Cross-published with mySA

Throughout 2020, nearly 12,300 San Antonians reaffirmed and strengthened a shared vision for the next decade. Having done this once before in 2010, they set the precedent that a growing number of San Antonians will envision a better future together every ten years (even during a pandemic). In fact, San Antonio remains the only large city in the country to articulate shared community goals that then guide the accountability of institutions.

San Antonio’s Community Vision for 2030 establishes shared goals for every aspect of the city: from education to economic development, neighborhoods to transportation, health and the arts. 

Achieving this vision requires leadership, engagement, collaboration, and accountability. We know this because for the last decade SA2020 has been responsible for driving progress toward the community vision. We do this by broadly sharing data and research and holding institutions accountable to shared goals. 

At SA2020, we celebrate the start of each new year by sharing the progress—however incremental—and elevating awareness of the work that remains. From January 26-28, SA2020 will host The Collective, three days of community-driven learning to inspire community-driven action. 

Now in its second year, The Collective calls on San Antonio’s thinkers-doers-creatives to learn and engage with each other through intimate one-on-one conversations, real-talk roundtables, workshops, and performances. Every session will offer ways to deepen learning and action.

The virtual event will coincide with SA2020’s online release of the newest community data showing where San Antonio stands on reaching the shared vision. The Collective kicks off with Team SA2020 breaking down what the data tells us and what we need to do about it. 

While rooted in San Antonio, the speakers you’ll hear from during The Collective are national experts in their fields, tackling racial equity, reproductive health, housing, higher education, and more.

Patricia S. Castillo, LMSW, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the P.E.A.C.E. Initiative, will share her experience working to end domestic violence for more than 40 years. 

Tune in virtually from your nearest green space, and Professors Courtney Crim and Laura Allen will show you what forest therapy can do for your well-being.

Rachell Hathaway, a St. Philip’s College alumna, will interview Dr. Mike Flores, Chancellor of Alamo Colleges, to better understand how Alamo Colleges is making higher education more affordable and accessible. 

Mother and daughter, Brenda and Araceli Garcia, will reflect on their family’s intergenerational movement building. Brenda is a Fox Tech High School alumna and Araceli, the first in her family to attend college, is a first-year student at the University of Texas School of Law.

Anel I. Flores-Casasola, owner and Realtor at A&N Realty, will join her daughter Jessica R. González-Casasola and their partner Lorenzo Marcel Beas Alvarez to talk about the experience of buying a home against the weight of systemic racism, classism, homophobia, and xenophobia.

Aimee Arrambide (Avow), Evelyn Delgado (Healthy Futures of Texas), and Mara E. Posada (Planned Parenthood South Texas) will help us make sense of the federal and state policies affecting reproductive health care. 

The session title for the one-on-one conversation between Naomi Hendrix Oyegoke of Rooted Vegan Cuisine and Kate Jaceldo of Compost Queens says it all: Running an Ethical & Sustainable Small Business: Expectation v. Reality.

In a candid conversation with Molly Cox (former President & CEO of SA2020), Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, Marisa Bono (Every Texan), and Kiran Kaur Bains (SA2020) will close The Collective by discussing the effect of Texas state policies (and politics) on San Antonians.

To make our events as accessible as possible, SA2020 offers three ticket options. Each level provides the same access (including a Favor credit to enjoy lunch on SA2020!).

• The Connector level ticket is discounted for folks who are covering the ticket cost out of their own limited funds, including students, underemployed individuals, or those living on a fixed income. 
• The Sustainer level ticket covers the actual cost per attendee. This ticket is for folks who have the resources to cover this level, or their organization is purchasing or contributing to the cost of their registration.
• The Multiplier level ticket makes the event more affordable for folks who need it by allowing SA2020 to offer the Connector-level ticket option. 

ASL interpretation will be provided throughout The Collective, thanks to a partnership with Alamo Colleges. If you can’t make every session live, no sweat. Ticket holders will have access to recorded sessions through February. 

We started The Collective in 2021, bringing together San Antonians who showed their understanding of a powerful sentence in the shared Community Vision: “We are all responsible for our collective well-being.” As we continue to survive and grieve the COVID-19 crisis, we offer this space again. To view the schedule, learn more about speakers, and buy tickets, head to SA2020.org/thecollective.