Resilience in Immigrant Justice

Resilience in Immigrant Justice is an in-person community for people in Oakland actively involved in advocating for immigrant justice, whether as volunteers, frontline workers, or in other roles, and who want to build friendships with others who share their commitment.

Immigrant justice work often brings people together around an urgent need, a rally, a shift, or a shared commitment. But building lasting relationships among fellow volunteers and workers can be challenging when people are spread across different organizations and locations.

This group creates space to get to know one another beyond our roles, exchange experiences, and stay connected without the constant stream of online updates or demands of the work. Building these relationships can help make our involvement more sustainable over time.

What we'll do together

• Community circles

Small, recurring gatherings of approximately 10-15 people to exchange news selectively, experiences, discuss common challenges, share perspectives, and learn from one another. Participation is always voluntary, and everyone is welcome to listen more than they speak.

• News and resource exchanges

Opportunities to discuss relevant developments, share useful information, and learn from what others are seeing and experiencing. The goal is thoughtful exchange, not another endless news feed. It’s also a way to avoid burn out from social media news.

• Informal social gatherings

Coffee, tea, casual get-togethers at public venues, walks around Lake Merritt, parks and gardens, and opportunities to get to know fellow participants without the expectation that every gathering needs an agenda.

Who is this for?
This community welcomes people contributing to immigrant justice and solidarity efforts in different ways, including:

• Immigration and immigrant-rights volunteers
• Volunteer tutors, interpreters, and mutual-aid volunteers
• Pro bono attorneys and other professionals contributing their skills
• Volunteer coordinators and community organizers
• Students, working professionals, and retirees

Our community boundaries
The goal is to create a thoughtful, welcoming space where people can connect without pressure to perform, disclose personal experiences, or prove their commitment to the cause.

• Listen to understand, not just to respond.
• Respect differences in experience, perspective, and approach.
• Don't pressure anyone to speak, share personal experiences, or take on additional responsibilities.
• Ask before offering advice. Sometimes people want to be heard, not told how to solve a problem.
• Harassment, discrimination, personal attacks, and demeaning treatment of other participants are not acceptable.

Privacy and discretion
You are not required to join a messaging group or disclose your employer or specific volunteer affiliation. Meetup is the starting point for this community. If members want a more private way to communicate or coordinate, the group can explore options such as Signal as those needs arise.

• Don't repeat another participant's personal stories or identifying details outside the group.
• Don't share sensitive or identifying information about immigrants, clients, students, or other people encountered through volunteer work.
• Don't disclose confidential information from an organization or volunteer role.
• Please share only what you're comfortable having others hear.

Information and resources

• Share information in good faith, and distinguish confirmed information from speculation or personal interpretation.
• Respect the privacy and security of the people and organizations involved in the work.
• Participation in this group does not authorize anyone to speak on behalf of another person or organization.

Scope and expectations
This is a peer community for connection, conversation, and shared learning. It is not group therapy, legal advice, professional consulting, or a substitute for immigration, mental health, or social services. Joining the group does not create an obligation to participate in member-created initiatives. You don't have to do everything. You don't have to know everything. Come as you are, bring a cup of coffee or tea, and let's build community together.

The group is organized by an Oakland-based communications professional who has volunteered in immigrant-serving work. The goal of this group is to make more room for relationships between frontline people to grow.