As summer unfolds, the Learning Communities team steps into a sacred season. A season not marked by sessions and Zoom rooms, but by something quieter: pause, reflection, and restoration.
From fall through spring, our calendars are full. Each week, we host and facilitate one or two program sessions – gatherings where nonprofit leaders connect, share stories, and explore new ways to serve their communities. It’s a powerful rhythm, deeply rooted in purpose. It’s also fast-paced, responsive, and shaped by the ever-evolving needs of southeast Michigan’s leaders.
And the world we’re navigating right now is far from easy. Executive orders, breaking headlines, and the rise of authoritarianism bring fresh uncertainty every day. We all feel the weight of increased violence, climate disasters, and systemic injustice. And still, social change work never stops. The road toward a more just and thriving society is long and heavy. So how do we keep going?
We return to nature. To cycles. To seasons.
Summer reminds us that slowing down isn’t indulgent. It’s necessary. That finding joy in ordinary moments is not escapism, it’s a radical act. That rest is not retreat, it’s resistance. (Thank you, Toi Derricotte, Audre Lord, and Tricia Hersey!)
Right now, everything is in bloom. The days are long. The sun warms our skin. The air invites us outdoors. Summer offers a rare kind of spaciousness, the kind that gives us room to ask big, bold questions:
- How did this past year go?
- What are we dreaming about for the future?
- Where can we deepen our impact?
- What do we want to carry forward, and what are we ready to release?
This season gives us space to reimagine, to celebrate, and to prepare for what’s next.
As a team, we’ve been making joyful progress on fall’s Leadership Deli cohort, and winter’s Champions for Change and Road to Resilience cohorts, while also honoring the fullness of our lives beyond the work.
Here’s where we’re finding rest, joy, and growth this summer:
Mai’s Summer:
“It’s peak farming/gardening/taking care of the land season, and I’ve been soaking up events in outdoor and urban farm spaces. Some of my favorites: BIPOC climbers meetups with Black to the Land, Food Justice Fridays, and Send Sisters (a climbing group I started for women and non-binary folks). I’ve been hosting gatherings at the farm, walking my dogs Eddie and Bosco in the cool morning air, paddleboarding with Bosco, biking long trails, and connecting with community.“
Carly’s Summer:
“I’ve been finding joy in my own backyard, tending to strawberries and petunias, and dreaming about garden expansions. I recently adopted my grandmother’s 7-year-old cat, and it’s been a sweet, grounding experience to welcome her into the family. I’ve been reading Parable of the Sower, tuning into the Liberated Land Use series, and enjoyed a little birthday thrill at a theme park.”
So here’s to this summer: its warmth, its reflection, its wild blooms, and long days. May we continue finding joy and rest in all their forms. And may this season hold us gently as we dream, recharge, and prepare to rise again.
