Hey Garden(ers),
We know the past two weeks have been heavy and felt like it's own year. In the face of everything going on, we must continue to remind ourselves, and not lose hope, that building community is how we will survive, thrive, and protect each other.
Most of us are on high alert for many reasons, one of which is ICE (U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and its harassment in our local communities. Here are some helpful guides to consider if you think you have spotted ICE, how to report it to your local rapid response network, and what to do if you are approached by ICE. Neighborhoods are protecting their communities from ICE and shooing them away, others are organizing carpools and creating community care teams. When posting about confirmed ICE activity, remember we want to spread information and not panic.
Did you know that Tuesday, January 28th is National Data Privacy Day? Our personal data is often collected and used in various ways. Unless we practice discernment, our data can be redistributed legally and illegally. Click here to learn some steps you can take to protect yourself and check out this informational video.
Wednesday the 29th brings the start of the Lunar New Year. As folks across the Asian diaspora celebrate with the new moon all over the world, we hope this year brings in more clarity, joy, and community.
🐣The next Parents Meetup will be this Friday January 31st at 5pm PST! This meeting will be an unfacilitated casual meetup for parents and an intentional space to connect. RSVP here!
🎨Skyriver will be guiding us into Imagination & Creative Space, an open space and time to work on creative projects, and crafts, on February 1st at 12pm PST. Finish an old project, start a new skill, follow the offered prompt or do your own thing. Joy is resistance. Imagination is the path to liberation. You can RSVP!
💼For the Severance fans in the room, we'll be streaming the 1st 3 episodes of the second season on Saturday, February 1st at 5pm PST.
🐲 Join Dan every other week to watch drag queens slay dragons in this dark, macabre, and often hilarious fantasy world brought to you by Dropout.tv and Dimension20. Dungeons & Drag Queens S1 Watch Party features the on screen stylings of Monét X Change, Alaska Thunderfuck, Bob the Drag Queen and Jujubee! Episodes range from 2-3 hours. The next session is Monday February 3rd at 5pm PST! RSVP here!
💔Saturday, February 15th at 6pm PST, we will be bringing the internationally acclaimed tour "Cupid Ain't @#$%!: An Anti-Valentine's Day Poetry Movement" to GatherTown! Part heartbreak, political rants, bitter love poems and YOU, this poetry event will have various featured artists and an open mic portion. Come ready for the haiku slam if you'd like to be dubbed the Anti-Valentine's Day Slam Champion! RSVP here!
🌟 Join the Ultimate Connect Four Showdown! 🌟 Get ready for a thrilling battle of wits and strategy! We are hosting a Connect Four Tournament on Thursday, February 22nd, at 2 PM PST—Walk away with bragging rights AND a $50 cash prize! (to be venmo-ed or cashapped to the winner!). Don't miss out, and RSVP!
🫁 Want to increase your lung capacity? Come to Breathing in the Knowledge Nursery! Every weekday at 9am PST. RSVP here!
🥣 Grab your favorite cereal for dinner and watch anime & cartoons with us at Monday Night Cereal! Join us every other Monday at 5pm PST. January 27th, we're watching people's grandpas and little brothers get stolen for the sake of a children's card game. Your move! Read more about the event here.
🎥 Name That Movie (Night!) is Wednesday at 5:30pm PST! This week's movie is a horror about a Black man that must fight for his body and life to get out of his new girlfriend's suburban family home. Think you know what it is? Come thru and find out! RSVP via the visit page.
🫂 The next session of Chronic Illness and Long Covid Support Group will be this Thursday January 30th from 5:30pm-7:30pm PST with Chanelle! Navigating everything that comes with chronic illness can be difficult - from managing symptoms to experiencing grief over missing your pre-illness life. This is a peer support space where we can share our feelings about living with any chronic/long-term illness, including long Covid, during an ongoing pandemic. RSVP via the calendar on the visit page.
🪷 Stretch it out as Caroline leads us in another weekly afternoon Yoga sesh this Friday at 2:15pm PST by streaming a yoga video from YouTube and following along. Videos will be between 25-45 minutes long between easy to moderate pace. Drop ins are always welcome! RSVP via the calendar on the visit page.
🛏️Ru and Chanelle are back at it again to host another installment of queer-British-teen-tv-show slumber party marathons! It's time for some Sex Education! Pull up to the Up All Night Room in your coziest winter jammies, with tasty snacks and a sippy drink. Join Friday at 6pm PST to watch the next episodes. Let's talk about sex, baby! RSVP for a reminder!
🦾 Self Defense Discussion Series with Caroline will be Sundays at 8am PST. Each group includes reading, discussion and (potential) movement on self-defense principles! In these politically challenging times, it is especially important for our collective liberation and self-care to learn self-defense. RSVP via the visit page!
📺 Join us every 3rd Saturday of the month at 11am PST for Garden Ghibli, where we view a Ghibli movie and attempt to make our way to watch all the magical Ghibli movies! RSVP here!
😷 Hang out, chill and play games with Black folks who take COVID precautions at Bonfire in Garden every 3rd Saturday! The next Bonfire is February 15th at 5pm PST. RSVP here.
💻 Do you work from home and sometimes feel a little too isolated from others? Come Co-Work with us in Garden! We are a 24/7 drop in space for folks to join to co-work silently, listen to music, play a game or chat amongst each other in the chat box.
🖼️Due February 15th, the Long Meadow Art Residency is a six week to three month solo residency in the Berkshires. The residency provides a $3,000 monthly living stipend, a $2,500 supply budget, as well as access to a vehicle for transportation.
🌌Self as Universe: Mending Our Collective Ecosystem is open to artists of all disciplines who have demonstrated an established dialogue with environmental and cultural issues, this residency invites artists to explore the connections within our collective ecosystems and use the power of imagination to heal the wounds in the relationship between ourselves and our communities. Recipients will be provided $3,000 as a stipend and $2,000 towards materials. Deadline: February 24, 2025
🍉 Centering Palestine has a zoom every Tuesday at 5pm PST, along with other resources to show up for Palestine available here.
😷World Health Network has a weekly call to organize community members against mask bans every Friday at 12pm PST.
❓Q: Should Garden host more events for single/available people to meet? Fill out this survey to let us know what you think!
🌻 We are looking to open Garden up to more community orgs who would like to share space with us here. If you are part of an org that may benefit from office/event space here, please email info@meetatgarden.com
💌Don't forget, we can design and host non-Garden virtual events too.
Until next our avatars meet,
🪄Al, 😻Gata & 🪻J Mase
PS: Have a one-time-event or a recurring event and need a place to host? Email us at info@meetatgarden.com!
Garden is a free 24/7 space, but it does cost money for us to maintain it on Gather.Town. If you'd like to donate to this work, consider throwing some money in the pot here. To send donations directly through our 501c3 fiscal sponsor, email us!