Pop-Up Change Cafe

Change is messy. Alone, change can feel small; yet altogether, change can sometimes feel much too big. Every news cycle seems to overwhelm and, these days, many of are just tired. What comes next?, we ask each other and ourselves.

We are hosting this pop-up Change Cafe for us to collectively remember that change starts with community. Throughout the evening, Shout Mouse Press, My Sister's Place, and The National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens will lead us through deep conversations as our neighborhood guides to social good. We'll embrace multiplicity, complexity, and difficulty in our dialogues about amplifying underheard youth voices, empowering survivors of domestic violence, and rebuilding the lives of formerly incarcerated individuals.

Let us turn the question of "what comes next?" into the one we really want to answer -- what else is possible? Exploring all these possibilities takes our different lived experiences and perspectives. So, if you're interested in change, come make friends and make meaning with your neighbors. We invite you to step into our futures, together.

REGISTERING:

This event is free to attend! Registration is required and capped at 45 people so that everyone has a chance to really participate in the conversations. We welcome everyone interested in our nonprofits and issue areas to attend, regardless of any prior experience or expertise!

Feel free to invite your Facebook friends or anyone you like discussing tough issues with to join you there! This event is 21+.

ATTENDING:

The venue is a 2-min walk from the U Street/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo metro station on the Green and Yellow lines.

When you arrive, look for a sign pointing you towards a private room on the third floor (stairs only). You can check in with us, order on your own from the main bar on the ground floor (see the menu, non-alcoholic options available), and mingle until the event begins. Doors close at 6:30 to ensure minimal interruptions to our conversations.

Since this event is capped, please email Amanda at [email protected] if you're no longer able to attend so we can let someone else have your spot!

COVID-19 POLICY:

Full vaccination (initial doses + booster) is required to attend this event. Masks are encouraged if desired.

OUR PARTNERS:

Shout Mouse Press centers and amplifies the voices of marginalized youth (ages 12+) via writing workshops, book publication, and public speaking opportunities. They believe that everyone deserves and needs to see themselves in the stories they read, and that by listening to the stories we tell each other, we learn empathy, diplomacy, reflection, and grace.

My Sister's Place shelters, supports, and empowers survivors of domestic violence and their children, while providing leadership and education to build a supportive community. They are one of DC's oldest domestic violence shelters, provided DC's first domestic violence hotline, and today offers a full continuum of care, from emergency shelter through transitional-to-permanent housing, in addition to providing trauma-informed case management and wraparound services.

The National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens helps the formerly incarcerated and imprisoned to rebuild and restore their lives through committed advocacy and support. Their vision is to reinvest in safe and healthy communities using restorative practices, and to create more living wage jobs, permanent housing, and economic self-sufficiency for returning citizens.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Sudhouse DC, 1340 U Street Northwest, Washington, United States