Berkeley Mutual AId
Mutual aid is a form of political participation where members take responsibility for caring for each other by voluntarily providing resources and services. In Berkeley, we organized to support each other through Covid-19 by helping with grocery shopping, prescription pick-ups, and social connection. The services we provided developed organically based on emergent needs and volunteer capacity. As a part of the intake team, I had conversations with members of the community who were requesting assistance and connected them to local resources. In 2020, we connected over 500 community members to volunteers offering support.
Designing for Empathy
In Summer 2020, I taught an virtual course with 14 adults from across the United States who shared an interest in exploring the concept of empathy. Over the span of six weeks, we used contemplative practices like mindfulness to observe, introspect, and better understand ourselves and our relationships with others. We also used evidence-based practices from the Berkeley Center for Greater Good to study and practice empathy. Participants used design thinking to develop ideas that would increase empathy for themselves and their communities. They come up with ideas like the “conversation cafe,” which is a safe space for meaningful and deeper interactions,,and digital therapy assistants which help the user better support friends and family while on a phone call or text exchange.
Gurukul
The Sanskrit word gurukula is a combination of the words guru ('teacher') and kula ('home'). Gurukul was a 6-week offering that guided people to deepen their awareness of self and connect with others. Three friends and I offered these sessions to friends, family members, and undergraduate students as an opportunity for people to authentically connect and build community during the Covid-19 pandemic. Participants reported that:
“It was the only forum where I felt completely at ease to express my fears /concerns about the current crisis . A large part of that feeling of ease was due to the compassionate outreach of the team leader as well as the patience and willingness of team members to share and listen without judgement.” - Mali
“It showed me that a lot of the challenges I'm dealing with are shared by others, and by seeing so many individuals be kind to one another, it reminded me to be kind to myself.” - Amir