5 YEARS building a more connected, empathetic, and inclusive region, 10 days at a time.
may 1 - 10, 2021
2021 | IMPACT REPORT
May 1 | Achieve Miami Food Distribution Courtesy of: Achieve Miami
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction
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What is the 10 Days of Connection?
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Why Connect Today?
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The 10 Days Through Time
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The 2021 Initiative
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What Difference Did We Make Together?
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Acknowledgments
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What's Next?
22 “Any opportunities to create connections and to build bridges are very needed in a society where we are constantly bombarded with separation and othering.” - Roxy Azuaje, Public Allies Miami
10 Days of Connection
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INTRODUCTION In a mission to connect people across lines of difference, the 10 DAYS OF CONNECTION was born in 2017. As we become increasingly divided across lines of difference in politics, religion, geography, sexuality, and more, the 10 Days has become an annual, community-led challenge to fight divisiveness by bringing together people from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. In its 5th year now, the 10 Days of Connection has expanded worldwide! This report is here to tell you how it all started, where we are now, and why this initiative is more important than ever. We hope you enjoy flipping through the pages as you learn from leaders and organizations who are building bridges in Miami, Broward, and beyond.
May 10 | Ask an Asian Courtesy of: Radical Partners
103Days of Connection
3 10 Days of Connection
WHAT IS THE 10 DAYS? Since 2017, from May 1 - 10 each year, we challenge everyone to step out of their comfort zones to explore new perspectives. In 2021 alone, 170+ dedicated hosts co-created 70+ connection experiences
May 5 | Hip Hop Fusion with KJ Courtesy of: Radical Partners
for people to learn about and from others. It all started in 2016 when six Miami leaders - Roberta Shevin † (MCCJ), Nancy Ancrum (Miami Herald), Stephanie Sylvestre (The Children's Trust), Rebecca Mandelman and Matthew Beatty (The Miami Foundation), Claudia Grillo & Tammy Klingler (United Way of Miami-Dade), and Rebecca Fishman Lipsey (Radical Partners) heard locals expressing a need for deeper understanding and empathy. Together, they dreamt up Connect Miami, what the 10 Days of Connection came to be. These 6 founding organizations continue to power this initiative. In 2018, the 10 Days expanded into Broward County with the leadership of Cori Meltzer (CFM Mediation), In 2019, Leslie Miller Saiontz (Achieve Miami) and the University of Miami joined the leadership team. Since then, this initiative has also seen support from Broward Board of Rabbis, Cowles Charitable Trust, Children’s Services Council of Broward County, Community Foundation of Broward, Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Jewish Federation of Broward County, Key Biscayne Community Foundation, and Wells Fargo. In 2021, we navigated challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a virtual and socially distanced world, the effects of isolation, and political instability in many countries. This initiative has grown organically into a hybrid model, thanks to the intentionality and hard work of 200+ leaders. All to impact thousands of lives around South Florida, the United States, and the world. Will you join us? May 8 | Civic Saturday Courtesy of: Radical Partners
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WHY CONNECT TODAY? “Human beings are solidary by nature. We also tend to live in community. We tend to love our people and take care of them. The thing is, we’ve somehow separated the human race into many different communities and tend to be in community with people that look, think, and feel very similarly to us. Every year, we connect to get to know new communities and explore new perspectives in the hopes that we all get to redefine and expand what OUR community means. Republicans and Democrats come together, Jews and Muslims come together, police officers and teenagers come together, older women meet young girls, and we all step out of our comfort zones to learn each other’s stories and meet halfway. The 10 Days of Connection has become a celebration of our differences! And for many, a safe space to engage in difficult conversations. We connect in the hopes that we will get to understand each other, agree to disagree, and decide to move forward together."
Joan Marie Godoy
May 7 | Diaspora Vibes Art Courtesy of: Radical Partners
Executive Director Radical Partners
105Days of Connection
5 10 Days of Connection
THE
DAYS
2017 YEAR 1 The first 10 Days of Connection is born in Miami-Dade County, out of a common goal to unite in our shared humanity and fight against growing divisiveness.
Founding Leaders - 2017
2018
United Way's Potluck - 2018
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YEAR 2 The 10 Days of Connection expands into Broward county through the leadership of Cori Meltzer (CFM Mediation), making the 10 Days of Connection a regional endeavor through anchor initiatives such as massive potlucks, book-club nights, and live panels.
10 Days of Connection
THROUGH TIME 2019 YEAR 3 In 2019, The 10 Days of Connection continued to grow. With a host committee of 100+ organizations, we focused on impact more than quantity and built increasingly powerful connection experiences such as diverse jam nights and neighborhood explorations.
La Perle de Miami: Little Haiti Walking Tour - 2019
2020 YEAR 4 2020 challenged us. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we went virtual and found new ways to listen to each other. For the first time, we expanded outside of South Florida, reaching 43 U.S. states and 57 countries.
Exploring Ageism Together - 2020
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THE 2021 INITIATIVE YEAR 5
May 5 | Building Bridges Book Boxes Courtesy of: United Way Miami Dade
For 2021 (Year # 5), we collectively dreamt up an initiative that allowed all of us to safely adventure out of our bubbles to learn from and about others. We co-created bolder, deeper, and meaningful connections, grounded in the formula: why + who + what + how to discuss pressing issues and connect for a stronger, more equitable, united world.
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10 Days of Connection
WHY
WHO
We addressed the topics that tend to divide us and encouraged everyone to talk about them.
We acknowledged who is typically missing from the conversations and invited them.
We asked what lines of differences we hoped
We determined who should be brought to the
to cross and inspired connection experiences
conversation table (participants) and then
that address issues which often divide us:
decided who would be the leaders and/or
Religion
organizations to curate that connection
Politics
experience (hosts).
Race, Ethnicity, and National Origin Diverse Abilities
We also opened avenues for hosts to
Money and Income
collaborate with each other, challenging them
Sex, Gender and Sexuality
to also venture out of their organizational silos.
Mental Health and Wellness Age and Generations Beliefs and Values And also leave room for Togetherness, Connection, and Community.
WHAT We created different activities tailored to different audiences.
HOW We were aware that not everybody is ready to engage in difficult conversations.
Everybody is different. We all crave and need different things.
We introduced 4 intensity levels to make sure we had something for everyone, from light to
Our hosts curated very different types of
medium, intense, and very intense.
connection experiences for people of all ages, from digital meditation sessions, to
This allowed participants to understand the
neighborhood explorations, panel discussions,
type of experiences they would have and hosts
and one-on-one conversations.
to better prepare to facilitate them.
10 Days of Connection
10 10
“10 Days of Connection creates the opportunity for many local communities and organizations to showcase how we are the same or different. It also opens the conversations that we normally don't have in our normal lives. Thus it leads to better understanding and empathy among people.” -Phong Luu, NAAAP Miami, SoFloAsians
"Hosting an event during 10 Days of Connection was very important to me. I wanted to bring a collective together to discuss steps to remove the layers of colonization that we inflict on ourselves without knowing it. Having the space to discuss thought provoking topics is important if we want to heal ourselves and this country." -LaCriscia Fowlkes, Rooted in Love and Truth
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10 Days of Connection
May 8 | Family Day on Aragon Courtesy of: Radical Partners
May 5 | Cross Generational and Cross Cultural Effects of COVID-19 Courtesy of: Radical Partners
“Thank you to the entire team for going above and beyond throughout this entire experience. This was my first time leading and being actively involved; I felt incredibly supported and am excited to see where we can go next time :).” - Ayari Aguayo,
HOW DID WE MAKE IT HAPPEN?
1 2 30
MASSIVE KICK OFF to share the intention and goal of the year.
WORKSHOPS with hosts to offer techniques, resources, and support as they prepared.
DIFFERENT TOOLS AND RESOURCES for hosts and participants, including Marketing, Host, and Accessibility Toolkits.
10 Days of Connection
Overtown Youth Center
37 160 1000+
ONE-ON-ONE CALLS over 1.5 months to curate experiences.
POSTS over 3 social media platforms to promote the initiative.
EMAIL EXCHANGES with hosts and partners.
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2021 CONNECTION
This year’s connection experiences touched on one or more of the issues that tend to divide us the most. Understanding the role of intersectionality in who we are as human beings, all hosts explored news perspectives themselves by hosting connection experiences like the ones you will find next.
Religion The East-West Foundation and the FIU Jaffer Center brought together different religious leaders for an Interfaith Iftar. The Friends of the Stirling Road Library celebrated South Florida as a melting pot through a conversation about a musical Meeting Point for Black Americans and Jews, and the Jewish Federation of Broward County hosted a Courageous Conversation on intersectionality with A Wider Bridge.
Politics We talked about ‘Cancel Culture’ and how it can become ostracizing in a panel conversation with the Miami Herald and left labels at the door to have a conversation about the issues affecting our community, regardless of political identification, to understand the decisions that people make based on needs with Global Shapers Miami.
Race, Ethnicity, and National Origin We learned about a range of issues, from shedding a light on the refugee experience with Refugee Assistance Alliance to understanding the need to enhance father figures within the black community through a live discussion with The Children’s Movement and Circle of Brotherhood.
Diverse Abilities We learned about societal barriers that the deaf and hard of hearing community faces within education and employment and discussed solutions to these challenges with the Center for Independent Living of South Florida. The Diaspora Vibes Cultural Arts Incubator created a space to bring folks of all abilities together to relax, rest, breathe and explore.
Money and Income 1 Million Cups led a conversation on how entrepreneurs, especially BIPOC ones, experience funding inequities for their businesses, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, funders and donors to share their values and approaches around money, spending, and investment. We also dove into educational disparities between students in STEM with Miami EdTech.
EXPERIENCES
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“This initiative fuels the hope that, if enough of us pull together, we can build a fairer, more fun community and thus, step by step, a better world for all.” - Anonymous
Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Repair the World and Leap for Ladies emphasized the importance of humanizing incarcerated folks by writing Letters of Solidarity, and Her Secret Identity challenged how women are often falsely judged on social media by empowering them to own their identities and share them with the world.
Mental Health and Wellness NICU Mothers were more isolated than ever during the pandemic, so ICU Baby created an experience for them to feel supported by their communities. The pandemic had also left 82,000 opioid overdose deaths in its wake, so Yaya Por Vida Foundation encouraged the community to reach out for help and offered healing through art.
Age and Generations Miami Homes For All, Disability Independence Group and The HOMY Collective hosted a panel around misconceptions about homelessness and disabilities and how affordable housing is intertwined with both. Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center created a space for families to gather after they were isolated during COVID-19 and national racial tensions.
Beliefs and Values HistoryMiami Museum, Art Prevails Project, City Lore and Bowery Poetry brought our community together through an open mic night. The Public Relations Society of America discussed the power of communications professionals to influence decisions around social and racial justice.
Togetherness Finally, we gathered as a community to increase access to diverse books with United Way of Miami-Dade and learned about the injustices that our immigrant communities face in South Florida by hearing the stories of how immigrants worked to change narratives and moved towards justice with the ACLU of South Florida. MCCJ also hosted small conversations every day.
2021 IMPACT Thanks to the participants who shared their experience with us, we know that:
95%
would like to learn more and continue the conversation.
92%
learned something new.
89%
built more empathy for folks with different lived experiences than their own.
88%
feel more connected to their community after attending a connection experience.
68%
changed their perspective on the topic discussed during their connection experience.
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10 Days of Connection
May 10 | Strengthening our Community Connections Through Service Courtesy of: Radical Partners
10 DAYS
70+
CONNECTION
EXPERIENCES
170+ HOSTS
2300+ ATTENDEES
(THAT WE KNOW OF)
39,300+
PEOPLE REACHED
“I feel the world needs more human connection in an era of lack thereof. 10 Days of Connection plugs us back into the human condition and reminds us how intertwined we are as a global society.” - Yamila Rollan Escalona, Yaya Por Vida Foundation
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WHAT DIFFERENCE
The 10 Days of Connection also reached people outside of Florida, engaging folks in different states: from Nevada to Virginia and New York City to crossing borders and reaching communities outside of the United States.
In 2021, we had participants from Canada, Chile, Guatemala, Ireland, Netherlands, and Venezuela.
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10 Days of Connection
DID WE MAKE TOGETHER? We recognize that the first step to cross lines of difference is to create spaces where people with different perspectives can convene and commit to personal changes that ripple out into our community.
94% 93% 93%
are more likely to step up as an active bystander and intervene when witnessing an act of hatred, harassment, racism, or other kind of discrimination to let the targeted person know that they are not alone. will learn more about someone before jumping to conclusions. are more likely to contribute meaningfully to an initiative that builds bridges within their community.
92%
of participants will be mindful of accessibility and inclusivity at all events and gatherings.
92%
would like to stay in touch with the organization that created the connection experience and/or would like to participate again!
91%
will share their connection stories to encourage others in their networks to connect across lines of differences.
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5 YEARS OF
50 43 57 16 322 500+
DAYS CONNECTING
“I feel that people don't speak to one another, they talk past each
U.S. STATES
other in an asynchronous fashion. Bringing people together with the express purpose of exploring a common
COUNTRIES
topic, or subject for a shared experience is really powerful in its simplicity.”
LEAD ORGANIZATIONS AND SPONSORS
- Annette Alvarez, Global Ties Miami
HOST ORGANIZATIONS AND LEADERS CONNECTION EXPERIENCES (507 TO BE EXACT)
147,000+ 19
DAYS
LOCALS ENGAGED 10 Days of Connection
WE DID IT: THANK YOU We continue to be surprised, year after year, by the number and intentionality of local ventures that come together to co-build the 10 Days of Connection. Collectively, we bring thousands of locals to explore new perspectives and we do it ourselves by collaborating with others. This initiative is only possible thanks to the thoughtful leadership of the 150+ leaders, organizations, and teams that join in every year. A special shoutout to the ones that powered the 2021 initiative!
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MORE THANK YOUS We want to give special thanks to the 10 Days founding team for their unconditional support year after year. Their love has transcended organizational boundaries and their thoughtful leadership has enabled this initiative to not only reach 147,000+ locals but to do it in a transformational way. Roberta Shevin (resting in power), Claudia Grillo, Nancy Ancrum, Stephanie Sylvestre, Rebecca Mandelman, Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, Tammy Klingler, Matthew Beatty, and Sarah Emmons: thanks for setting the base for something that will be forever beautiful and powerful. None of this would be possible without the support and investment of this year's sponsors:
and previous sponsors that have allowed us to intentionally grow our collective impact:
We are especially grateful to Andriana Oliva (aoinsight), Deborah Dietz (Disability Independence Group), Kerry Gruson (ThumbsUp International), Vanessa Navarro (History Miami Museum), Cori Flam Meltzer and Jen Klaasens, and all the young leaders of the Global Shapers Miami community for co-building this initiative with us and making it stronger since year one. And to you the reader, thank you for believing in a stronger, united, and more compassionate world. Let's continue to love loudly and celebrate our differences.
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10 Days of Connection
WHAT'S NEXT? Five years, wow. The 10 Days of Connection has transformed from a community-led initiative in Miami-Dade County, to a global movement encouraging people to join in our shared humanity. Every year from May 1 to 10, we bring our whole selves to Zoom rooms and physical gatherings with the ultimate goal of sharing a connection with those different than us. Thanks to the love, support, and effort of hundreds of hosts and thousands of locals, we have the opportunity to learn from and about others, foster kindness, and spread empathy every May and beyond. We all continue to work together towards a more inclusive South Florida and world! We are committed for Miami to be known globally not only for its diversity, but as a role model when it comes to inclusive, accessible, and equitable communities. We plan to continuously challenge divisiveness in the world and for that we need you, your friends and colleagues, and even your so called historic enemies too. Stay tuned for what's to come! In the meantime, reach out to us with feedback, ideas, connections, and more. As we hope that one day this becomes bigger than all of us, we count on you to shape it with us and bring the movement and its impact to your home, your block, your neighborhood, your city, or your country. We are here for you: hello@10daysofconnection.org, With love, May 1 | Bridge to Hope Food Drive Courtesy of: Radical Partners
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May 2 | Women's Social Impact Brunch Courtesy of: Radical Partners
STAY CONNECTED
May 7 | Breaking Barriers with 300 Letters Courtesy of: Radical Partners
REACH OUT: 10DAYSOFCONNECTION.ORG @10DAYSOFCONNECTION
@10DOFC
@10DOFC
MADE POSSIBLE BY: 16+ SPONSORS, 300+ ORGANIZATIONS, AND 147,000+ LOCALS POWERED BY: RADICAL PARTNERS