RECAP: WAIC Gathering
Quick recap: Creativity, deep conversation, and quality snacks!
8 people showed up to partake in quality snacks - thank you Christy, and we started the meeting with a creative team lego building exercise of what we wanted to see in Wilsonville. AMAZINGLY each of our groups returned with similar ideas of a water park + food truck court - see images below. With this type of synergy, I’m (Garet) 1,000% ready to make this happen! We can have nice things.
We then dove into deeper issues that have been impacting inclusivity in the community lately: ICE outside Brown Middle school, comments of bullying toward the Mayor from former Councilor Dunwell, and the food shortage SNAP crisis impact on families and kids.
We broke into small groups and used the following set of questions from the UC Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute to discuss:
How did this example impact you? Where did you feel it physically and emotionally?
How does this challenge impact belonging and inclusivity in our community?
What is one step you could take to restore/repair?
Speaking for myself, I found the conversation to be therapeutic and enlightening. I talked with someone who had the oppositive perspective and I learned much.
Jason, WAIC Treasurer, gave a report on the organization’s finances and the work we’re going to do with Charitable Partnership Fund in the upcoming months to clarify some things.
Heather, WAIC Co-Chair, provided a preview of our plans for 2026, which are to meet at a set time bi-monthly for gatherings, with targeted activities in between.
We had a “share out” where people talked about upcoming community activities for the group.
We closed with a prompt from Heather, which was to share a moment that we’re celebrating with the group.
Next steps
We would love to have you join us at our next gathering in January 2026. Please reach out to us at connect@wilsonvillealliance.org if you are interested.