Regional & Informal Gatherings

The Roundtable convenes staff at our affiliated organizations to build relationships, request and offer support and advice, explore potential collaborations and more. Convening in person is particularly valuable for learning new skills, fight feelings of isolation, and deepening connections to the larger social justice field.

A commitment to social justice unites the Roundtable members at the same time that there are many ways in which the staff at our organizations work entirely apart. We have learned that there is great value in bringing people together to build direct relationships, even if they have different job functions or work focuses. These gatherings lead to collaborations, deepen a connection to the larger social justice field, and help staff develop informal support networks and fight feelings of isolation.

The Roundtable is fortunate to have coordinators to anchor the networks in three locations: Eleni Zimiles for the NYC Region, Eric Greene for Los Angeles, and Talia Cooper for the SF Bay Area. They regularly convene staff members from Roundtable affiliates who live in those areas. We also host informal gatherings in other cities and at professional conferences being attended by a critical mass of staff members from our affiliates.

During the pandemic, the Roundtable expanded the ways we convene since geography no longer dictates who is available to attend gatherings. For example, as part of our re-imagined conference, the 2020 Network WEB: Weave - Energize - Build, we offered themed community hours. We also offered virtual regional trainings to staff at Roundtable affiliates who live beyond those regions.