Jim Diers, of Neighbor Power, will present a Zoom webinar on community resilience, neighbor power and localization.

Friday, March 13th, Noon (Pacific)/3pm (Eastern).

RSVP below and join the conversation.

Jim will talk about social connection needed, especially during times of this public health crisis. Read his blog post on Community Resilience in light of the COVID-19 virus.

Jim, a regular presenter at our Localize This! Action Camp and resident of Vashon Island, is a speaker, facilitator, author and activator assisting associations and agencies across the globe, in support of caring, inclusive and powerful communities. For more info, check out his website, Neighbor Power.

Jim Diers is all about building community. The pandemic puts everything and everyone on a precipice. Civil liberties, economies, and the very cohesion that binds us to one another. 

Jim Diers has a passion for getting people engaged with their communities and in the decisions that affect their lives. Since moving to Seattle in 1976, he put that passion to work for a direct-action neighborhood association, a community development corporation, a community foundation, and the nation's largest health care cooperative. He was appointed the first director of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods in 1988 where he served under three mayors over the next 14 years.

Currently, Jim teaches courses in community organizing and development at the University of Washington and serves on the faculty of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute. He travels internationally to deliver speeches, present workshops, and provide technical assistance to community associations, non-profit organizations, and government.

Jim received a BA and an honorary doctorate from Grinnell College. His work in the Department of Neighborhoods was recognized with an Innovations Award from the Kennedy School of Government, a Full Inclusion Award from the American Association on Developmental Disabilities, and the Public Employee of the Year Award from the Municipal League of King County. Jim's book, Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way, is available in both English and Chinese editions.

And guess what - like Backbone - Jim Diers also calls Vashon home! So, we asked him to join us at this critical, historic moment - before he heads to New Zealand next week - to share inspiring stories from around the planet.

Let's overcome isolation with communication, stay connected and expand connections. Help folks who are feeling isolated resolve access, technical, and other obstacles. Reach out and begin conversations about Solutions. Fight fear with love and despair with safe, timely, collective action.