And beyond performative allyship, how do you actually make a difference? Host Bree Davies sits down with Tran Wills, a longtime business owner and organizer in Denver, to lay out the most effective ways to use your time, resources, and expertise to help your community in this moment.
These are the organizations we mentioned in this episode:
And we will have plenty more resources and organizations to share later this week in our newsletter, Hey Denver, which you can subscribe to right now for free! Know of a local nonprofit or mutual aid group that should be on our radar? Let us know! Email us at denver@citycast.fm.
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