Event Description

Mutual Aid Network and Safety Planning for Gathering 2026

Community Listening Sessions

You are warmly invited to join the FGC Events Team and the Ministry on Racism for community listening sessions as we develop a mutual aid network and safety plan for Gathering 2026: A Window and a Door at the University of Vermont. We want to hear from you – your experiences, your wisdom, and your hopes for what Gathering can become.

Join Us

Sunday, 15 February 2026 at 7:00 PM ET

Thursday, 19 February 2026 at 8:00 PM ET (click this page to register for Thursday instead.)

Register

Register for Sunday, 15 February at 7:00 PM ET

Please register for the session you plan to attend. Zoom meeting information will be shared with registrants prior to each session.

Register on a different page for Thursday, 19 February at 8:00 PM ET

What to Expect

During these sessions, we will share a high-level overview of the Ministry on Racism’s draft framework for mutual aid networking and safety planning. Our approach is grounded in what Grace Lee Boggs described as going “inch-wide, mile-deep” – focusing our energy on deep, meaningful work rather than spreading ourselves thin. As she reminds us:

“Every crisis, actual or impending, needs to be viewed as an opportunity to bring about profound changes in our society. Going beyond protest organizing, visionary organizing begins by creating images and stories of the future that help us imagine and create alternatives to the existing system.“

We will walk through 15 practical, low-cost actions we can take at this year’s Gathering – things like setting up communication networks, co-creating safer spaces, and building response teams. These actions are starting points: ways to begin the deeper work of transforming how we prepare for and experience Gathering together. This approach draws on liberatory design, a practice of trying small, intentional experiments – noticing what works, learning, reflecting, and repeating – to address complex challenges, by centering those most impacted.

We want to hear from you:

• Are there specific safety concerns about traveling to, attending, and returning home from Gathering? If so, please share them.
• What resources or support would help you feel safer and more welcomed?
• What has worked well in past Gatherings or other spaces you’ve been a part of?
• In what ways would you like to be supported, and what gifts or skills might you offer to support others?
• Would you be interested in serving on a community advisory group to help guide this work?
• What connects or resources in Vermont might be helpful to know about?

Your insights will directly shape what we prioritize and how we move forward.

This work reflects what Kazu Haga, author of Healing Resistance, describes as the intention of spiritual practice:

“Spiritual practice is a fierce practice. Its intention is to cultivate the courage necessary to face reality as it is and to give us the audacity to fight for the liberation of all life.”

By investing in proactive community care systems now, we prepare ourselves to move forward with our entire hearts and minds when heightened moments arise. Your voice, experiences, and expertise are essential to shaping this work.