How Rhode Island could use ARPA money to build community wealth and resilience Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to “help turn the tide on the pandemic, address its economic fallout, and lay the foundation for a strong and equitable recovery.”[1] The ARPA consists of over 84 unique programs distributed across…
Community Conversation: Dulari Tahbildar
The rest of the economy relies upon the childcare industry, and yet it’s undervalued, under-compensated, and disrespected. Dulari Tahbildar helps the 350+ family childcare providers in Rhode Island who are members of SEIU 1199 obtain professional development and training. She hears over and over “that family childcare providers do not want to be treated as…
Community Investment SWOT for RI
It takes an ecosystem to build community wealth. No person or place exists in static isolation, so we need to understand the connections and dependencies between entrepreneurs, investors, support resources, policies, funding streams, and the broader environment. Participants in the Local Investment 101 Workshops worked together to develop a SWOT analysis of our community investment…
Join us to talk about Community Investing in RI
Posted on Author JessicaPosted in Community Investing, Rebuilding, Recovery, Rhode Island happenings
To build a just local economy and strengthen our community resilience, we need a more robust set of tools. Local investing is one potential solution. On Wednesday, August 4, Local Return is hosting a community planning session around local investment. We’ll continue the conversation we started at Local Investment 101, a workshop series with Community…
What is community wealth?
Local Return exists to build community wealth. So what is community wealth, and why does it matter? A community’s wealth comes from the assets that it collectively owns or controls, and which the community uses to care for its place and one another. Community wealth is not just about monetary value that exists or is…
Community Conversation with Karen Figueroa and Pam Jennings
Posted on Author JessicaPosted in Community Conversations, Community Wealth, Rebuilding, Recovery, Rhode Island happenings
“It’s giving people real power over the money and decisions that impact their community under the assumption that it’s the people that use those spaces and are walking the streets and in the schools every day that…have a pretty good knowledge of what changes and what things they would like to see happen.” This, says…
Community Conversation with Shannon Brawley & Shayna Cohen
“The biggest issue facing our industry is the lack of individuals coming into the industry,” Rhode Island Nursery & Landscape Association Executive Director Shannon Brawley told our board member Sue AnderBois. “And we have such an increasing demand for our services, for our products, as we navigate climate change, as we navigate issues around food…
Community Conversation with Diane Lynch and Nessa Richman
Posted on Author JessicaPosted in Community Conversations, Community Wealth, Local Partners, Rhode Island happenings
Building wealth and resilience requires a true ecosystem approach. Beyond individual programs or entities, we must understand how factors and players interact with one another. Local Return director Josh Daly sat down with two experts at systems-level work. Nessa Richman is network director and Diane Lynch is chair of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council,…
Community Conversation with Chloe Chassaing
Posted on Author JessicaPosted in Community Conversations, Community Investing, Community Wealth, Local Partners, Rhode Island happenings
Cooperative fans and caffeine aficionados rejoiced when White Electric Coffee at 711 Westminster Street reopened in May. Over the past year, a group of former employees from Providence’s beloved coffee shop formed the worker-owned CUPS Cooperative and purchased the business from the former owner. Worker-owner Chloe Chassaing joined Local Return directors Raul Figueroa and Josh Daly to…
Buy local + eat local + ❤️ = Dish Up RI
Ever wanted to make Aunt Carrie’s clam cakes at home or serve sweet corn cakes from La Arepa at your next dinner party? This is your chance. On May 21, a crowd gathered at Dave’s Marketplace in East Greenwich to celebrate Dish Up RI, a new initiative of Hope & Main. With a CARES Act…