August 30th, 2025
This week, we move from a general understanding of organizing and mobilizing a community to a more particular part: Relationships. Not just relationships with others but also the relationship we have with ourselves. Having developed and become grounded in our own personal mission and shadow mission, it’s important that we pick up some tools along the way to maintenance that relationship with ourselves. In this work there will be failures, missteps and losses. The question becomes: how do we manage them? Additionally, on the heels of a discussion about power, we need to understand how power is built and maintained externally. And that’s through relationships. But how do we move beyond transactional request for work and engage in authentic relationships that fuel ourselves, our communities and our movements?
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Dr. Barbara Best is a community organizer and system change leader who is passionate about building systems of care to empower communities to thrive. Guided by a north star of healthy interconnectedness, she inspires joy, purpose, and connection in the people and communities she serves.
Barbara serves as Executive Director of Convu, a vibrant community that builds capacity for deep listening and peer coaching in schools, workplaces, and communities. We believe that leadership is a shared practice – and that real change starts in the quality of our conversations.
Barbara served as Executive Director of the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership and led a skilled and dedicated team to grow public service graduate fellowship programs, from 51 fellows in academic year 2013 – 2014 to 118 in 2018 – 2019. She cultivated courage communities to prepare leaders for lives of public service leadership and impact - with 32% international students, representing 29 countries; 36% U.S. students of color; and 53% women.
She served for 13 years at the Children’s Defense Fund, rising from outreach coordinator to Texas Executive Director. She led a brilliant team of servant leaders and mobilized regional coordinators in ten Texas cities to restore coverage to 176,000 uninsured Texas children.
Barbara holds a Doctor of Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is committed to centering compassion in leadership – to meet suffering with kindness and know that we are not alone as we work for transformation.
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This interactive workshop offers embodied practices to cultivate inner kindness and self-compassion and explores how we can center joy in our lives and relationships.
Together, we´ll explore the three main elements of compassion and how it applies to the self: mindfulness, common humanity, and kindness and learn how to ground in self-compassion and joy as we navigate our lives.
Joy and compassion are tremendous resources as we dream new possibilities into being. Practices such as joy spotting – the intentional practice of capturing and savoring moments of joy and beauty in our every day lives and relationships – can be a source of vitality, strength, and wellness.
Self-compassion can be a resource in navigating challenging leadership and caregiving roles – learning to love others without losing ourselves, and that no matter what happens, we can be kind, gentle, and compassionate with ourselves.
Cultivating self-compassion and inner kindness helps us to be a more compassionate presence in the lives of others and in the world.
This workshop offers embodied practices, space-making, and heart-based lifelong learning that empower participants to care for ourselves and dedicate time and space towards better versions of ourselves and our communities.
Participants will be able to independently and effectively apply the principles and practices of self-compassion in their personal lives and within their social movement work to enhance their well-being, resilience, and sustained engagement for impactful social change.
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Joe Worthy is a community organizer and strategist who works alongside community members to build power through Strategic Nonviolent Action. Partnering with leaders and local groups, he drives systemic change through his roles with the Strategic Nonviolence Academy, the Albert Einstein Institution, and Light House | Black Girl Projects. His support has led to landmark victories, from coaching a community group in Côte d'Ivoire that successfully shut down a coal mine to helping end Zero Tolerance Policies in Boston and expand healthcare for mothers in Mississippi. Previously, at the Children’s Defense Fund, he focused on dismantling the Cradle to Prison Pipeline. Joe studied at Heidelberg University and the University of Oxford and was a Community Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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This session explores the foundational principles of effective relationship-building and its critical role in strategic success. Participants will explore key concepts such as trust, communication, and reciprocity, gaining insight into how these elements foster strong, lasting connections in both personal and professional contexts. The session will also highlight practical strategies for developing and nurturing relationships, emphasizing the importance of empathy, active listening, and consistent engagement.
By linking relationship-building to broader strategic goals, this session demonstrates how strong interpersonal connections can drive organizational growth, enhance teamwork, and foster a positive work culture. Attendees will gain insights into leveraging relationships to achieve strategic objectives, ultimately improving their ability to navigate complex social dynamics and create value through collaboration.
Participants will be able to independently apply the foundational principles and practical strategies of effective relationship-building, including trust, communication, and reciprocity, to foster strong, lasting connections and leverage these relationships to achieve strategic success in their personal and professional contexts.