Diversification: Social media and virtual community building
Diversity of crops in the field at Fledgling Farm
A recent experience led me to reflect on our intentional and community-oriented use of social media.
I was initially feeling frustrated by my own reactionary behavior in response to news headlines, and disempowered in the face of new policies like “Meta’s pivot to the right.” This is just a waste of time, I worried, taking us away from the more-important work of running and funding mission-driven organizations. But then in conversation with a friend I found myself realizing: what if our reactions to what’s happening now are actually part of the real work that needs to happen to build better coalitions, stronger communities (both virtual and in person) that are capable of rippling into social and culture shifts that makes reactionary, oppressive politics obsolete? What if, by taking coordinated action together (whether it’s small but symbolic, like moving away from Meta platforms behind and taking our business elsewhere, or larger, like building new social media platforms that respect data privacy and reject censorship, embracing instead transparency and critical thinking tools that help push us off our screens and back out into the “real world”...) we are actually doing the important culture-change work that we’ve been neglecting in the daily rush to complete to-do lists and work in isolation (largely on screens)?
We have not been tending enough to collaboration, deepening relationships between organizations, in-person and in-nature time, and moving at the speed of trust (very different from the speed of AI). All of a sudden, sharing my own feelings of frustration in an action-oriented way felt potentially significant, and part of a larger positive change arc. What if we take a diversification approach, take time to build and migrate content over to our newsletter list and YouTube channel, or check out Blue Sky, or engage in outreach that is more collaborative and partnership-based, spread from word of mouth and community potlucks as well as more old-school but tried-and-true town halls, flyers, and conference presentations? Let’s diversify our outreach and community building, both virtually and in person, embodying the soil health principle that is “maximize diversity.”
Channeling our instincts of fear and panic towards actions like checking in with our communities, building new collaborations and strengthening existing partnerships feels especially core to the work of running this small organization right now. I’ve been reaching out more today, and that feels good. Ultimately, we all need each other. At Climate Farm School, we are giving spaces for empowerment to our farmers and participants at a time when so many of us feel powerless, and that truly is more important than ever.
Continuing with “the work” in this moment requires paying attention to relationship building and relationship maintenance. It requires staying grounded in love, joy, and community. If you really need some grounding, literally get your hands into some soil, or onto a houseplant if the ground is still frozen around you right now. Take in the scent of rosemary and lavender, remember spring is coming, and remember to breathe.
