10 DAYS OF CONNECTION
2019 IMPACT REPORT
Building a more inclusive, empathetic, connected, and compassionte region, 10 days at a time.
May 1 | PACE Girls + Police Day Courtesy of: Radical Partners
TABLE OF CONTENTS
May 1 | 1 Million Cups Courtesy of: Radical Partners
Introduction
PG. 1
The Leaders
PG. 2
Why Connect?
PG. 3
The 10 Days
PG. 4
° By The Numbers
PG. 8
° By The Impact
PG. 12
Reflections & Next Steps
PG. 14
Acknowledgements
PG. 16
INTRODUCTION The 10 Days of Connection is an annual, community-led challenge to fight divisiveness by bringing together people from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to unite in our shared humanity. From May 1-10 each year, hundreds of leaders and organizations come together to challenge people to step out of their comfort zones and connect with people who are not like them, in whatever way they are ready. In 2019, 185+ organizations curated 120+ connection experiences for people to come together, learn about each other, and build bridges in dozens of communities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. This report tells the story of how the initiative came to be and how it has evolved to become an inclusive and accessible initiative that provides hundreds of opportunities for everyone in South Florida to explore new perspectives and focus on what unites us instead of what divides us.
May 1 | FOSTERing CONNECTions Courtesy of: Radical Partners
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May 8 | Avoid Caregiver Burnout Courtesy of: Thomas Armour Youth Ballet
THE LEADERS In late 2016, leaders from six Miami organizations heard locals expressing a need for stronger relationships, deeper understanding, widespread kindness, and increased empathy. These leaders - Roberta Shevin (MCCJ), Nancy Ancrum (Miami Herald) Stephanie Sylvestre (The Children's Trust), Rebecca Mandelman and Matthew Beatty (The Miami Foundation), Claudia Grillo and Tammy Klingler (United Way of MiamiDade) - came together and decided to take action. Together with Radical Partners, they dreamed up Connect Miami and that's how the 10 Days of Connection came to be. Since then, these 6 founding organizations continue to spearhead this initiative and the leadership team continues to grow. In 2018, the initiative expanded into Broward county with the leadership of Cori Meltzer (CFM Mediation), making the 10 Days of Connection a regional endeavor. This year, Leslie Miller Saiontz (Achieve Miami) and the University of Miami joined the leadership team, and the 10 Days of Connection took place for the third year in a row with support from sponsors and a vast host committee of more than 180 organizations and individuals.
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WHY CONNECT? "In recent years, people have become increasingly divided across lines of difference. Incidents of hate have increased, and tolerance for differing ideas has decreased. We may be a diverse region but we’re often surrounded by those who are just like us. Our news feeds are filtered by the stories we like. We have to keep working hard to truly hear each other, especially across lines of difference." Rebecca Fishman Lipsey CEO and Founder Radical Partners May 7 | Walk/Run/Wheel Together Courtesy of: The AO Insight Group
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May 5 | Connecting through Cancer Courtesy of: Cori Flam Meltzer
THE 10 DAYS Over the course of the 10 days, local organizations and leaders offered hundreds of opportunities to increase connectivity across lines of difference. Here are some of the ways South Floridians united in their shared humanity.
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May 5Â | Games and Conversations Courtesy of: Achieve Miami
EXPLORING HARD TOPICS Storytelling and conversations Many South Floridians took on the challenge to get to know others by sharing their stories and hearing others. Intergenerational storytelling took place during the Girl Scout's campfire event, HistoryMiami Museum encouraged people from different backgrounds to share about their identities, and at LEAP's event we heard stories of second chances. Other hosts created safe spaces for people to gather and discuss race, equity, and politics. WALKING, WHEELING, AND RUNNING TOGETHER Moving to build empathy for one another HistoryMiami Museum led walking tours throughout Little Haiti and Downtown Miami, and the Hollywood Historical society led a tour through Downtown Hollywood. These tours served as opportunities for the community to learn and explore parts of their own backyards. Multiple running events brought together athletes with different abilities over their shared love for running.
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May 1Â | Jam Night at The Yard Courtesy of: Cultured Innovation
JAMMING OUT Connecting through the universal language of music Music became a focal point thanks to hosts all over the region who created spaces for us to enjoy music together. More than 300 locals gathered to sing to the rhythm of different music organizations playing at the Wynwood Yard. The Rhythm Foundation joined forces with the Center for Independent Living to provide swing dance lessons to locals, the South Florida Percussive Center of the Arts held a drumming workshop, and Making Moves Universal provided a dance class that mixed musical genres like Bollywood and Bachata.
May 3Â | Coffee and Drums Courtesy of: Radical Partners
7 BREAKING BREAD Finding commonalities eating "croquetas" or Dim Sum Dozens of people built relationships across lines of difference over a meal. Some adventurous connectors enjoyed lunch with people they'd never met before. This year there were interfaith breakfasts in both counties, lunches with veterans, and even an opportunity to learn how to be a better ally for the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace, which was hosted at CIC Miami.
May 6 | Interfaith Breakfast Courtesy of: YWCA
MOVIE SCREENINGS Facing hard truths though film Movies became an essential component of this year's initiative as they inspired difficult and solution-oriented conversations. Films with a focus on race, religion, ethnicity, poverty, mental health, politics, early childhood education, and people with different abilities became the cornerstone for emotional conversations both for attendees and hosts alike.
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BY THE NUMBERS
10 days 186 hosts 120 + connection experiences 5,900 + live attendees (THAT WE COULD COUNT)
40,800+ locals engaged (FACEBOOK LIVES & OTHER DIGITAL DIALOGUES)
90,330 + locals reached (SOCIAL MEDIA OUTREACH)
BY THE NUMBERS
Many thanks to the hosts and participants that offered their feedback about the 10 Days. Of those that shared their thoughts:
100%
Would like to participate again!
100%
Are more likely to be mindful of accessibility and inclusivity.
95%
Are more likely to seek out and explore new perspectives.
90%
Are more likely to learn more about
90%
Think the initiative successfully promoted the value of connection, inclusiveness, and kindness in South Florida.
86%
Feel more connected to their community after participating in the 10 Days of Connection.
75%
Are more likely to go out of their way to connect with others who are not like them.
someone before conclusions.
jumping
to
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2017
1 county 88 hosts 110 connection experiences 15,000 locals engaged Our focus:
2017 | Kickoff Meeting Courtesy of: Matthew Beatty
We launched the 10 Days of Connection and wanted everyone to feel invited to join a local movement focused on increased connection, empathy, and unity during a divisive time. Dozens of hosts and events encouraged South Floridians to meet strangers and connect with people they saw but didn't really know.
2018
2018 | Elevate Courtesy of: Radical Partners
2 counties 180 hosts 112+ connection experiences 48,000 locals engaged Our focus:
With support from a growing movement of participants and hosts, we focused on ensuring there were many different ways for people to connect, and many different topics covered where people could push themselves across lines of difference. We assigned a theme and anchor experience to each day, and saw participation grow significantly.
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2019 2 counties 186 hosts 120+ connection experiences 40,800 locals engaged Our focus: We focused less on quantity and more on impact. We facilitated workshops for hosts to help the build increasingly powerful experiences for their attendees, and we focused on sharing best practices for inclusivity to ensure all were able to engage at their best. Connection experiences were more memorable and pushed participants more than ever to truly reflect on connection and empathy building.
May 9 |Â The de Moya Foundation + The Children's Trust Dinner Courtesy of: The de Moya Foundation and The Children's Trust
BY THE IMPACT
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May 9 | Facebook Live on Foster Care Courtesy of: Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava
"I loved the foster panel. It was most certainly a life-changing event for me. It allowed me to face my fears about fostering head-on. It was so heartfelt to hear panelists' and attendees' experiences ranging from the Judge to the advocate to the foster parent to the foster child. It was truly awesome! Great Job!" - Zafreen Jaffery
May 6 | Two Paychecks Away Simulation Courtesy of: United Way of Miami-Dade
"As a part of the City Year Miami team, our leadership understands the importance of connecting, so the 10 Days of Connection events was part of our work day. I was challenged to make more space for the unknown and discovered people and spaces!" - Zoe Mckenzie
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BY THE IMPACT "There was a palpable sense of connection among the people who were gathered for the concert and being part of that was extraordinary. At that moment, we weren't an audience: we were human beings who came together, touched by the power, beauty and generosity of the performers..." - Marte Siebenhar "The connection experience was great! The environment was safe as a result of how the audience connected and understood the value of listening to 'second chances' stories from both former convict women and people with different backgrounds. You could feel the respect, empathy, and kindness in the air." - Mauricio Angarita
May 8 | Stories of Second Chances Courtesy of: Radical Partners
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REFLECTIONS & NEXT STEPS The 10 Days of Connection has become an annual community-led initiative to encourage South Floridians to join in our shared humanity. It happens every year from May 1 to May 10 with the ultimate purpose of bringing people from different backgrounds and beliefs to share a conversation. Thanks to the love and support of hundreds of hosts and thousands of locals, Miami-Dade and Broward counties have the opportunity to learn about others, foster kindness, and spread empathy around. We all continue to work together towards a more inclusive South Florida! This year, all of our hosts pushed themselves and their participants to cross lines of difference and take part in very emotional connection experiences. There were tears, there were smiles, there were tough conversations, there was doubt, and then there was hope. None of that would have been possible without all of us asking ourselves collectively "Why are we doing this? Why is this important today?� and committing to love loudly as we challenge hatred in the world. There's still a long way to go. There are still so many other groups of people that the initiative needs to engage, and we strive to bring in more partners to join us in strengthening this movement in future years.
15 With your feedback and support, we will keep working hard to strengthen this initiative in many ways. If you have any ideas, please reach out to us. Our aim is for South Florida to be known globally not only for its diversity, but for its commitment to inclusivity, accessibility, and equity. As we begin to plan for future initiatives, we ask you to keep exploring new perspectives all year long, to stay connected, share with others, and to spread kindness, empathy and connectedness wherever you go. See you around town,
- On behalf of the 10 Days of Connection Leadership Team
May 8 | Around the Campfire Courtesy of: Radical Partners
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS THANK YOU SOUTH FLORIDA for building this community-wide initiative with us! We are very grateful for the tens of thousands of locals that took part this year. We continue to be inspired by the 186 leaders and organizations who took ownership over this community initiative and were part of the fabulous host committee. It is inspiring to see all these organizations working together.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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Thank you to the amazing founding organizations who created Connect Miami in 2017 and got the ball rolling with us for the 10 Days of Connection to come to life: The Children's Trust, MCCJ, The Miami Foundation, Miami Herald, and the United Way of Miami-Dade. We'd like to express our gratitude toward this year's leadership team: Claudia Grillo, University of Miami; Cori Meltzer, CFM Mediation; Leslie Miller Saiontz, Achieve Miami; Maria Alonso, United Way of Miami-Dade; Nancy Ancrum, Miami Herald; Nestor Rodriguez, MCCJ; Stephanie Sylvestre and Danielle Barreras, The Children’s Trust. Thank your for your love and sponsoring this initiative alongside our friends from Broward County Board of Rabbis, Community Foundation of Broward, Jewish Federation of Broward County, and Wells Fargo. Thank you to Jen Klaasens and Erica Britton for joining Cori Flam Meltzer in taking this initiative to Broward County for the second year in a row.
May 9Â | Ask An Asian Courtesy of: Radical Partners
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May 4 | Eco Walk Courtesy of: Social Impact Movement
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to our dedicated media partners. To the Miami Herald and Nancy Ancrum: thank you for hosting Facebook Lives and allowing us to learn about community heroes. To The New Tropic: thank you for engaging over 800+ locals in a digital dialogue and promoting the 10 Days of Connection through your newsletters and articles. Special thanks to a few members of the host committee who helped make this initiative a more inclusive, accessible, and integral one: Camilo Mejia, Catalyst Miami; Debbie Dietz, Disability Independence Group; Olivia Collins, CLEO Institute; and Sarah Coleman, The Advocacy Network on Disabilities. A special shoutout to HistoryMiami Museum, Achieve Miami, Marte Siebenhar, and The Wynwood Yard for being outstanding hosts and curating such amazing connection experiences for all participants.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Last but not least, thank you to Adriana Oliva and her all-star team at The AO Insight Group for their social media support and sharing the 10 Days of Connection magic with the world.
May 3 | Share your story at HistoryMiami Museum Courtesy of: Radical Partners
STAY CONNECTED www.10daysofconnection.org info@connectmiami.org Connect Miami 10 Days of Connection | Miami-Dade 10 Days of Connection | Broward @10dofc @10dofc
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May 7Â | Sound the Alarm Courtesy of: Radical Partners
Miami, Florida, United States July 2019
