Hey Garden(ers)!

We have a bunch of new events lined up coming up in August, be sure to check our New Events & Black August sections below and mark your calendars so you don't miss anything!

Side note: Have you watched Lola Germ's EPIC comprehensive Long COVID documentary on youtube? Lola touches upon why a lot of people (and doctors) don't know they have Long COVID, parallels of the ongoing COVID pandemic to the HIV epidemic, and more.

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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!

♠️ We'll be hosting a Spades Tournament tomorrow, Tuesday July 23rd at 5:30pm PST! Winner gets $25 and bragging rights. RSVP on the visit page!

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

🐦Have you prepared for the Avian Bird Flu? Join us for a community meeting on the Avian Bird Flu Friday, August 9th at 5:30pm PST. This is an informal discussion to learn from each other on what changes we have made to prepare, or what we plan to do to prepare for the impending next pandemic.

✍🏾Want to learn tips on grant writing? Check out our Grants 101 session on August 24th from 1-3pm PST! RSVP here!

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Black August Activities

Black August was founded as a form of prisoner protest in 1979 at San Quentin State Prison, when incarcerated folks, led by the Black Guerilla Family came together to honor the deaths of brothers Jonathan P. Jackson and George Jackson. Since then, it is a time to honor Black resistance and Freedom Fighters. Below are a set of events that we'll be hosting in Garden during August in commemoration of this time. RSVP for any of these events on Garden's visit page!

🪩The next Slooowww Dance Jam with Junia (for Black folks) will be August 4th at 2pm PST! Come breath, stretch, dance and slow down together (+ shake some ass too).

😷 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, August 17th and will lead into the below session Krik! Krak with Skyriver!

🌿 Krik! Krak! Honors Bwa Kayiman: (for Black folks) Under the August full moon of 1791 the Revolution that changed the world started with a gathering in Bwa Kayiman in Ayiti. Let us gather to honor this special day and create the conditions for our own freedom through traditional and contemporary Haitian rhythms, movements, meditation and discussion. Let us connect. Let us recharge. Let us be free. :) August 17th from 6pm-8pm PST.

☀️All That DEI & Still No Reparations?!?! (Open to All) is a workshop for those invested in moving beyond conversations into actionable steps towards repairing harm against Black communities in the United States and will take place August 31st from 1pm-4pm PST. It will cover:
- Defining Reparations
- A History of Reparations within the US
- Understanding Reparations Frameworks
- Current Reparations Models
- Identifying Roles People of all Racial Backgrounds Can Play in this Work
- Mapping Out Implementation

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Ongoing events in Garden

🫁 Want to increase your lung capacity? Come to Breathing 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 an action comedy starring a 94 year old actress in her first leading role, where she plays a grandma tracking down the phone scammer that stole everything from her. Part Mission Impossible, and part love letter to the director's own grandmother. 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 August sessions of Chronic Illness and Long Covid Support Group are Thursdays August 1st, 15 & 29th 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.

💻 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

🪶 A prize of $5,000 is given annually to a poet, fiction writer, or creative nonfiction writer to support the completion of a manuscript-in-progress via Granum Foundation. Up to three finalists will be awarded at least $500 each. A Translation Prize of at least $1,500 is also given. Submit 12 poems or up to 25 pages of prose by August 1.

💽PowerOn Individual Tech Grant is once again open to LGBTQIA+ folks in need of cell phones, tablets or computers and due July 28th. The Black Trans Prayer Book, our biggest sponsor, is recommending all LGBTQIA+ Garden(ers) with tech needs, for this opportunity. Email us before applying via info@meetatgarden.com so we can fill out the recommendation form!

🎸 Calling all musicians! We're looking for BIPOC musicians engaging in community care and pandemic safety to perform at our fall concert here in Garden on September 28, 2024 from 2-4pm PT/5-7pm ET! If you're interested, fill out the application by August 30th.

🖥️ Are you looking for remote or hybrid work? We're looking to have a job fair here in Garden in the fall! If you're interested in attending, please fill out this form.

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Announcements & Actions

📢 Interested in brainstorming ways to support one another's self-defense goals? Many of you witnessed Caroline's self-defense principles workshop during A Day of Ballet on June 29th. As a follow-up, she would like to keep up self-defense training and is looking into following the Liberation Martial Arts curriculum ideally with a consistent group interested in learning and/or training up in self-defense. Reach out to her in Garden (Caroline (she) NY 🍉) or over Signal: username FcapitalismFwork.03 !

🦺Check out this direct call from a Palestinian seeking to evacuate their family members.

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

🌻 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

🌱 This week, we are highlighting Jellolin Shop! From the vendor: "I make cute, pastel, rainbow froggy art & goods! 🐸 🌈 ♥️" Check out their shop here and their art here!

Until next our avatars meet!

😺 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!