The Johnson Center for Learning & Impact is hosting the third annual Isles Forum. The 2023 Forum, “Justice: The Heart of Community Development,” runs from Monday through Thursday, June 5 through 8, with virtual sessions Monday through Wednesday and an in-person Youth Peace Summit at The College of New Jersey on Thursday, June 8. The Johnson Center is part of Isles, Inc., a community development and environmental nonprofit headquartered in Mercer County.
Isles developed the virtual forum in 2021 to create a sharing of practices among those doing grassroots community work, like-minded organizations, policy makers, and researchers. The goal is to share what is working in communities and explore more effective strategies for successful community development. This includes grassroots initiatives and the systems and policies that drive larger, more wide-spread change in historically oppressed communities.
The 2023 forum is a space to come together online and in-person to share challenges and emerging ideas and discuss ways to work together to drive more wide-spread impact in communities.
“We’re excited to deliver another dynamic series of seminars and discussions this year focusing on justice in community development,” said Sean Jackson, Isles CEO. “It’s a chance to join from your office, your home, or on the go to learn about strategies grass roots organizations are using to overcome the historic inequities facing the communities they serve.”
The free event includes a series of webinars, panels, and discussions focused on justice in the context of urban community development, with each day devoted to a different aspect of justice: environmental justice, social justice, and economic justice. Seminar topics include:
• Heat, trees, and the impact on urban centers
• Alternative strategies for safe communities
• Moving beyond community gardens: the role of food and entrepreneurship
• Workforce development
• Current state of rent and evictions
• Effects of NJ marijuana legalization
• Environmental design & neighborhood safety
“What excites me the most about the Isles Forum is the intentional approach to create opportunities to share expertise from diverse voices critical to community development,” said Johnson Center Director Laura Fenster Rothschild. “In our model, each person is an expert with a great deal to contribute to making progress in community development. This year, each perspective is critical to addressing historic injustices in our communities.”
To view the complete forum schedule, including descriptions of each session and presenters, and to register to attend, visit www.isles.org/forum. The website is updated regularly with additional information.
