Invitation to Join SMAC Community Workshops
This summer and fall, the Southwest Madison Action Coalition (SMAC) is partnering with UW-Extension Dane County and Good Shepard Lutheran Church to sponsor a series of free facilitated workshops focused on educating and developing community-based leaders with a goal of creating a two-year action agenda for a core group of leaders and participants. Each Saturday “Love Your Neighborhood” session will focus on a specific topic, will feature discussion leaders knowledgeable in the topic area, and will include lunch for attendees.
These workshops are for people who live in the Southwest Madison area or who want to be involved as volunteers in the parts of the area that face the greatest challenges. This includes people who have an interest in social justice or who have been active in past Meadowood Neighborhood Center volunteer activities and people who may be interested in becoming active in volunteer activities involving SMAC subgroups, Keeping Neighbors Connected, the Good Shepard Lutheran food pantry, school support, or neighborhood activities to support residents who face barriers to their success.
Attendees can register for one or all of the free sessions.
Upcoming sessions are:
Saturday, July 23, 2022 (11:30am—1:00pm; includes lunch) Community Organizing and Engagement
Saturday, August 13, 2022 (11:30am—1:00pm; includes lunch) Power Dynamics: Intersections of race, class and culture
Saturday, September 10, 2022 (11:30am—1:00pm; includes lunch) Community Assessment
Saturday, October 8, 2022 (11:30am—1:00pm; includes lunch) Housing
Saturday, November 12, 2022 (11:30am—1:00pm; includes lunch) Community Wellness
To register for some or all of the sessions, please visit the event registration site on Eventbrite:
The Southwest Madison Action Coalition (SMAC) began in 2016 to advise Commonwealth Development Corporation and the City of Madison Police Department about reducing and preventing crime through measures that avoided arrest. The initiative was funded by a grant through the federal Community Based Crime Reduction initiative.
As the grant came to an end, SMAC expanded its purpose and focus to advancing opportunities to build a thriving community by fostering partnerships, sharing information and resources, and connecting the intertwined neighborhoods of southwest Madison to enhance the community’s assets. ORUCC members Jane Glaze [email protected] and Bruce Olsen [email protected] participate in SMAC’s Housing subgroup and would be happy to talk to anyone interested in learning more about it.