Windham County Action Network (WeCAN)

“Our swing voter is not red-to-blue; our swing voter is the voter to the non-voter, the non-voter to the voter...I don’t think that swing voters decide based on (which) candidate has run to the middle the most. I know people who are swing voters, and when I think about how they decide, they don’t say, ‘Oh I’m voting for this person because they became the most Republican out of the whole race to earn my vote’ … Expanding the electorate is the path.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

     It's almost November and you know what that means--it's time to turn non-voters into voters with encourage our neighbors to Lean Left!

     Learn more about how to get involved HERE; you can volunteer to knock on doors, make calls or texts, and use your talents to TURN OUT VOTERS. Can you donate $30, knock 30 doors, or make 30 dials in the next week? Challenge a friend to do the same and together we can Lean Left this November. 

HAPPENING TODAY, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12th, 2018

Share the Harvest
sponsored by Edible Brattleboro, A Project of Post Oil Solutions
Sunday, October 14th, 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 NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS IN ORDER TO CONTINUE.

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The Putney Huddle
Sunday, October 14th, 2018 at the Putney Public Library ( 55 Main Street, Putney, VT). 1:30pm-3:30pm.
The Putney Huddle is excited to welcome guest speakers from our local NAACP, candidate for state representative of District 1, Sara Coffey. Join us in a Local Love Brigade Post Card Action and hear the latest from our Southern Vermont Sister District.
Tentative Schedule 
1:15pm Early Bird Activity - Local Love Brigade postcards
1:30pm Introductions
1:35pm Huddle Announcements
1:40pm Senator Jeanette White 
1:50pm Nader Hashim introduces Sara Coffey and flipping district 1
2:30pm NAACP
3:10pm Group Announcements
3:15pm Sister District Postcards for Jenn Alford-Teaster

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HAPPENING THIS WEEK, MONDAY, OCTOBER 15th, 2018-SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21st, 2018

Vermont Crime Victim Listening Forum 
Monday, October 15th, 2018 at Brattleboro Union High School (113 Fairground Road, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 6pm-7:30pm.
The Center for Crime Victim Services is hosting a second series of forums around Vermont to provide an opportunity for all victims and survivors of crime, including business owners and family members, to share their experiences in the criminal justice system. Our goal is to ensure Vermont’s system is fair, accountable, and responsive to victim needs. Local stakeholders and service providers will be on hand to listen and provide support.
Can’t make the event? Feeling shy about public speaking? Your feedback is important and we still want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] We hope to see you there! 

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Youth Workshop on Trauma-Informed Organizing
Monday, October 15th, 2018 at The Root Social Justice Center (28 Williams St., Brattleboro, 05301). First Floor. 6pm-8pm. Gather/Food at 5:30pm.. Contact: [email protected]. Open to youth 12-22 only.
Youth 4 Change, a project of the Root Social Justice Center, is hosting community and youth advocate Deb Witkus, who will lead the group in exploring how personal, social, historical, and ancestral trauma shapes our communities and our organizing, and skills for taking informed action. 

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VT Workers' Center Membership Orientation
Tuesday, October 16th, 2018 at The Root Social Justice Center (28 Williams St, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) First Floor. 6:30pm-8pm. Contact: [email protected]
The roots of the VT Workers' Center, its organizing principles and strategic framework, the structure that facilitates our democratic, all-member-run organization, and what being a member is all about. Questions and discussion encouraged. Non-members and members welcome.   

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Local Canvasser Training for the VT Democratic Party
Saturday, October 20th, 2018 at the Village Square Booksellers (32 Square, Bellows Falls, VT 05101). 10am.
Contact Rockingham Town Democratic Committee member Susan Still [email protected] to let her know you are coming.
The Rockingham Town Democratic Committee needs your help to identify our voters and encourage them to vote in the midterms on November 6th. Please sign up to be a local canvasser and attend a short training by a field organizer from the VT Democratic Party on Saturday, October 20 at 10 am at the Village Square Booksellers in Bellows Falls. This election is important in itself and is also a rehearsal for 2020! 
Following the training, you will select the neighborhood you want to canvass using voter lists provided. Teams of two volunteers will knock on doors in Saxtons River and Bellows Falls on that Saturday. You can continue on the following days as your schedule allows. We will share our information with the state Democratic Party so that we can build a strong statewide database. Help us increase voter awareness and turnout!

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Critical Mass Ride
brought to you by 350Brattleboro, VBike, and Brattleboro Community Bike Clinic
Saturday, October 20th, 2018 at the Brattleboro Common (Park Place, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 3pm-4:30pm.
The Critical Mass bike ride that occurred on Saturday, Sept 8th as part of the Global Rise for Climate was the largest activist ride ever in the area & a sign of the emergence of a bike mobility revolution in our region.
If you loved the energy of this ride or if you wanted to be there but missed it, join us for another fun and empowering community ride! Kids and families welcome! Critical (and "Kidical") Mass rides have a unique way of energizing folks around bike mobility, transportation solutions and amplifying our collective ability and power to begin reclaiming our streets and communities. We need this, and we need YOU!
AGENDA:
3pm: This time, we'll be starting AND ending at the Brattleboro Common. We'll begin by getting organized, signing in, decorating bikes, and going over our route.
3:30pm: Begin Critical Mass ride. This will be a high-visibility downtown route!
4pm: End ride back at the Brattleboro Common. Celebrate with hot apple cider and solidarity in community.
Help us spread the word to help make this another successful critical mass ride!!
Image credit: Hugh D'Andrade

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Share the Harvest
sponsored by Edible Brattleboro, A Project of Post Oil Solutions
Sunday, October 21st, 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.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Mother Up! Monthly Meet-Up
Monday October 22nd, 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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Meet the Candidates: Candidate Forum for Windham-1 State Representative
hosted by the Broad Brook Grange
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2018 at the Guilford Central School (  School Street, Guilford, VT, 05301) in the Cafeteria. 7pm-8:30pm.
Featuring candidates Sarah Coffey (D) and Patrick Gilligan (R). Moderated by Rick Zamore. Refreshments will be served. 

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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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Advanced Backyard Composting Workshop
Sponsored by Living Earth Action Group. Made possible by a Grant from New England Grassroots Environmental Fund
Sunday, October 28th, 2018 at Main Street Arts (5 School Street, Saxtons River, VT). 1pm-4pm. Cost: $5-20 (suggested donation 'at the door'). No one turned away for lack of funds.  Register in advance: [email protected], 802-387-5779. Directions: 5 School Street, Saxtons River. Main Street Arts is at the intersection of School and Main Street. The house is the 2nd house on the right, but park cars at the elementary school.
"Crafting a recipe for an aerated backyard compost system is a critical element to successfully transform the rotting pile of food into a healthy soil amendment that also protects wildlife. An overview of the soil food web will help you understand how and why to create compost that benefits your soil while managing kitchen and yard waste. Learn how to construct a pile that applies principles of structure and density to ensure that your living compost can hold air and water, creating the conditions that diverse microbial populations need to thrive. Suitable for all levels of understanding, and applicable for all sizes of family and neighborhood compost systems."
Instructor: Cat Buxton is a community organizer, compost consultant and soil health educator. She runs Grow More, Waste Less and is founder of the Vermont Healthy Soils Coalition. She serves on the Board of Directors for Rural Vermont, the Soil Carbon Coalition, and Upper Valley Food Co-op.

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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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We look forward to see you at an event this week, Friends, as we meet our candidates, speak up about crime, and share the harvest. We can't wait to meet up and catch up with you soon!