Windham County Action Network (WeCAN)

“A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

    As we head into Fall, Friends and Colleagues, consider this your formal reminder to submit your group's Oct/Nov/Dec events to your Friendly WeCAN Admins at [email protected]. Your Weekly Email Update listing will reach approximately 500 households a week; with so many wonderful events happening in the coming months we want to make sure your group's gathering is represented. Happy Autumn and we hope to see you at an upcoming event soon!

HAPPENING TODAY, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd, 2018

Share the Harvest
sponsored by Edible Brattleboro, A Project of Post Oil Solutions
Sunday, September 23rd, 2018  at the Turning Point Garden (the corner of Elm Street and Frost Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 11am-1pm. Please bring your own bags.
Join Edible Brattleboro from 11am-1pm in our garden at Turning Point, on the corner of Elm and Frost Street (diagonally across from New England Youth Theatre) for free, locally grown veggies, herbs, and more. Please bring your own bags. All produce is free thanks to the generosity of local farmers and gardeners. We welcome donations from your garden. We also welcome donations of your time either on Saturdays or Sundays to keep the stand open through October.

Edible Brattleboro is in Need of Volunteers!
Sundays through October at the Turning Point Garden (corner of Elm and Frost Street, diagonally across the street from NYET, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 11am-1pm.
We need 4 volunteers every week - 2 on Saturdays to glean at the Farmers Market and 2 on Sundays to operate the stand. New volunteers are always paired with an experienced person. If you are interested, please email Marilyn ([email protected] or reply to this message).
Fresh veggies, herbs and more are available for F*R*E*E every Sunday thanks to the generosity of our local farmers and gardeners. Please bring your own bag.
PLEASE HELP US KEEP THE STAND OPEN THROUGH OCTOBER. WE ARE HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEASON AND NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS IN ORDER TO CONTINUE.

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HAPPENING THIS WEEK, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th, 2018-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th, 2018

Mother Up! Monthly Meet-Up
Monday September 24th, 2018 at KidsPLAYce (20 Elliot St., Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5:30pm-7:30pm. A vegetarian meal and childcare for ages 8 and under will be provided. RSVP helpful, but not required. Contact Abby Mnookin for more info at [email protected].
Mother Up!: Families Rise Up for Climate Action is a project of 350Vermont that brings together families to talk about the tough realities of climate change and to participate in the transition to a healthier and safer world. We'll continue on our theme of "adaptation." What does that word mean to you, and how does it relate to our changing climate?

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Climate Café Hosts Presentation on Vermont’s Wildlife in a Changing Climate
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Tuesday, September 25th, 2018 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT). 6pm-8pm. Free. Light refreshments will be available. For further information, contact Tim Stevenson, [email protected] or 802.869.2141.
The September Climate Café is pleased to host Tom Rogers of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department for a presentation about Vermont’s wildlife in a changing climate.  Vermonters of all ages are invited to attend.
Through colorful photos and captivating stories, the audience will come away with a new understanding of how climate change is affecting wildlife.  Rogers will talk about what people can do to help conserve biodiversity in Vermont in the face of these new threats.
“From warmer, wetter winters to increasingly severe storms, wildlife faces a variety of challenges from a changing climate,” said Rogers.  “We’ll discuss how different species might continue to respond to many of these challenges and what conservationists are doing to address them.”
Tom Rogers is a biologist who has worked on a variety of conservation projects, researching zebras in Kenya, golden-winged warblers in New York, sage grouse and bald eagles in Wyoming, and grizzly bears in Montana.  Tom currently works in outreach for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, connecting the public with fish and wildlife through writing, speaking, and photography. 
The Climate Café is a project of Post Oil Solutions that convenes the 4th Tuesday of most months.

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Playing for Democracy, Part of the Brattleboro Democracy Forum and the Brown Bag Lunch Series
Wednesday, September 26th, 2018 at the River Garden (154 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 12pm-1pm. 
Martin Corbin is a multi-instrumentalist and mainstay of the Brattleboro music scene. He was a member of The Pickpocket Pickers, and formerly played in Slim Pickins, Bumperstiltskin, Worm and other local bands. He will be playing for democracy and equal civil rights for all people.
Martin will be joined by his friend Moss. They will perform some vocal tunes but mostly instrumental- guitar, mandolin, viola. Styles include jazz, bluegrass, and rock. Mostly covers with a few originals. Join us!

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Building Community Resilience in the Age of Trump
a presentation by Post Carbon Institute and sponsored by Post Oil Solutions & Everyone’s Books
Wednesday, September 26th, 2018 at 118 Elliot Street (118 Elliot Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm-8:30pm. This event is free, though donations will be gratefully accepted, and light refreshments will be available. For further information, contact Tim Stevenson, [email protected] or 802.869.2141.

Post Oil Solutions and Everyone’s Books is pleased to host a talk by Asher Miller and Rob Dietz of the Post Carbon Institute on the topic “Building Community Resilience in the Age of Trump."
It seems that everywhere we turn — politically, economically, environmentally — things are awry. Sadly, we’re likely to experience even more disruption and shocks in the months and years to come as the full effects of climate change, resource scarcity, and economic uncertainty and inequality are felt. Worse, many of our nation’s leaders are not only failing to address these issues, they are determined to make them harder to solve.
While resistance and political engagement on the national scale are critical, it is likely that the greatest progress and most important interventions will happen at the local level. Join us for a thought-provoking and inspiring exploration of what it means to build community resilience in the Age of Trump.
Founded in 2003, Post Carbon Institute is a think tank which provides information and analysis on climate change, energy scarcity, and other issues related to sustainability and long term social resilience. Asher Miller is the Executive Director of Post Carbon Institute; Rob Dietz is its Program Director.

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Protest Vigil at TD Bank
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Friday, September 28th, 2018 (and every Friday) at TD Bank Brattleboro (215 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT). In front of the building. 12pm-1pm. Signs will be provided
TD is a major investor in Tar Sands. TD helps to fund the Dakota Access Pipeline. What You Can Do (besides attending the vigils): If you’re a TD depositor, change banks! Founded in 2005, Post Oil Solutions is a 501c3 community organizing project in Southeastern Vermont whose mission is to help empower the people of the Central Connecticut River Valley bioregion in this era of global warming and climate change to develop sustainable, resilient , collaborative, and socially just communities leading to a self- and community-sufficient post petroleum society.

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The Bi-Weekly Solidarity Vigil
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Friday, September 28th, 2018 at the Windham Hotel Corner (across from Flat Iron Café, Bellows Falls, VT). 1pm-2pm.  
A vigil of community, solidarity and diversity. We are one cause of peace, freedom & social justice for all living beings. Bring signs expressing your passion and concerns.

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Abolish Columbus Day
Friday, October 5th, 2018, Location TBD. 6:30pm-8:30pm.
Saturday, October 6th, 2018, Location TBD. 9:30am-3:30pm. Contact [email protected] for more information. 
Save the date! Indigo Institute will sponsor Abolish Columbus Day: 500+ years of white supremacy, exploitation, accumulation of wealth. Then, on Saturday, continue the conversation from 9:30am-3:30pm with a teacher-in to discuss colonization and voices of resistance in US history. Professional
Development credits available through Spark Teacher Training. More details to come!
The Indigo Institute deepens knowledge of the world. It makes connections by creating learning experiences for schools, universities, and community organizations. Participants focus on reflection and action. 

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Public Healthcare Forum with Windham County Candidates for State Senate
sponsored by the Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign of the VT Workers’ Center
Wednesday, October 10th, 2018, at the Centre Congregational Church (193 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in the Parlor. 7pm-9pm. Childcare and language interpretation are available upon request to [email protected] or 802-257-4436. The event takes place in a handicap accessible space. Information about health care will be available and doors will open at 6:15pm for people to check out the information and enjoy light refreshments.
Members of the public are invited to attend this forum to learn about the candidates’ views on healthcare concerns of people in Windham County and to ask questions of the candidates. All Windham County legislative candidates have been invited.  

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Two Workshops with Sherri Mitchell, Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice Activist
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Healing Our Collective Trauma and Reconnecting with Our Spiritual Source + Healing Our Divisions and Biases and Unifying Our Movements
Saturday, October 27th, 2018 - Sunday, October 28th, 2018 at the Winston Prouty Campus (209 Austine Drive, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) in Croker Hall on the 4th Floor. 9am-5pm. Handicapped accessible. Updated location/instructions to follow closer to event. We will only accommodate the first 50 people that register, with a wait list beyond. The minimum participants are 20; we will cancel if we get less than this, and reimburse registrants accordingly. People are encouraged to bring a bag lunch and snacks for themselves, or to share. Registration: $125.00. Write & Mail Check to Post Oil Solutions, P. O. Box 431, Townshend, VT  05353, (note “Sherri Mitchell”  in memo line). Please include e-mail address and phone number.
Healing Our Collective Trauma and Reconnecting with Our Spiritual Source
Description: This one-day workshop will take participants on a journey into Native American mythology and cosmology, as a means of healing our collective wounds and reconnecting with spiritual source. We have all been impacted by histories of violence. The oppressed, the oppressor, and the witness alike bear the wounds of our collective past. Together, we will look at the psychic and spiritual wounds that we all share and learn how we can untangle their hold on our hearts and minds. Participants will be asked to look at the history that led to this traumatization and explore how it continues to impact their lives. We will also learn how to hold sacred space for one another while our trauma is present. In this process, we will learn that there is a safe space for us to occupy together, whole and intact. Then, we can begin the process of healing our divisions, so that we can go back and claim a new future for all living beings.
Healing Our Divisions and Biases and Unifying Our Movements
Description: This one-day workshop provides participants with an opportunity to look at the divisions and biases, including hidden biases, that have been built into our societies and ideologies. We will look at the divisions created by our shared history, the biases informed by that history, and the ways that they prevent us from joining our movements. We will learn how to find interest convergence points that enable us to work with one another across these divisions, and how to manage the intersectionality of the emerging movement of movements. 
REFUND POLICY FOR PARTICIPANT CANCELLATION: People can get a refund of the full price if they cancel 10 days prior to the event; after that they can get 50% up to 5 days before the event. If they fail to cancel before that time they will get a 25% refund up to 48 hours before the event and no refund within 48 hours. 

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RESOURCE FOR WeCAN: Rapid Response Text Alert System

When WeCAN began Song & Solidarity set up a Rapid Response Text Alert System for WeCAN Groups. Directions for signing up are on WeCAN's website, here: https://www.wecantogether.net/rapid_response We were reminded of the Rapid Response text alerts system as President Trump moves towards firing Mueller. In the event Mueller is fired, MoveOn is planning a nation-wide simultaneous protest. The trick will be to get the word out fast if/when the time comes. We are grateful to Song and Solidarity for providing this service.

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STANDING REGULAR MEETINGS

Lost River Racial Justice, Black Lives Matter-South, and People Of Color Caucus Regular Meeting
Reoccurring racial justice organizing meetings every 2nd Monday at The Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio of the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) on the First Floor. 6pm-8pm. Childcare provided. Fragrance & nut free space.  

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Youth 4 Change

Meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month from 5:30pm-8pm. 
For more information please contact Youth 4 Change at [email protected].
Agenda:
5:30pm: Drop in homework time and art making
6:00pm: Food
6:30pm: Meeting and Organizing
Youth 4 Change is for local-area youth 12-22 interested in political organizing around local/state/national social justice issues that are important to them. Brattleboro area advocates and educators are holding a space, and assisting youth in building a strong personal tool kit to organize for change.  Using a variety of creative methods, we aim to enable youth with tools for resilience, courage and compassion, while fostering their ability to speak up about issues that matter to them, and to take action in the name of love and liberation for all people.  Come explore issues of racial, economic and gender justice through art, movement, first-hand accounts and contemplative practices. Connect with area youth around the issues that matter to you and strengthen your tool kit for action! 

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Alternatives to Suicide 
Every Wednesday, 6pm-7:30pm at the Hive Space (24 Flat St, Suite 202, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). Second Floor, up one flight of stairs.
Alternatives to Suicide is a mutual support group open to anyone who has experienced thoughts of suicide. The group is guided by a charter of values provided by the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community. The group is non-clinical and does not link suicide with illness.  Participants are free to talk about and find meaning in their experiences in/on their own terms. 

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ONGOING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING 

Indigo Radio
Sundays at 12pm on Brattleboro Community Radio 107.7FM
To stream live: Visit www.wvew.org 
Indigo Radio, deepening understanding and making connections! IndigoRadio is a group of area educators seeking to learn through engaging with others in our community and throughout the world. We will be talking about educational and social issues both globally and locally and connecting them to our lives and Brattleboro community. Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indigoradiowvew/. For archive recordings of past shows: https://soundcloud.com/user-654648353

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Have a great week, WeCAN Family. And thank you once again for all that you do to for your community. 

Your {{ broadcaster.name }},

Joanna and Leslie