Hello, Brownsville!
Come together with your neighbors and support each other through thick and thin. We’ll back you up.
Do you feel like you belong in your neighborhood? What would happen if you did?
You’ll join a team of 5-6 neighbors in the same community. You’ll meet as frequently as you all decide to, telling your stories, engaging with questions, playing games, and collaborating on addressing shared and individual goals. We’ll give you everything you need to build belonging, share resources, and connect. Help us grow this experiment to build a community-powered safety net for all Brownsville residents.
What Your Experience Will Be
Step 1: We ask you to fill out a quick form and have a short phone call with us to understand if you want to form a Neighbor Team with anyone you already know or if you'd like to be matched with folks in the neighborhood who might share somethings in common with you.
Step 2: You come together (on Zoom) with your new Neighbor Team of 5-7 people living near you at a time and cadence that works for you all. You'll form your own group agreements and work together to honor them and support each other.
Step 3: We provide you with a zoom link, facilitation support, a guidebook of play and story-based activities and discussions, and an internal app you can use to communicate with each other, share resources, and get to know the broader GatherFor community in your neighborhood.
Step 4: Our growing network of partners can offer support in finding a livelihood, starting a business, getting legal assistance, or anything else you might need.
Step 5: You and your team work together dedicated to each member’s holistic well-being. That might involve each of you securing new livelihoods or having a core group of friends to laugh with and seek advice from.
Step 6: Come together with any and all Neighbors who are part of GatherFor: Brownsville in monthly Town Halls. You'll shape the strategy of the movement, share learnings, and envision how to make your community better.
Hear From Current Participants
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there any cost to participate?
There is not currently a cost to participate, but we are beginning to explore piloting a community-powered basic income model with those participating in GatherFor: Brownsville, which would provide those currently facing financial hardship with regular direct cash assistance and invite those who are financially stable to contribute to their neighbors’ well-being. This model would look like asking those interested in participating specifically in community-powered basic income to chip in 5% of their monthly income into a community pot. The total amount in that community pot would then be immediately redistributed back to everyone choosing to participate in community-powered basic income. Here’s an example of what that might look like:
Who qualifies for participation in GatherFor: Brownsville?
Anyone living in Brownsville, Brooklyn, willing to build relationships of mutual support with their Neighbors, can participate in GatherFor: Brownsville.
Are you only working in Brownsville?
Currently, yes, we are focusing on Brownsville as our main pilot location. In this early phase of our work, we are learning how this model can be most effective. If we hear from the Neighbors who are part of it, we hope to expand our work across NYC and across the US.
If I want to participate, what do I do?
You can fill out this form and Teju Ravilochan of GatherFor will reach out to you for a phone call about what’s important to you right now and for more information about how GatherFor: Brownsville works.
How long does the engagement last?
When you join a Neighbor Team, we ask that you commit to being a part of it for at least 3 months, and participate in at least 1 weekly meeting (usually an hour per week). You’ll have the chance to decide if you want to continue after attending 3 meetings, and then again after 3 months.
Does this work?
You can see what currently participating Neighbors have to say in a survey we administered September 2021 and in this 2-minute video.
If you join GatherFor: Brownsville, know you are joining an ongoing experiment. We don’t have all the answers and are building something that isn’t typically found in mainstream US culture (though it is active in American sub-cultures, mutual aid communities, Indigenous communities, POC communities, and in other cultures around the world). Your participating will help us pioneer and learn more about how to make this model effective and you’ll have plenty of space to offer your feedback and ideas.
Can I participate if I'm an undocumented immigrant?
Absolutely. We will take special precautions to be sensitive to your situation. We also may be able to connect you to legal support.
I’m worried about sharing my personal information with others.
We completely understand. You are always in control of what information you share and don’t share and won’t be asked to do or say anything you don’t feel comfortable with.
I’m needing support with mental health. Is there any way to get that through GatherFor: Brownsville?
Yes. First, we encourage Neighbor Teams to practice compassionate listening and support one another first and foremost by showing up for one another and offering our presence. Second, we have partnerships through which we may be able to connect you to mental health professionals who can provide free counseling, emotional support, trauma counseling, and more.
Is GatherFor a nonprofit?
Yes, GatherFor is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with EIN 85-3982098. You can see our Candid / Guidestar profile here, where we have a 2022 Platinum Seal of Transparency.
Why the name GatherFor?
We chose the name GatherFor because it communicates what we believe: if we come together with one another committed to each other’s well-being, we have everything we need. Ultimately, GatherFor: Brownsville is about supporting Brownsville residents as they support each other. If you join a GatherFor: Brownsville Neighbor Team, it’s up to you and your team to define what you gather for. We’ll be there with you to give you resources, opportunities, and structure as it’s helpful. But we believe no one is more able to address the needs of people in Brownsville quite like the people of Brownsville.
GatherFor: Stories
As the Delta Variant surges, the eviction moratorium and federal unemployment assistance are winding down. Our Neighbors need support weathering this gap. We’re raising $2,000 for each of the 43 in our pilot and you can help. Read on to find out how.