Produced for Radical Partners by The New Tropic Creative Studio
Hey there, Miami.
Every year since 2016, the local social impact accelerator group, Radical Partners, puts on 10 Days of Connection, a 10-day initiative meant to spark connection in our community. From May 1 to May 10, events are held all across Miami-Dade — from peer-led workshops to yoga classes, storytelling pop-ups and art gallery tours to hard conversations, there is literally something planned for everyone.
Let’s dive in.
Okay, okay, so what’s the 4-1-1 on 10 Days of Connection?
The 10 Days of Connection is a community-led movement that was born in Miami to challenge divisiveness. We’ve all noticed that in recent years, people have become increasingly divided across lines of difference. Incidents of hate have increased and tolerance for differing ideas has decreased. In order to challenge that divisiveness, for 10 days each year (May 1 – 10), we offer dozens of safe spaces for the community to collide, learn from and about others, celebrate our differences, and weave strong connections.
How do we create these spaces? A host committee of 170+ powerful organizations and leaders design ‘connection experiences’ or free events for the community to safely step out of their comfort zones, meet strangers, learn something new, and widen their perspectives while they’re at it.
For 2022, the host committee of 170+ organizations and leaders is offering 80+ connection experiences (virtual, hybrid, or in-person), all in a mission to increase understanding and build empathy. Radical Partners, a Miami-based social impact accelerator, supports all leaders and organizations with everything they need to make it happen (workshops, resources, partners, and more!) Join them and take the connection challenge by registering for 1 or more connection experiences here: https://www.10daysofconnection.org/2022-calendar.
What inspires your work and what sets you apart from everyone else?
Strong and inclusive communities drive our work! We believe in the power of people of all kinds and their collective impact, and that is the beauty of the 10 Days of Connection. Everyone is welcome and everyone plays a role in shaping this movement: from the funders who fuel it, to hosts organizing connection experiences, to participants who show up year after year with a thirst to challenge divisiveness. Whether you are part of an intense event, such as a refugee simulation experience, or one as fun and lighthearted as a family picnic, everyone takes away something meaningful.
We are also inspired by initiatives with similar missions around the country like Welcoming America, Belonging Begin with Us and the Collective Change Lab.
What sets us apart? How everyone has an important role to play and the intersectionality of it all. Connection experiences are safe spaces for people to show up as themselves, willing to connect across lines of difference. They are meant to be enjoyed at varying levels of intensity, however, people are ready. The magic is to travel in your own city and to be exposed to experiences, ideas, and people that you are not used to day-to-day. Think of a person in your life who you clash with, disagree with their views, or even dislike. Now, imagine having a meal, watching a movie, doing an activity, or simply having a raw conversation with them to understand their point of view with no particular agenda. These are the moments that make the 10 Days of Connection powerful, and we hope for them to surpass even beyond these 10 Days.
What other organizations are you inspired by?
Every organization we come in contact with that is involved in the 10 Days of Connection! And that’s quite a few. Learn who they are and why they care at https://www.10daysofconnection.org.
To mention some, we’re inspired by ACLU of FL, the Farmworkers Association of Florida, and Sant La who are coming together to present A Night of Storytelling & Justice about immigration. We’re moved by Yaya Por Vida, who is tackling mental health stigma in the Hispanic community, en español. We’re ready to take action with The State of Digital Accessibility in South Florida. And we’re looking forward to decompressing with some yoga, an interfaith lunch, and an inter-community Block Party on May 10 at The Underline in Brickell. Get inspired with us by showing up.
Have you won any awards or had any special recognition or acknowledgment of your business?
No awards yet! 😉 But over the past six years, we are proud to have engaged 150,000+ people and 350+ hosts in the 10 Days of Connection. We also have been covered by a few different local media outlets. Check out our spotlights and read more in our latest feature in Impact Edition.
Tell us about any programming/events you have coming up.
The 2022 Calendar of Events for May 1st to 10th is here and we have something for everyone! You can browse by city, topic, or date. Each connection experience is meant to be enjoyed with an open heart and mind. Here’s what you need to know = Connection experiences center around 10 different topics that tend to divide us the most:
- Politics
- Religion
- Race, Ethnicity, and National Origin
- Diverse Abilities
- Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
- Mental Health
- Age and Generations
- Money and Income
- Beliefs and Values
- Togetherness, Connection, and Community
And they are meant to be experienced at varying levels of intensity:
- Light: We observe. It feels nice and pleasant to learn new things.
- Medium: One’s truths are questioned when exposed to new perspectives. It leaves you thinking…
- Intense: It will make us feel uncomfortable. One will want to learn more and have more conversations right after.
- Very Intense: One will need time to recover. It gets personal, questions identities and it might affect some of our relationships.
What’s your biggest challenge? How can Miamians help?
Whatever your beliefs are, we’ve all experienced that feeling. You know, the one when you hear a newscast that sounds more like an argument, scroll past a contentious social media post from someone you love, or dread seeing that relative at the dinner table. It seems like we can’t disagree without being disagreeable. The hate in our world seems louder than the love, but it doesn’t have to be.
We can be silent; we can allow the tone to be set by the loudest voices, who draw on our collective fear and insensitivity. Or, we can be louder. During these ten days (May 1-10), we ask everyone in South Florida and beyond to purposefully build a relationship with someone across a line of difference. We need you to take the connection challenge! Attend an event. Say hi. Talk to a stranger. Be brave enough to acknowledge our differences. Be proud enough to celebrate them.
And non-locals interested in expanding this initiative, we want you to. Our dream is for the 10 Days of Connection to reach every city, something even more plausible in the virtual world. Want to help? Let us know.
What would you like to see change in Miami?
The 10 Days of Connection envisions a world where we listen to understand, learn without judgment, and go about our lives with just a little more kindness.
Unfortunately, divisiveness is what often makes the news today. To challenge that, we need everyone on board. Journalists, business and grassroots leaders, students, families, and changemakers of all kinds pledge to connect more outside of our bubbles, for these 10 Days and every day after.
We’ve previously used ‘love loudly’ to promote the 10 Days. To us, it means that the people and organizations taking part in this initiative get loud, love more, and share it with the world. We want to see Miami getting famous because of what we co-built here to challenge hate and division around the country and world.
It starts with you. Find an event to attend at https://www.10daysofconnection.org/2022-calendar and tell everyone about it by using these images and more. Let’s get loud Miami!
Know another local business or organization that deserves the spotlight? We’d love to hear about ’em. Send us an email to [email protected], subject line: Local Biz Spotlight, and we’ll connect you with Helen or Ben about being featured.