The plan for this blog post was to share some updates with the RG community about strategic planning, and I still plan on doing that. But not today. 

Today the people of Ukraine and Russia are living through a war. A war I am so far from geographically, that I don’t understand politically, and yet I am pulled towards heartbreak. 

Not despair, or hopelessness, but the heartbreak Mawlana Jalal ul-Din Rumi and Mary Oliver invite us to. A heart breaking open to the world. 

Without needing to know the why or the how, I know that war brings incredible suffering to everyone within its reach. It doesn’t care about the politics or ideologies of those it harms. War is the worst of us as humanity. 

I don’t have a call to action, I don’t have a list of places to move money to; in part because this is one of the many things money can’t heal, and in part because I don’t have relationships with the people in the places that are now in pain.  

It’s tempting to do nothing. There’s a protective part of myself that just wants to ignore, numb out, or shift focus. I’m grateful for that part of me when the alternative is too overwhelming, for the way those actions have helped me feel safe in the past. 

It’s tempting to do everything I can to understand. My smarts and problem-solving skills have gotten me through a lot of uncomfortable situations. Those same reflexes have also made things harder, when a solution wasn’t the thing that was needed, or it wasn’t my place to try and fix it. 

Today, I’m saying yes to the heartbreak.

Resource Generation is hiring for THREE positions: Membership Director, Human Resources Manager, and Midwest Regional Organizer! Applications all close this week and next week. Scroll to the end for more information!

The NC Triangle crew is starting off 2022 with a virtual chapter retreat to celebrate our work in 2021 and dream about the year to come. Organizing the retreat is a many-person job and several new members have stepped up to take on roles as planners and facilitators. 

Our chapter is particularly proud of the work we've done this year to expand our membership beyond Durham (into Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and beyond) and we're looking forward to building our community across the Triangle.

Maine Resource Generation is going official! After meeting as a group for 18 months as well as hosting a praxis group and several giving circles with local grassroots organizations, the Maine folks of RG are excited to become an official chapter! We are continuing to form and develop our work together and are excited to grow! We had a Giving Circle in January where we raised over $11,000 for Rise and Shine Youth Retreat. Rise and Shine Youth Retreat is a rejuvenation center for the enrichment and liberation of Black people in Maine and beyond. They aim to provide accessible safe(er) space for BIPOC people to retreat, co-create, learn and indulge in liberation together. Their mission is to foster meaningful relationships between people and nature through wellness retreats, residences, group therapy and outdoor programs.

We had our first general meeting of the year with some new faces, and are excited to continue our 2022 meeting cycle with a goals & open workshop meeting next month. These meetings were really incredible during praxis and we're looking forward to incorporating new folks into them.

RG OH hit the ground running in 2022 with a visit from RG Chicago member and Tenant Education Network (TEN) donor organizer Kira Felsenfeld. It was incredibly energizing to hear about the work TEN is doing to organize project-based Section 8 tenants, and we’re excited that they’re expanding to Columbus! We've also continued to cultivate a relationship with the team behind Dayton Unified Power, an economic and housing justice project in southern Ohio. In the next couple months, we plan to launch a campaign to move money toward their goal of developing a just and cooperative local economy in historically disinvested Black neighborhoods in West Dayton. In the meantime, we’re working on some fun political ed zines to distribute around Ohio!

Last year, BARG piloted a new Organizer Training program to train praxis graduates in basic RG organizing skills such as: onboarding 1:1s, praxis facilitation, transformative fundraising, and leadership development. 22 chapter members participated in last year’s program and went on to facilitate 8 praxis groups. This month, we opened applications for the second cohort of organizer training.

A highlight from our fundraising this month: BARG members have redistributed $100,000 to a campaign run by the Disability Justice Culture Club and the Oakland Community Land Trust to purchase the home of the late disability justice leader Stacey Park Milbern and preserve it as affordable housing and an organizing hub.

Resource Generation is thrilled to launch a new cycle of virtual praxis groups for young people with access to wealth. This will be an intimate, 9-month program in which you will develop a long-term redistribution plan, develop a network of peers with similar levels of assets, explore different giving models and deepen your skills and capacity to implement a social justice strategy in your giving and investing. 

This round, we are launching two different praxis groups: one multi racial praxis group and one group for Ultra High Net Wealth members. We define high net wealth as anyone who has access to more than 1M or whose family has access to more than 10M. We define Ultra High Net Wealth as folks who have approximately 10M in personal assets and/or 100M in family assets. The groups will run March 2022-December 2022.

Curious if you fit? Attend the HNW Praxis Open house and find out! 3/2 + read the full program description HERE 

Did you recently hear about RG through a friend, a media story or another social justice organization? Do you know people in your network who have class privilege and/or access to wealth? Join us and invite other prospective RGers to our monthly RG 101 orientation! 

You will learn about RG's vision and organizing model, share about why you're excited about being part of the community, and start building relationships with RG members and staff. The RG 101 orientation is open for all, both for people in chapter areas and those that are not. This space is geared towards young people (18-35) with access to wealth and/or class privilege, but anyone is welcome to attend. We look forward to connecting with you!

RSVP for RG 101 at tinyurl.com/RG101March22

You're invited to a RG National Member Council (NMC) "Meet & Greet" for all RG members who are part of small & emerging chapters, & at-large members who aren't part of a chapter.

RSVP at bit.ly/SEALmeetup.

Join us to launch RG’s member-led mobilization to move $1million to the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) over the next three years, as we face down a post-Roe world. Over the past few decades, the US has seen major rollbacks in safe, accessible abortion that is now quickly accelerating under the current Supreme Court.

We will hear from organizers from NNAF and their affiliates on the state of abortion access in the US today. There will be:

• An opportunity to ask questions to these organizers
• Time to pledge funding to NNAF + we will tally up the amount of money pledged by RG members/their communities so far!
• Release of the Fund Abortion Now microsite zine created by RG members and artists

RSVP to the event here: https://tinyurl.com/RGReproJusticeNNAFPanel

A few East Asian RG members were reflecting upon many Lunar New Year greetings related to wealth and we thought we would open it up to any POC RGers who want an opportunity to reflect and reimagine. Join us for a casual facilitated conversation about what wealth and fortune looks like in our POC communities. We're excited to reflect, share, and give ourselves the opportunity to rewrite and reimagine what wealth and prosperity could look like and how it's talked about.

RSVP by emailing Mandy at [email protected] or [email protected] if you can make it + to get the zoom!

The RG NYC Climate Justice Circle has a new partnership with Stop the Money Pipeline, a group pressuring banks, asset managers, insurance companies, and institutional investors to stop supporting the fossil fuel industry and funding new fossil fuel infrastructure and exploration. Since the 2015 Paris Agreement, banks have given trillions to the fossil fuel industry. JP Morgan, Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America, all US-based banks, are the worst offenders. 

A powerful tactic for pressuring these banks is to organize customers to demand meetings with their bank representatives to discuss how the bank is worsening the climate crisis. This takes up their time, puts pressure on them, and makes them know that customers are watching. 

To help us assess which financial actors we might be able to approach for a meeting please fill out this quick survey! This survey is going out to all RG members and will help us gather more information and strategize a bit. Only answer what you feel comfortable disclosing, and if you don’t feel like answering right now feel free to circle back later. 

Feel free to reach out to [email protected] or directly with any questions

The Next Egg, an organization included in RG’s Financial Professional Database, is a community / platform that offers resources and tools for people to move their retirement savings out of Wall Street and into local (and/or solidarity economy) investing. They are hosting a series of conversations that are relevant to RG’s Transformative Investment Principles. 

1. Can We Repair Harm and Still Grow Our Investments? - February 17, 2022 at 1:00pm - 2:15pm PT / 4:00pm - 5:15pm ET - RSVP link
2. Can We Imagine A World Where Personal Security Doesn't Require Individual Savings? - March 07, 2022 at 11:00am-12:15pm PT / 2:00pm - 3:15pm ET - RSVP link
3. What IS Retirement Anyway? - Monday, April 04, 2022 at 11:00 AM-12:15pm PT / 2:00pm - 3:15pm ET - RSVP link

Spring Up is a collective of care workers, transformative justice practitioners, liberatory educators, and coaches practicing and teaching the liberatory arts at bluelight academy. They cultivate a culture of consent and liberty for all through storytelling and popular education. Several RG members and staff have participated in Spring Up courses and workshops in recent years. Learn more in the links below. 

• Transformative Justice 6 week Class, Summer and Fall — Registration Here
• Conflict Analysis Retreat, 2/25 or 2/26 — Registration Here
• Liberatory Facilitation Retreat, 3/11 or 3/12 — Registration Here
• Harm Systems Design Retreat, 3/25 or 3/26 — Registration Here
• Safety & Self-Care Planning Retreat, 4/15 or 4/16 — Registration Here 

Resource Generation is hiring for THREE positions: Membership Director, Human Resources Manager, and Midwest Regional Organizer! Our multiracial and cross-class staff mobilizes young people (ages 18-35) with wealth and class privilege in the U.S. to become transformative leaders working towards the equitable distribution of wealth, land, and power. 

Our staff operates on a 32-hour work week with best-in-class benefits like 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision; and 90% employer paid for partners, spouses, and families. 15 vacation days, 15 sick days, 5 personal days, and a minimum of 1-week office closure in late December. Parental leave (up to 6 months within the first year after birth, adoption, or fostering). As well as an 8-week paid sabbatical after 4 years of employment. And more! 

Click on the graphics below to learn more! 

We encourage you to consider joining RG as a dues paying member, and if you would like to get involved in your local chapter, please fill out this intake form!

Resource Generation
1216 Broadway
New York, NY 10001
United States

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