Together We Rise: The First 100 Days
Co-Creating Connections and Possibilities in a Time of Transition
A weekly webinar addressing themes of political transition, stress reduction, and media literacy. Sessions will include guest speakers, guided discussions, and mindfulness practices
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Next MEETING: Monday, MARCH 17, 2025
Time: 2 PM - 3 PM EST
We will meet online weekly over the course of 100 days, from January 27 - April 13, 2025.
Help the Media Education Lab to grow! Pay for the whole series or pay by the week!
This week, we're talking about how you, your family, and your friends are being affected by the political transition.
About the Program
This program is rooted in the belief that by empowering educators and community members to navigate political, societal, and environmental stressors, we can create interconnections, foster resilience, and inspire transformation for a better future. Through critical conversations, mindfulness practices, creative outlets, and media literacy, participants will gain tools to cope with uncertainty, think critically about information sources, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
Check out some of the media artifacts that we are viewing and discussing
Objectives
This program is designed to support educators and community members during a critical time of political and social transition. The program will provide tools to process challenges, cope with stress, and strengthen interpersonal and community relationships by engaging participants in reflective conversations, creative expression, and professional development. Together we will:
1. Build critical media literacy skills for analyzing information
2. Equip participants with strategies to manage stress and uncertainty
3. Foster connections and collaboration among educators and community members
4. Empower participants to express their lived experiences through creative media making
5. Create an ongoing supportive network for professional and personal growth
Co-Presenters
Renee Hobbs and Marie Celestin
Marie Celestin EdD is a connector, speaker, and practitioner who lives by one simple truth: people first. As the daughter of Caribbean immigrant parents, her creative spirit started early, finding a sense of belonging and freedom in her first love—poetry.
As the founder of Talk with Marie, she created a community-building platform and a talk-show-style podcast that inspires many to transform. A fierce advocate for holistic well-being, she is the author of Planting Seeds, a 30-day guided self-care journal, and her work has been featured in numerous publications, including the anthology 1Habit to Thrive in a Post-COVID World.
An island girl at heart, she finds joy in mangoes, strong coffee, gardening, and traveling. When she’s not writing or dreaming up her next destination retreat, Dr. Celestin is on a mission to help burned-out professionals release stress and design bold, WOW lives. Her journey is a testament to what’s possible when you plant seeds of creativity, courage, and connection.
Weekly Topics and Reflective Questions
1. January 27. Reflecting on Transitions: How are you feeling? What emotions have come up for you since Inauguration Day?
2. Feb 3. Attention Matters: What are you paying attention to? What are you ignoring or avoiding and why?
2. Feb. 10. Relationship Matters. How is the transition affecting your work, family, and social relationships?
3. Feb 17. Leadership: What does presidential leadership mean to you?
4. Feb 24: Music, Art, Creative Expression, and Cultural Commentary: How are musicians, artists, and performers speaking to our current reality?
5. March 3. Media Response. How is the mainstream and partisan press responding to the political transition?
6. March 10. Mindfulness and Mental Health. How are you taking care of yourself during the political transition?
7. March 17. Your Family. How are you and your family being affected during the political transition?
8. March 24. We the People: Forms of Resistance. What forms of protest and political actions do people take during the political transition?
OTHER TOPICS WE'RE CONSIDERING:
Local Level Issues: How can we address the local challenges we face in our communities?
Teaching and Learning: How do you explain what's happening to your students?
Courage to Move Forward: What do we have the courage to do next?
Accountability and Transparency: Who’s stepping up, and who’s rolling over?
Best-Case Scenarios: What optimism can we hold onto?
Global Perception: How does the world see us, and how do we see the world?
Government Performance: What have they done for me lately?
Realities vs. Expectations: Is it as bad as we thought it would be?
Imagining Possibilities: What good could come from this transition?