Hey Garden(ers)!

Summer is here, and we can feel it with these wild high temperatures! Try to stay cool, and don't forget to stay hydrated while we try to survive yet another surge.

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New Events

⏲️Our events are typically listed in Pacific Standard Time (PST). Need help converting PST to your time zone? Check out this handy WorldTimeBuddy clock!

💖 Garden(ers) over 35+ can join the 35+ Meetup which has been moved to Sunday July 21st at 1pm PST! RSVP on the calendar on Garden's visit page!

🪩Also, this July 21st issa Full Moon (in Capricorn) party! Junia will be hosting the next Slooowww Dance Jam (for Black folks) at 2pm-4pm PST. Come breath, stretch, dance and slow down together (+ shake some ass too). The theme will be "Dark Femme Supremacy" as we vibe to a playlist of all dark-skinned women and gender-expansive artists. Feel free to listen and add your own suggestions here. RSVP via the visit page!

♠️ We'll be hosting a Spades Tournament Tuesday July 23rd at 5:30pm PST. Winner gets $25 and bragging rights. RSVP on the visit page! And because you all asked, we will be having a Spades Teach-In Clinic the week before on Tuesday the 16th at 5:30pm PST for those that would like some time to practice and/or learn!

🎮Saturday, July 27th at 1pm PST, embrace your devious nature and play Among Us with us! Download the app on your phone or via Steam on your laptop, and meet us for a private game! RSVP!

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Ongoing events in Garden

🫁 Want to increase your lung capacity? Come to Breathing with BJ in the Knowledge Nursery! Every weekday at 9am PST. RSVP here!

🎥 Name That Movie (Night!) is Wednesday at 5:30pm PST! This week's movie is a stylized horror-comedy where partners search for answers following the murder of a pizza delivery driver. Think you know what it is? Come thru and find out!

🪷 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.

🫂The next session of Chronic Illness and Long Covid Support Group is on Thursday July 18th at 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.

😷 Hang out, chill and play games with Black folks who take COVID precautions at the Bonfire in Garden! Every 3rd Saturday of the month from 5-8pm PST. The next Bonfire is Saturday, July 20th and will be featuring a special art exhibit by Trans-Queer Ghanaian photographer Famehodiɛ Ɔkyeame! RSVP via the calendar on the visit page.

💻 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.

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Opportunities

🖥️For Black queer and trans women, nonbinary people and allies, black remote she offers different resources for those seeking remote work, including a job board!

👠Strippers United welcomes mutual aid requests on a rolling basis from swers, cammers, strippers and other related community members!

🎬ITVS has an open call due July 12th to support filmmakers finish their single, nonfiction documentary for public media—whether you’re an emerging filmmaker or a veteran producer.

📍Funding for Social Change has compiled a list of over 800 grants (and growing!) that is one of many resources you can access in Garden's Enchanted Library via the Main, Stone, Gems and Tree House rooms! Support this vital Queer Woman of Color-led initiative by donating to their patreon.

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Announcements & Actions

📢Whether you live in Los Angeles or not, please leave a comment for the LA Board of Supervisors telling them to condemn any proposed mask bans or restrictions. Comment today before Monday July 8th at 4pm PST! On this page, scroll to the bottom and click Public Comment!

🍉Centering Palestine has a zoom every Tuesday at 5pm PST, along with other resources to show up for Palestine available here.

🌿Garden is once again in a position to offer free Rapid Antigen Tests to up to 10 Garden(ers). If interested, please fill out this form no later than July 10th. Tests will be mailed by the month's end. ALL Garden(ers) are eligible with priority given to those who fall into one or more of these categories: 1. Low income 2. Disabled and/or Immunocompromised 3. Working in person 4. Caretakers of children and/or adults 5. Those living in a multi-person household. If approved, you will receive a follow up form so we know where you'd like your RAT's sent. If you filled out this form prior, but did not get a follow up form, please check your spam folder.

🩰For those that attended A Day of Ballet w/ Ashley & Caroline, a document with links and resources can be found here.

✊🏾We want to give a special thank you to Black Trans Media who is sponsoring one month of Garden's hosting fees! Black Trans Media is a project based in Brooklyn led by and for Black Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) communities that works at the intersections of arts, media, education, and organizing to address racism and transphobia.

🌻 We are looking to open Garden up to 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

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Vendor of the Week

🌱We want to shout out some of the wonderful vendors led by BIPOC folks who are taking covid mitigations that we've had grace Garden. This week, we are highlighting Riotous Roots! From the vendor: "Riotous Roots is run by Rise, queer Black disabled femmeboi. Their heartworm is providing affirmation, fun, corny jokes and emotional support to queer trans and gender expansive folks of color navigating the fullness of their lives." Their Goods Include a sticker shop of queer, trans and nonbinary affirming, covid cautious affirming and birthworker stickers. Their Services Include Grounding & Meditation: group and individual sessions, Reproductice work: birth, postpartum, abortion and grief & loss support, Care work: Medical Industrial Complex Peer Support - consult 1-on-1 with tgncq folks of color who interact with medical providers and/or who've had difficult or traumatic experiences already and would like to process. Starting July 12th, they are hosting a 12 week long immersion series called Disability Justice Grounded Birthwork for all birthworkers, doulas, birthkeepers and folks who do reproductive care and support.

Find their shop & website here. Information about their 12 week class is here!

Disability Justice Grounded Birthwork: An Immersion Series!
Disability Justice Grounded Birthwork: An Immersion Series, is a 12 week series on the intersections of Disability Justice and Reproductive Justice.

Until next our avatars meet!

😺 Gata

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!