About The People's Place AVL
The People’s Place AVL is a leading source of community collaboration, which aims to develop innovative ideas towards a more inclusive Asheville. We celebrate our affinities and differences in the shared pursuit of collective liberation through relational gatherings, educational programs, and people-powered organizing.
Our work creates deeper and more meaningful civic engagement, which we know is a necessary foundation for real democracy, equity, and justice. Put simply, when “we the people,” with all of our overlapping and contrasting identities, agendas, and needs, are significantly engaged in the public realm, then we can have an appropriate impact on the political and economic conditions that shape our lives, both individually and collectively. So how do we facilitate that deeper community engagement?
The People’s Place AVL weaves together three interconnected elements that combine for a cohesive theory of change:
1) Social Connectivity and Relational Power. We support people in learning how to build power together, through short- and long-term alliances and collaborations of various kinds. Through community dinners, social connection gatherings, and relational meeting training and practice sessions, we support communities in developing their capacity for building strong public relationships and weaving those together into more powerful affinity groups, alliances, and organizations.
2) Civic Leadership Academy. We support folks in learning a set of skills for effective civic engagement, which include public speaking, power building, and strategy. We run and sponsor a range of trainings, workshops, and other opportunities for community members to learn more about these processes.
3) Government Accountability and Advocacy. We support communities in learning to analyze the issues and policies that are being pursued by local governments, lifting up the opportunities for timely advocacy by community members. We recently supported members of The Block and East End / Valley Street neighborhoods in their efforts to gain real representation in the unfolding possibility of a massive new performing arts center in the middle of their community. We are also engaged in an ongoing campaign called “The People’s Recovery,” which was designed to ensure that recovery funding in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene is responsive to the needs of the whole community, and especially of those historically and currently overlooked.
We are actively pursuing the possibility of an ongoing physical location that can serve as a base for all of our current activities, as well as opening up possibilities for additional collaborations. These interlocking initiatives would be run through a collaborative economic model, which would create a collective safety net and base of operations, and also allow each entrepreneur to develop their own independent vision. Possible initiatives include:
A Museum focused on the history of people-powered movements and change.
A Community Cafe, which would enable several of our inspired chef partners to offer counter-service breakfasts and lunches, and family-style dining and dialogue in the evening.
A Commissary Kitchen, space for caterers and food producers to make their magic.
A Gift Shop that would serve as a launchpad for community-oriented artists & entrepreneurs.
An Art Gallery and Studio Spaces, featuring the work of local artists.