Archived Oct 1, 2021 

Hello beloved Squadship family:

Thank you for a brilliantly fun, inspiring, impactful, and enjoyable Solidarity Squadship Program 2021. There’s more work to do, but we celebrate completing this phase of the program and share in gratitude for all our ancestors, behind-the-scenes administrators, fundraisers, mentors, parents, loved ones, and all of y’all/us for everything that made this program possible.

Keep making miracles and building power, 

April, David, Je Nae’, and Denzel

Recommended  next steps:

• Sign up for SMA Hot D.A.M. Freedom and Survival School https://southtosouth.org 
• Attend a monthly SMA General Membership Assembly Call https://southtosouth.org 
• Make a connection in the SE in the South network https://solidarityeconomysouth.mn.co/feed 
• Post a question, resource, or event invitation on the SE in the South network https://solidarityeconomysouth.mn.co/feed 
• Follow up with a fellow Squadship participant from another community (Directory link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YojQDHXDpkfyAHxvh-JuYZoko-Z4KZHEpHVRThYLWAo/edit?usp=sharing) 
• Dig into more of the resources and tools on the participant index webpage (https://highlandercenter.org/solidarity-squadship-2021/) 
• Sign up for a healing session with Juju (https://calendly.com/itsjujubae/50min) or Jetzi (https://calendly.com/jetziinthesky/book)

Last Reminders:

• Submit your People’s Movement Assembly Plan before your PMA.
• You can book up to two one-on-one healing consultation sessions directly with Jetzi or Juju through Nov 15 and Highlander will pay the bill.
• For the regrant, we will need this paperwork from the 501c3 (fiscal sponsor):
  • Grant agreement (David will send you this when it’s ready)
  • W9 
  • Direct Deposit Form
• Submit videos to Kristan using the video file drop folder: https://share.mayfirst.org/s/LPa5Qi4xGyiiAoR or add squadship21video (at) gmail.com as a collaborator on google drive. – Email kristan.woolford (at) gmail.com if you submit something to this folder and please label it with your squad name!
• Videographers are hired, so work with your videographer, in coordination with Kristan, to document what you’re doing, complete the Videographer Planning Worksheet to clarify things and give both Kristan and your videographer the info they need.

Program Goals:

1. A greater understanding of the form and function of solidarity economies.
2. Experience teaching in popular education methods.
3. Building relationships with a breadth of social movement activities in the Southern US.
4. Deepening solidarity economy practice.
5. Holding ground gained by communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
6. Deepening cultural organizing practices in solidarity economy formations.

Program Tools and Components

• Gatherings & Workshops (see below for links to recordings, slides)
• Project Planning guide and resources
• Videographer Planning Worksheet
• Virtual Site Visit Planning Worksheet 
• Squadship Participant Directory 
• Weekly reflections 
• Highlander COVID-19 protocol update

Calendar

Mon, Sept 13, 4-7pm — Gathering #3

Thurs, Sept 30, 4-7pm — Gathering #4

Deliverables Timeline:

Interns are expected to participate in 4 Squadship gatherings during the 11 weeks.

The internship also contains the following deliverables. Consider who might be the point person on your squad for these.

• Determine and report on a project or next step that will help your group hold the ground they gained during the pandemic.
• Host a People’s Movement Assembly with their community during the Squadship by Sept 17.
• Optional: Host Highlander Staff in a site visit to your community by Sept 17 – may be virtual.
• Help find a local videographer to document your squad’s organizing and coordinate with Highlander’s chief videographer.
• Create a beautiful solutions card as a squad by Oct 1.
• Weekly journal entries or video journals reflecting on prompts as assigned (everyone)
• Attend at least one workshop to skill up, facilitate a workshop in your community on that skill, and attend a strategy clinic about the facilitation. (everyone)
• Participate in the Highlander Homecoming Squadship Showcase Sept 24-26.
• Participate in a program evaluation and complete a Squadship evaluation form by Oct 1.

Timesheets Deadlines

Make sure to submit timesheets no later than Friday:

• August 13
• August 26
• September 10
• September 24
• October 8

Gathering & Workshop Materials

Visit this site after each gathering or workshop for access to slides, resources, and recordings.

September 30th Gathering 4

• Recording
• Slides and add your appreciations to everyone’s slides (32-49).

Highlander 89th Homecoming

• Session recordings, including the Squadship Showcase: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8881429 

Harm Free Zones

• Recording

September 13 – Gathering 3

• Slides
• Pancho’s Introduction to Popular Education
• Sorry, no recording

Spiritual Praxis in Mutual Aid Skillup

• Recording
• Juju’s Spiritual Baths YouTube

Power of Online Space (Aug 30) – PeoplesHub

• Recording
• Slides

August 21st –  Gathering 2

• Peoples Movement Assemblies (PMA) 101 (Part 1):   Recording   Slides
• Gathering / Project Planning (Part 2):   Recording   Slides
• PMA Planning Worksheet 
• PMA Agenda Planning Template & Example

Solidarity Economy 101 (Aug 7)

• Recording   
• SE 101 Slides   
• Beautiful Solutions Slides

July 25th – Gathering 1

• Recording
• Slides
• You Got to Move – Highlander history on YouTube
• Highlander Methodology One Pagers

How to Join Gatherings & Check-ins

We will connect together on Zoom, an online video conference platform. Go to  https://zoom.us/freesignup/  to download a free Zoom software on your computer before the day of the workshop.

Click this link  5-10 minutes before start time, or copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/5066393083?pwd=cHovay8wSWJYVlp3RU1YeTlGSjE1dz09 If you get disconnected and/or need to join audio by phone, here is the call-in information. Dial +1 312 626 6799, then key in the Meeting ID: 506 639 3083#.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Show up! Your participation is part of the learning.
• A quiet space with a strong internet connection.
• A computer or laptop.
• A webcam.
• Ideally, a pair of headphones that have a microphone to cut out background noise.

Highlander Squad Contact

April Taylor   april@highlandercenter.org
Denzel Caldwell   denzel@highlandercenter.org
Je Nae Taylor   jenae@highlandercenter.org 
David Ferris   david@highlandercenter.org   865-742-4514

If you have any concerns you want to share with Highlander leadership, please email Trina (Education Team Coordinator) trina@highlandercenter.org, Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson (Co-Director) ash@highlandercenter.org, and Allyn Maxfield-Steele (Co-Director) allyn@highlandercenter.org.