Flint Community Listening Sessions,

About the event

Flint Listening Sessions: Shaping the Future for Health Equity, Economic Justice, and Collective Liberation

Duration: Fall 2023 - Spring 2024

Description:
The Flint Listening Sessions are a series of community engagement events aimed at fostering active participation and input from Flint residents regarding concerns of health equity, economic justice, and collective liberation. These sessions provide a platform for community members to directly guide future programming and campaign efforts in Flint.

The primary goal of the Listening Sessions is to create an inclusive and empowering space where community voices are heard, valued, and incorporated into the decision-making processes. By engaging in open dialogue, community members will have the opportunity to share their perspectives, insights, and lived experiences related to health equity, economic justice, and collective liberation.

Throughout the duration of the sessions, a diverse range of topics will be explored, including barriers to accessing healthcare, economic disparities, affordable housing, environmental justice, racial and social inequities, and other pressing issues affecting the well-being and advancement of the community.

The Listening Sessions will be facilitated by trained professionals who will ensure a safe and respectful environment for participants to express their thoughts and ideas. Various formats, such as small group discussions, town hall meetings, and interactive workshops, will be utilized to encourage active and meaningful participation.

The insights and recommendations provided by community members through these sessions will serve as the foundation for shaping future programming initiatives and campaign efforts in Flint. The goal is to align community needs and aspirations with tangible actions and strategies that promote health equity, economic justice, and collective liberation.

Community organizations, local leaders, and stakeholders will actively collaborate and participate in the Listening Sessions, fostering a sense of collective responsibility and shared purpose. By engaging in these meaningful conversations and strategic planning, we aim to co-create a brighter and more equitable future for Flint.

Join us at the Flint Listening Sessions and let your voice be heard as we work together towards a community-driven and inclusive approach for positive transformation.

Why should you sponsor?

There are several compelling reasons why a person or organization should consider sponsoring the Flint Listening Sessions:

1. Community Impact: Sponsoring the listening sessions demonstrates a commitment to the Flint community and its residents. It shows that you value their perspectives and are invested in addressing the concerns of health equity, economic justice, and collective liberation. By supporting this initiative, you contribute to positive change and help create a more inclusive and empowered community.

2. Reputation and Public Image: Sponsors of the Flint Listening Sessions can enhance their reputation and public image. By aligning with a community-driven and inclusive initiative, you demonstrate your organization's dedication to social responsibility, community engagement, and meaningful impact. This can positively influence how individuals and other organizations perceive your brand or mission.

3. Networking and Collaboration Opportunities: Sponsors of the listening sessions gain access to networking opportunities with community leaders, local organizations, and stakeholders. This can foster valuable connections and partnerships that may lead to mutually beneficial collaborations in the future. Engaging with like-minded individuals and organizations can expand your network and create opportunities for collective action and problem-solving.

4. Brand Awareness and Exposure: Sponsoring the Flint Listening Sessions provides visibility and exposure for your brand or organization. As these sessions involve active community participation and engagement, your sponsorship will be recognized and acknowledged, increasing awareness of your involvement and commitment to social causes. This exposure can positively impact brand recognition, reach, and credibility.

5. Contributing to Sustainable Change: The Listening Sessions aim to shape future programming and campaign efforts based on community input. By sponsoring this initiative, you directly contribute to sustainable change by supporting programs and campaigns that address critical issues such as health equity, economic justice, and collective liberation. You become an essential part of the solution and contribute to long-term positive impact in Flint.

6. Employee Engagement and Morale: Supporting community-oriented initiatives like the Flint Listening Sessions can boost employee engagement and morale. Employees are more likely to feel proud and motivated to work for an organization that actively supports and invests in the betterment of communities. Sponsoring these sessions can demonstrate your organization's commitment to social causes, inspiring employees and fostering a sense of purpose and pride.

7. Influence and Decision-making: Sponsors of the Flint Listening Sessions have the opportunity to contribute to discussions and decision-making processes. Your input and expertise can bring valuable perspectives and insights to the table, shaping the direction and outcomes of discussions and community initiatives. By being actively involved, you can help ensure that community needs and aspirations are effectively addressed.

Overall, sponsoring the Flint Listening Sessions offers a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact, enhance your organization's reputation, foster collaborations, increase brand visibility, contribute to sustainable change, and engage employees in purpose-driven initiatives. It is a chance to be part of a collective effort towards a more equitable and empowered Flint community.

Crystallee Crain

Crystallee Crain Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is an interdisciplinary public health scholar and human rights activist. She has academic roots in sociology, political science, and psychology. She specializes in exposing the layers of institutional inequality while supporting communities to shift ways of being and practice to improve life chances by bridging the worlds of academia, healing, and advocacy. Crystallee’s body of work represents a collective need to strengthen our responses to violence through transformative means, the need for liberatory practices, and a focus on healing as a revolutionary strategy for change. Crystallee holds an academic appointment with California State University – East Bay in the Department of Political Science and at Simmons University in the Masters of Public Health Program (Health Equity). She’s also the elected board chair of the Seeding Justice Foundation (PDX). Crystallee is the Founder & Principal Consultant of Prevention at the Intersections, which works to prevent violence and other forms of harm through community-based research and people-centered projects.  At Prevention at the Intersections, she publishes two open-access journals, CATALYST and The Beauty of Black Creation. Recently, the 2nd Edition of her textbook - A People’s Primer: Dispatches on Politics & Social Change (2022), was released.

Dr. Crain facilitates trainings with an emphasis on trauma, prevention science, and community capacity-building. She has worked with organizations across the country to support them in actualizing social justice and people-centered values in the development and implementation of their mission and vision. Clients have included: the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), Justice Outside (California), The Oregon Alliance, San Francisco Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership (SFCIPP), Community Cycling Center, State of California, Clackamas County, University of California, Partnership for a Hunger-Free Oregon, and Dress for Success Oregon.  
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Crystallee earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Transformative Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA. She holds a Master of Arts in Social Sciences (a concentration in Sociology from Eastern Michigan University), and a Bachelors of Science in Political Science from Northern Michigan University. In 2013 she received executive training in Health and Human Rights from the School of Public Health at Harvard University. Dr. Crain has served as a member of the Alameda County Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Commission, The City of Portland's Human Rights Commission, and is a current member of the American Psychological Association and the American Evaluation Association. 

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