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NEWS THECHANGELAB NEWS THECHANGELAB

Funding Narrative Change

Who gets to tell the story of your community? For too long, outside voices have shaped narratives about Black and Brown neighborhoods. But a new wave of grassroots organizations is taking back the pen—and the camera, the podcast mic, and the social media account—to tell their own stories and drive real change.

Why This Matters for Organizers

  • Stories Drive Change: Narrative power is as important as economic or political power

  • Tools Are Accessible: You do not need Hollywood budgets—TikTok, podcasts, and community theater work

  • Community Expertise: Those closest to the problems are best positioned to tell the stories

  • Proven Strategies: Case studies show what works across different communities

  • Funder Interest: Philanthropy is increasingly supporting narrative change work

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EVENTS THECHANGELAB EVENTS THECHANGELAB

11/14/25 Healing Art Circle November Zoom

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.

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EVENTS THECHANGELAB EVENTS THECHANGELAB

11/15/25 Step Into Someone Else's World

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.

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