Contra Costa Together aims to create a place where all people belong and thrive. We are united in our collective power to respond to the present and reimagine the future.
More than 120 community members and organizational partners came together for two days (April 30 and May 1) to begin a journey to connect across differences, heal from the harms of the past and the threats of the present; and to build a future where ALL belong.
During this event, we worked toward:
- Growing trusting relationships among community leaders, organizations, and agencies
- Exploring the vital conditions that drive our health and well-being
- Increasing our knowledge, skills, sense of belonging, connection, + collective power
- Surfacing and beginning to organize around shared direction, strategies, and investments
Collaborative Opportunities for an Emerging Network
During the Summit, powerful conversations among community and institutional leaders surfaced shared ideas and hopes for what could be built together. The opportunities below reflect what participants are most excited to work on as a growing network to create lasting change across our neighborhoods and systems.
Centering Cultural Humility and Community-Led Action
A core theme of the summit was the call to embed cultural humility and co-design into all aspects of community work. This means shifting from a model of planning for communities to planning with them, rooted in values like love, compassion, and transparency. Participants emphasized the importance of honoring lived experience, cultivating leadership from within communities, and ensuring emotional and physical support—such as healing spaces, self-care, childcare, and food access—so that participation is truly inclusive. Decolonization, especially in data and decision-making, was also highlighted as a foundation for genuine community partnership and power-sharing.
Building Movements through Collective Power and Radical Love
Movement building emerged as a powerful thread, defined not just by structural change but by emotional connection and cultural shifts. Participants described movements as emerging from small, shared ideas that grow through awareness, organizing, and anger transformed into action. Emphasis was placed on the roles of accomplices (not just allies), cultural brokers, and intentional intergenerational leadership. Radical love, Indigenous values, and ancestral wisdom were described as crucial fuels for sustaining this work and healing from legacies of oppression. Movements, participants agreed, must be emotionally rooted and collectively driven to be transformative.
Vital Conditions and Shared Stewardship for Equity
The summit introduced the Vital Conditions for Well-Being framework, with a focus on belonging, civic muscle, and thriving natural environments. This lens helped attendees consider how to address multiple challenges at once through multisolving approaches. Participants called for shared stewardship that confronts historic inequities while promoting long-term community thriving. A strong desire emerged to create a regional asset—anchored in community wisdom, open-source tools, and equitable governance—that supports collective well-being and sustained action across coalitions.
Healing, Safe Spaces, and Targeted Supports
Another prominent theme was the urgent need for healing spaces and services tailored to specific groups—especially LGBTQ+ individuals, men of color, the API community, seniors, Latina/o, and low-income families. Examples like Peaceful Warriors, the African American Holistic Resource Hub, and culturally relevant SOGI training for medical staff illustrated how trust, cultural practices, and holistic approaches can reduce harm and increase access to care. Calls for community centers, non-police responses to mental health crises, and support hubs demonstrated the community’s commitment to safe, inclusive spaces where everyone can belong and thrive.
Organizing for System Change and Future Generations
Participants expressed hope grounded in action—organizing for political change, navigating county systems, and investing in youth and future leadership. There was a collective call to “democratize advocacy,” empowering residents to ask for what they need and contribute their gifts. Stories of resilience, like helping youth facing legal challenges, showcased the transformative power of showing up with hope. The summit concluded with a charge to sustain momentum through collaboration, regional organizing, and honest conversations—anchored by a shared belief that together, Contra Costa communities can build a just, thriving future.
Join Us
Join us as we reimagine how we work together, center those most impacted, and build a future where everyone belongs.
