How can we build the world we want to live in?
Building community is an active process. As we bridge the talent of our community members to the knowledge we gain about our world, we work toward creating a place that is healthy and sustainable. Here are some struggles that have helped us create a community that gives us sustenance and joy. There are other struggles we continue to participate in as we follow the tradition of protest and resistance.
Here are some things to think about:
What struggles are important to your community?
Why are these struggles important?
What are some origin narratives around these struggles?
How can you get involved or make a difference?
Community Building
FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE
Anti-Casino Struggle
Casinos are bad for people and neighborhoods. Find out more about the fight against a predatory industry that destroys families and communities. Read more.
Greening Our Community
Children learn that they can make a difference in the world by actually making positive change. Read more about AAU’s youth leadership programs.
CREATING CULTURE
Mid-Autumn Festival
Every year, thousands of people gather under the full moon to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. People gather to reclaim old traditions and establish new ones, and in so doing, assert their right to exist as a community. Read more.
MAKING SPACES
Mid-Autumn Festival
AAU’s Mid-Autumn Festival creates a time when people come together in an expression of community pride and collective responsibility. Youth give a day of service, restaurants donate food, artists offer their talents, businesses and organizations chip in money – hundreds of people work together to make the festival our own. Read more.
How FACTS Got Started
Celebrating the founding of the Folk Arts–Cultural Treasures Charter School is a yearly ritual at our school. By telling and retelling the story of our founding, we get to talk with kids about how it can take years of struggle and lots of people working together to realize our dreams for our community. Read about Founders’ Day Stories and testimonies.