To transform communities requires moving beyond the conventional ladder of citizen participation and cross sector collaboration. Asset mapping, social change, and social change innovations are more effectively created with the people directly affected by poverty and other complex social social problems.

The application of asset mapping, in collaboration with indigenous leadership, can build the trust needed to produce new results. We have co-developed an innovative asset mapping curriculum that combines best practices from the Bronx Community Development Initiative’s Economic Democracy Learning Center, popular education, social science, and participatory action research that supports social change agency, self-determination, sustainable community engagement and cross sector collaboration.

Deep democracy is the inherent belief that those at the margins should be at center and that the inclusion of all voices allows for a more complete view of the system. This inclusion takes the radical redistribution of power and privilege. It takes resisting cultural hegemony, taking over the ballot box, and winning governance power.

From Santa Ana, Panama, to Manhattan, we look at a successful year for our clients across policy intervention, planning, and social change education.

Early on in my organizing journey, I made two observations about the culture of the movement: professional development pipelines are limited overall and for women of color it's almost non-existent. If we want to make progress and win on social justice, we must invest in our team members.

Too often as technocrats, organizers, and elected officials, we easily miss the strategic points of collaboration. My work with Next Shift's Collaborative focuses on identifying and leverage these points to enable transformative change.

My professional and practical experience have taught me that to make the transportation and resiliency investments we have seen emerge from current citywide and grassroots planning efforts will take sustained and relentless organizing and advocacy to activate the political will and courage to make it happen. As technocrats, decision-makers, strategists, and agitators we must become fully aware that to win we must lead with the spirit and leadership of those most affected.