The City of Asheville, the Center for Participatory Change, and Thrive Asheville invite residents to join a Community Conversation: Building Strength with Resilience Hubs. The free event is on Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church in Downtown Asheville.
Community members can share stories, participate in listening sessions, and contribute to interactive mapping activities designed to capture experiences and shape Asheville’s resilience hub networks. Come for the full day or drop-in as you’re able.
Your free registration is appreciated to help organizers provide adequate childcare and meal planning.
The Resilience Hub Mapping Project aims to document what worked well as neighbors responded to Helene. This information will help our communities continue to support each other in “blue skies” (non-emergency) times and be better prepared for the next disruption through stronger relationships and awareness of resources. For more information about the Resilience Hub Mapping Project visit the project webpage.
What to Expect
The day will open at 9:45 a.m. with music by DJ Mark Dickerson and time for informal connections.
Participants are invited to join a dynamic, community-centered experience featuring a grounding opening, and storytelling from local leaders. Open mic sharing and facilitated listening sessions will help document examples of how communities continue to show up for each other and build resilience hubs and networks.
The event will also include interactive resilience hub mapping activities and opportunities for meaningful connection over a shared lunch.
Everyone is encouraged to spend the day. Those with limited time are encouraged to join drop-in listening sessions between 12:15 p.m. and 3 p.m.. Sessions are 45 minutes long and run concurrently.
“This event is about honoring what our community already knows how to do…take care of each other,” said Tiffany DeBellot, Executive Director of the Center for Participatory Change. “We want to hear directly from Asheville residents about the places and people that helped them through hard times, so we can build on that foundation together.”
Attendance is free and open to all Asheville community members. Limited parking is available at Trinity Episcopal Church; attendees are encouraged to carpool or use alternative transportation when possible. The City of Asheville works to advance environmental, social, and economic resilience for all Asheville residents. Through the Elevate AVL projects, the city seeks to learn from Asheville communities to inform neighborhood-led and city-supported initiatives to develop shared resources and ideas to thrive in a changing climate.
About Thrive Asheville
Thrive Asheville is a community organization dedicated to building resilient, equitable, and connected neighborhoods across the region.
About the Center for Participatory Change (CPC)
The Center for Participatory Change (CPC) is a community-based organization that works to ignite collective power, transform systems of oppression, and heal in community, toward collective liberation. CPC partners with communities to build leadership, strengthen connections, and support community-driven change.