How do the places where we gather shape how we connect? From housing to green spaces, public libraries to digital forums, the environments around us play a vital role in fostering belonging and community.
What to Expect
The Healing Art Circle provides a supportive space to process emotions about current events and racial suffering through creative expression. Using an adapted Healing Circle format combined with art-making, participants explore their feelings in a safe, judgment-free environment.
Healing Circles Help Us:
Step out of ordinary time into a safe and accepting environment. We listen with compassion and curiosity, honor each other's unique paths to healing, and trust that each person has the guidance they need within them. We rely on the power of silence to access our inner wisdom.
Core Practices:
Listening with attention: Being fully present for others' experiences
Speaking with intention: Sharing authentically from the heart
Tending to the well-being of the circle: Supporting collective healing
What You'll Need:
Any materials or writing and art supplies you have available
Any medium you choose (poetry, music, watercolors, collage, pen and paper, digital art, dance, etc.)
No art experience necessary—all forms of creative expression are welcome
Past participants have created diverse forms of expression including poetry, music, watercolors, collage, paper and pen drawings, digital art, and dance. The focus is on the healing process, not artistic skill.
National Native American Heritage Month
Domincan Sisters of Houston
&
Center for Healing of Racism
Presents
The American Indian Genocide Museum
Two-Day Interactive Workshop
Join us for our signature workshop in a safe, respectful, and loving atmosphere where individuals will learn new information, share their experiences, dispel fear and guilt, and get to know each other.
This groundbreaking event returns to Houston Community College for the first time since 2020, inviting you to experience the world through someone else's eyes using the power of virtual reality.
Join HCC Central for a special VR for Empathy event on Saturday, November 15. This groundbreaking initiative was first held at HCC in 2019, followed by a larger, more impactful edition in 2020, and now returns with fresh perspectives on how immersive technology can help us understand one another more deeply.
Welcome to Compassion Week 2025 - Celebrating 10 years!
This year marks a special milestone—our 10th anniversary of coming together for a full week of inspiration, knowledge-sharing, dialogue, collaborations, and hands-on activities. What began as a simple idea has grown into a vibrant tradition, connecting hearts across Greater Houston by showcasing and sharing tangible examples of Houston’s compassionate culture through various partner and network offerings.
Compassion Week 2025 NOVEMBER 10-16
Save the date for Compassion Week 2025 and it’s core message of SMALL ACTS. BIG CHANGE, highlighting the aspiration that each of us can be a force for good. Our small actions rooted in care and love ripple outward to transform the world, starting right where and how we are. Our theme invites us to explore how everyday gestures—rooted in care, courage, and connection—can spark powerful transformation, rippling outward to create lasting change. And it begins with us, right here, right now.
Whether through learning, practice, service, storytelling, or other types of shared moments, Compassion Week 2025 celebrates the tools we each carry to build a more compassionate world, one act at a time.
PURPOSE OF WORLD KINDNESS DAY
Compassion Week coincides regularly with the week in which World Kindness Day falls, a global day, introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world.
The purpose of this day, celebrated on November 13 of each year, is to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together.
Why Church Safety Matters
Your church should be a safe place. Everyone should feel welcome and protected. But many churches don't know where to start with safety planning.
What churches deal with:
More than 75% of churches don't have a safety team
Many churches don't know what rules they need to follow
Church leaders want to help but don't know what to do first
Communities need safe places to gather and worship
This event will help you learn simple ways to make your church safer for everyone.
Examine how coordinated disaster response efforts can inform the design of long-term, community-led systems for resilience and development.
When disaster strikes, communities often respond with extraordinary care and coordination. But what if we carried that clarity and cooperation into everyday systems? In this session, we’ll explore how disaster response can evolve into a more permanent infrastructure of resilience—led by those closest to the work. Drawing from the story of the Greater Houston Disaster Alliance and other local efforts, we’ll explore what it looks like to shift from emergency response to proactive, community-led design. Participants will reflect on how shared experience can become shared capacity.
Explore evidence-based strategies and community-driven practices that support student success across Houston’s diverse learning environments
Our expectations shape our systems. This session invites leaders to begin with a bold premise: every student has the potential to thrive. Drawing on local and national research, we’ll explore strategies that have made a significant impact on student success. Together, we’ll reflect on what it means to design learning environments rooted in possibility, care, and community wellbeing.
Parking Information
The session will be held at 1801 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002. Parking is available in the attached garage, with the entrance located on Fannin Street. Parking will be complimentary for all exits after 6:00 pm. We recommend arriving 5-10 minutes early to allow time for parking and check-in.
peakers: Míriam Juan-Torres González (Head of Research, Democracy & Belonging Forum) and Stefánia Kapronczay (Hungarian human rights defender; 20 years field experience, 12 years civil society leadership)
How do authoritarian movements weaponize gendered anxieties to divide society and justify extreme measures? This session shares a six-strategy framework from the (En)Gendering Authoritarianism report (Othering & Belonging Institute + Over Zero), with examples from Europe and North America and a special focus on Hungary.
A 30-minute audience Q&A will follow the presentation.
Step beyond workforce gaps to explore how networks, trust, and local systems expand access to opportunity.
Workforce development isn’t just about placement—it’s about belonging, access, and navigating a shifting economy. In this session, we’ll explore how opportunity emerges when systems are designed to reflect the realities of the people they serve. Rather than focus on short-term fixes, we’ll hear from regional leaders who are weaving together education, business, and community to build more adaptive and connected opportunity ecosystems. Participants will consider how relationships, not just programs, create durable pathways to economic mobility.
Parking Information
The session will be held at 1801 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002. Parking is available in the attached garage, with the entrance located on Fannin Street. Parking will be complimentary for all exits after 6:00 pm. We recommend arriving 5-10 minutes early to allow time for parking and check-in.
An intro workshop for those facing transition, considering a pivot, or curious about what life could be.
What if your next chapter could be your most aligned, resilient, and whole?
Design Your Life is a reflective and interactive mini-workshop for senior fellows who are anticipating or navigating change—professionally or personally—and are ready to begin aligning their time, energy, and purpose.
Especially for those who are:
Entering or navigating retirement
Experiencing a life transition
Hungry for more meaning and fulfillment
Participants will leave with:
The basics of a roadmap for the season ahead.
Renewed confidence in the face of change.
A renewed sense of story, resilience, and possibility.
Note: Those interested in continuing the journey will be invited to participate in an ongoing community of practice scheduled for early 2026.
Space is limited — register soon to confirm your spot.
Discover funding approaches that strengthen trust, deepen community connections, and create momentum for Houston’s future.
This opening session of the Bridge Houston series brings nonprofit, philanthropic and board leaders together to reimagine how we resource our region’s’s future. We’ll examine fresh approaches to funding that go beyond filling shortfalls, focusing instead on cultivating trust, fostering openness, and strengthening connections across sectors. Participants will engage in dialogue with peers from diverse fields to explore how Houston can align its financial strategies with its community’s assets and aspirations. By the end of the session, you’ll leave with new perspectives, actionable ideas, and relationships that can help transform how funding flows to the places and people that need it most.
Our conversation will balance practical insight with cross-sector discussion, offering a space to think creatively while staying grounded in Houston’s realities. Whether you’re a funder, nonprofit leader, civic partner, or business executive, this is an opportunity to contribute to a vision of a stronger, more connected funding ecosystem for our city.
This is a free, public book launch hosted by American Leadership Forum Houston Gulf Coast. Come as you are. Whether you work in an office, a school, a clinic, a shop, or at home, you are welcome here. We’ll talk about real change that starts with how we treat one another.
Join us for an evening celebrating Hispanic History Month with Judge Josefina Rendón. This free community event brings neighbors together for meaningful dialogue about justice, healing, and hope.
Whether you're new to these conversations or a long-time advocate, your voice matters here. Come as you are and be part of something meaningful.
Join us for another Sunday Social: Building Bridges Nonprofit Mixer—a brunch-and-learn experience designed for nonprofit leaders, community organizers, and purpose-driven professionals ready to amplify their impact.
This quarter's theme, "The Business of Belonging: Community as a Catalyst," explores how building authentic community connections can transform your organization's reach and effectiveness.
What to expect:
Brunch and networking with nonprofit founders and community leaders
Panel discussion with experienced Houston changemakers
Interactive conversations to help strengthen your voice and mission
Connections that spark collaboration and drive growth
The State of the City address is a critical civic moment that outlines Houston’s direction, fosters transparency, and encourages collaboration across sectors. It's an opportunity for residents and organizations to hear directly from their mayor and align around the city’s goals. Events like this promote civic accountability and foster engagement in public life.
This event is part of the planning phase for redeveloping Irvinton Village under the <strong>HUD Choice Neighborhoods initiative</strong>. The planning team—led by the Houston Housing Authority, in partnership with the City of Houston, LISC Houston, Avenue CDC, LRK—wants to hear directly from community members about priorities for housing, neighborhood needs, and opportunity.</p>
No decisions have been made yet—your voice will help shape the direction of the plan.
Why It Matters for Change Lab Audiences
Emotional & relational learning: Supports caregivers—parents, grandparents, teachers—in naming and navigating emotions with young children during transitional moments.
Applied civic culture: Rooted in emotions as play, this approach models inclusive, relationship-centered civic learning beginning in early childhood settings.
Intergenerational civic resilience: Equips adults with communication tools that foster belonging, empathy, and cross-generational understanding.
The arts are more than enrichment—they are vital tools for emotional resilience, trauma recovery, and collective healing. This national day of recognition helps institutionalize the power of creative expression in public health systems, especially for marginalized and underserved communities.
We live in a moment of growing mistrust, misinformation, and misunderstanding. Yet, More in Common's data shows that the majority of Americans actually want to connect across divides—they just don't know how. This session reveals how shared values, dignity, and common goals can help restore trust in our communities and democracy.
From policy to placemaking, visual tools help people of all backgrounds make sense of complexity and co-create solutions. THINK VISUAL creates an accessible space to learn and practice human-centered techniques that honor community voices and advance shared goals.
Civic healing starts with personal and collective wellness. By examining how trauma intersects with culture, race, and systemic injustice, this event invites civic actors to understand trauma not just as a clinical issue, but as a community concern—and to move toward healing-centered, culturally grounded solutions.
Why It Matters
In a time of collective uncertainty, fostering personal and community resilience is vital to well-being and civic health. This session supports mental wellness, adaptive thinking, and community empowerment—key components of a thriving, connected society.
In an era of media saturation and growing political distrust, Braver Angels invites you to a Fishbowl-style conversation exploring how we make sense of the truth. This dynamic and respectful dialogue offers an opportunity for people from across the political spectrum to wrestle with questions like:
Why is trust in the media breaking down?
What roles do traditional and alternative media play in shaping opinion?
How can citizens find truth and resist manipulation?
Participants will rotate into an inner “fishbowl” circle to share insights, while others actively listen and learn.
This is a space for curiosity, not combat.
Rock the Block is a perfect example of community-rooted action that reflects Change Lab values of belonging, mutual aid, and public celebration of civic life. This event helps fulfill goals across several Change Lab pathways—such as Attend a Civic Meetup, Volunteer with a Cause, and Share Your Story—and demonstrates how faith-based institutions can anchor civic connection and neighborhood resilience.
Save The Date:
Thursday, November 6, 2025
A celebration of gratitude and vision, Power Up: Impact of a Million brings together individual donors, corporate partners, community leaders, and alumni to mark a major moment in Compudopt’s history: reaching one million lives impacted.
The event will feature:
Inspirational speakers and stories from community members, volunteers and staff
A showcase of Compudopt’s journey and future vision
Live entertainment, lunch, celebratory toast, and meaningful connection
A giving moment to support The Next Million
Two-Part 180-Minute Live Webinar Program
Learn guiding principles for designing equitable and adaptable narrative change evaluations using a simple framework that's flexible enough to work across projects. Develop a clear plan for applying it to your own narrative work and receive feedback from leading researchers and practitioners.