USFWC Review from Arda

Overall, I really enjoyed feeling like we were part of a greater movement.  It was great to hear AFS and WaterBottle mentioned a few times during the presentations, showing our involvement. I felt proud that our story and David's presentation were highlights of the conference. I felt proud to introduce myself to new people and have them recognize AFS from my badge and T-shirt, and feel like we’re doing work that’s visible beyond our own neighborhoods in Baltimore.

From left to right: Yessie, David, Eva, Arda, and Xiomara

It was also clear that the event was organized with a shared goal of social and economic change. It was very inspiring to see so many groups—unions, congress members, co-op developers, labor organizers, and coop workers— all sharing their journeys, stumbles, and progress toward this goal, from their own different approaches. I also appreciated the speakers they chose, and their (good!) efforts to translate the programming and materials into Spanish.

It was also nice to connect with other co-op people and share what we’ve learned about fundraising and getting loans. At least from my Project Management/Systems role at AFS, I’m particularly focused on how to improve our operations and renovation process day-to-day — so being reminded that we have lessons and learning that we can share outside of the construction domain felt validating.

And, I had fun getting dinner with our WaterBottle team that was there! I’ve been working remotely since I’ve been hired, and haven’t had the opportunity to visit Baltimore just yet—so it was good to finally see folks in real life, give everyone a hug, and share a meal.