You’re a community organizer tasked with building coalitions. How do you bring diverse groups together?

Engaging diverse community members together in trust-based, respectful spaces can lead to incredibly productive dialog, learning, and friendships between people who would have never otherwise come together. A set of values can bring together a diverse group of people and trust can be built and hold this community together to do good in the world.

I'm here. I'm queer. Get used to it. I remember the AIDS pandemic like it's today in re CoV2, 19's attack on our very chemistry, genetic fumbling and warding off infection in form and structures we live in, in today's world. Building relationship is quick when you're open and more to form - that's just how you are. People know if/when you're being honest and authentic. The work we do in social justice messaging and branding democracy warding Tyranny is an important work. Unity. Grow it. Strength. Power.

One thing I have found helpful when identifying potential partners is doing research and reaching out to stakeholders that have complementary objectives, similar values or serve overlapping demographics. Once you've identified potential partners, reach out to them to gauge their interest in collaboration and explore opportunities for working together. Be prepared to articulate the benefits of collaboration and how it aligns with their goals and mission.

I believe that stakeholders engagement is key, with first of all identifying the right stakeholders/partners. It could be through research or at social events and then we reach out with intentions and why we're reaching out.

One thing I've found helpful is when identifying potential partners is that I must first decide on what I'm working on This would decide on who are the potential partners as everyone is not a potential partner for every project

Building a list of shared norms, behaviours and values between organisations/stakeholders is key for fostering trust and strong relationships. This can be a challenging process, particularly with different views and values between organisations, however creating a safe space to work through these and build a shared vision is essential for trust and respect.

One time at work we organized a community event for environmental sustainability, in other to build trust with one another, we reached out, spoke about our shared goals and explained how the collaboration would benefit each other. We got to know everyone in the organization in a personal level so we can tailor our collaboration to the needs of the company, we also volunteered together on minor project to gauged how we can work together before committing to a bigger project, we were very transparent about our goals, plans and expectations in the collaboration process, we also acknowledged and celebrated contributions, and we were always open for feedbacks with them.

Establishing trust and respect can be challenging when voices, belief systems and perspectives are diverse. One of the best ways to begin fostering the necessary trust is to really listen to people, reflecting back to them what they are saying, so they know you have heard and understood. Respect can take time to earn and often team leaders of collaborative projects do not have time to slowly build relationships. I have found in the past that when I fulfill the tasks I have committed to in time, and to the required level of competency, the team has tended to respect me more. Treating team members ideas and insights with respect has generally been reciprocated because it tells a person their contributions are of value.

Establishing trust and respect is essential in bringing diverse groups together. This can be achieved through open communication, active listening, and demonstrating genuine interest in each partner's perspective and goals. Building a foundation of trust allows for collaboration and solidarity within the coalition.

As an example of establishing trust and respect, I used to work for a company and they were organizing always after-works where we had the chance to know each other, learn from each others mistakes and appreciate our working moments together more than before. Breaking the ice and working for the inclusion of everyone within the members of a community is such a crucial thing for its sustainable developement.

One thing I have found helpful when defining roles and responsibilities is identifying the strength, expertise and resources our partners brings to the table, also have open dialogue and brainstorming session to identify specific tasks and area of responsibilities sessions help a lot, also clarify your expectations, and it's important to establish a communication channel probably email or slack. Also create a document or an agreement that states out clearly everyone's roles and responsibility, this document would serve as a point of reference. Also providing support and resources like training, access to funding or equipment, or connecting partners with relevant networks or contacts enables them to carry out their roles effectively.

1)Facilitate activities that help community members gradually learn something about each other aside from the project at hand, a.k.a. "see each other as humans", and 2) Design agreements for working togther. Be specific, what do they want to see, hear, feel while working together, what don't they want to see, hear, feel while working together? Document it visually so all can see whenever they are in the room together. Revisit those agreements in every session and ask people to take ownership for one of the specific agreements to ensure they are holding each other accountable for what they say they wanted. Revisit agreements for opportunities to make adjustments to them as the group gets to know themselves better.

One thing I have found helpful is to let the leaders rise to the top within the community organically. Some will have expertise and experiences as well as knowledge that others don't have or may have an extensive network that will benefit the goals and objectives that you are all trying to accomplish within the community. It's a shared leadership effort that makes delegation easier when those people step forward to offer help that makes achieving the mission of your organization that much easier.