Adventures #42: Union Square
One year ago today I graduated from my coaching certification course.
For sixteen Saturdays and Sundays during the brittle Winter and sporadic Spring, I'd walk from the East Village to the New York Open Center on Madison and 30th.
While the course's learning experience was somewhat lacking (a wandering agenda, no visual aids, and a fair few mixed messages), there were learnings.
They just weren’t the ones I expected.
The real learnings came from being in a peer group, with others who had different stories, experiences, and perspectives to my own (and in this group, I was one of two white men in a class of thirty).
Many of my cohort were focused on social justice, and I was able to get a better understanding of how painful injustice has been - especially in America, and especially when it comes to race.
When I arrived here from London just under 3 years ago the issue of race felt overt and charged in a way I hadn’t seen before (the UK definitely has deep-lying problems too). When it came to building an understanding of this issue as a new arrival in the US, I didn’t know how to best approach it.
My peers in the coaching course certainly helped, but there was - and still is - so much to understand. So much to learn; to unlearn; to relearn.
I had plenty on my mind each time I took that journey to and from 30th St.
I still remember many of those walks. And every one of them went through Union Square.
Vital
For almost two hundred years, Union Square in New York City has been a place for talking, thinking, listening, and gathering.
It’s hosted rallies and protests supporting unheard groups: from the early 20th century garment workers and department store employees; to pro-choice advocates, and those fighting for racial equality and justice.
Union Square is also about the sound of the saxophone in the shade. A quiet lunch on a park bench. The local artists setting up shop come rain or shine. Local apples from the market. The capsuled intensity of the subway station; all low ceilings and slaloming foot traffic. Instigators and influencers; hipsters and Hari Krishnas; VCs and vagrants.
Less touristy than Times Square, more alive than Bryant Park or City Hall - it’s where the seams of Downtown and Uptown get stitched together in union.
Union Square is a vital part of a vital city. It’s a vital part of the place I’ve come to call home.
Now, just a couple of blocks away, I sit here listening to helicopters overhead, and police sirens on the avenue. There are the remnants of burning trash in the street, and just about every storefront is boarded up.
The city’s intensity is still there, but it’s changed. It’s changing. Along with that NY toughness, there’s rage, hurt, and confusion.
Part of me feels discombobulated, disconnected. I have ‘visitor’ stamped in my passport. An expiry date on my tenure. I’m a non-immigrant alien. Uncertain status. I pay tax and have a state ID, yet I am not permitted to vote. I’m neither here, nor there.
Yet I sit here in a gentrified apartment building, knowing full well I’m fortunate, I have privilege - inbuilt, both seen and unseen. I could have done better at recognising this before. I’ve sidestepped some issues; got blindsided by my unconscious bias.
I can still do better.
And I’m still part of something. Still a citizen. Still a human.
Finding the fuel
One of the questions for me this week is involvement.
Do I get involved by posting a black square to my Instagram page? I understand why people have done it, but no, it’s not for me. And much of it has drowned out important voices.
How do I avoid talking above others who should be heard?
How do I get involved?
What can I do, rather than just say?
What’s my fuel?
The answer lies in those walks through Union Square.
The coaching course’s poor learning environment is fuel. Fuel to make learning better and more meaningful. Fuel to open learning to all.
Fuel to build peer groups, where valuable discoveries and connections happen.
For this edition, I’m sharing just two projects I'm building to try and make a small contribution to keep things moving forward.
I’d be delighted if you can share them with someone you believe will benefit. =
Thanks for reading. And I’d love to know what’s fueling you right now.
Until next time - be safe, be well, be in touch.
Building workshops, programs, and connections
More than a just workshop about workshops
Over the past 5 weeks we’ve welcomed 28 people from across the globe into our Workshop Creator live program.
We have participants from nonprofits, music, tech, journalism, social impact, media, hospitality, and more. It’s quite the crew.
Whether it’s through workshops, programs, courses, or peer groups, each and every one of our group is seeking to create something new to help others learn and connect.
We believe the skills, confidence, and community that drive workshop creation are needed now more than ever.
We know this workshop works. So we’re doing it again.
Registrations are open now. We’re also offering 2 more ways to join us:
- 3 is the magic number: Because workshops are better together. Sign up with a friend or colleague and bring someone else along free of charge
- Scholarships: We’re offering both Full and Part scholarships. Anyone can apply, but we’re giving priority to applicants focused on fighting inequality, as well as those with a demonstrated need for financial assistance.
The next cohort starts on July 10th. We’d love to see you there.
Opening your career aperture
Way-finding in the future of work
The catalyst for this project came about back in 2016 in London.
I saw how challenging it was for many people, especially those from underserved communities, to access career opportunities and begin to realise their potential. I started to wonder…
What if you could see your unique personal alignment with any job or career path, by just picking a route and playing a few fun games on your phone?
So I started building it. It stuttered along for a while. Then my wise and wonderful co-founder Jeffrey came on board. Over the last 9 months or so, we’ve been working away at crafting Fondo - a career navigation portal with a difference.
Fondo empowers you to broaden your career horizons and way-find through tomorrow's world of work. Along the way, you’ll earn Fondo credits. Credits unlock visualizations of career ideas and paths, and the opportunity to connect with industry experts who can help you on your journey.
To get going with 25 credits, hit the button below, create an account (it’s free), and use the coupon code ADV42.
We’re also building out our network of experts to help others find the way forward in their careers. Head here if you want to be a part of it.
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