Blueprint 58

Blueprint 58 is a hub for community building in Atlanta’s Pittsburgh neighborhood. For nearly 15 years, the organization has strived to foster a village-like culture, with community members collectively taking care of each other and raising future generations. This involves youth mentorship programs, job readiness services, and small groups focused on personal development. In 2023—five years after the organization’s founders purchased a property in the heart of Pittsburgh, which had to be completely rebuilt—Blueprint 58 opened its new community building. With a desire to feel less like a center and more like a home, the space includes a kitchen, a classroom, a library, and more. Learn about how Blueprint 58 supports neighbor-led events and community partnerships that bring people of all ages and backgrounds together.

Civil Bikes

Much of our sense of connectedness to people in our community can be derived from how connected we feel to the place we all call home. Through biking and walking tours, Civil Bikes helps people create and deepen their relationships with Atlanta by understanding its history, culture, and stories. These immersive experiences shed light on the city’s role in the Civil Rights movement, current efforts to uphold human and civil rights, and how specific groups were—and continue to be—integral to Atlanta’s story. This site visit will take participants on a biking tour, demonstrating the power of deepening your understanding of your own community’s history and how it helps address social isolation and loneliness today. Stops along the way will highlight bright spots in the local economy, which plays a vital role in any community’s social connectedness. *This site visit will be on bikes!*

The Supermarket

Join The Bakery Atlanta team for a tour of The Supermarket, an in-town arts and creative event space! This organization is committed to growing and sustaining the city’s vibrant arts scene. Through art exhibitions, community programming, and more, The Bakery Atlanta serves as a platform for bringing the city together through creativity, experimentation, and play. The Bakery Atlanta is the anchor tenant and programming partner at The Supermarket, a 12,500 square-foot space with various venues for events all within one building. In this site visit, The Bakery Atlanta will share the history of the space, how it is activated today, and what lessons have been learned along the way about fostering social connection through the arts. The space will also be getting ready for its annual Halloween event, so get ready to connect with fellow participants over making Halloween decorations!

The Atlanta Beltline

The Atlanta BeltLine is a 22-mile loop of trails, parks, and future transit that connects 45 neighborhoods in the city of Atlanta. With local businesses, new residences, office spaces, art galleries, and restaurants along the way, Atlanta has repurposed what was once a network of railroad tracks into a vibrant public space for all. However, the initiative has not been without its challenges. Shifting political priorities, changes in neighborhood demographics, and gentrification are just some of the issues the BeltLine has wrestled with to ensure that all Atlantans are truly able to reap the full benefits of this generational investment. Join Kevin Bacon, an urban designer whose career has intersected with the project from different perspectives over the years for a walking tour of the BeltLine’s Eastern Trail. Participants will learn about the history of its planning and development, its challenges, and how transformative infrastructure projects can be a powerful tool for fostering social connection at a citywide level.

Refugee Women’s Network

For more than 20 years, the Refugee Women’s Network has inspired and equipped refugee and immigrant women to become leaders in their homes, businesses, and communities. Many of these women live in Clarkston, located just outside of Atlanta and long been considered the “Ellis Island of the South,” given that it is the most diverse square mile in America. People from over 40 countries now call Clarkston home, including refugees fleeing wars and persecution. Through a variety of programs, the Refugee Women’s Network seeks to support immigrant and refugee women in having a sense of community in their new home. One such initiative is a women’s hiking group, which challenges the notion that immigrant and refugee women are not traditional audiences for outdoor activities. Through a walk near the Refugee Women’s Network’s office and a circle discussion, participants will unpack their perceptions of refugees and learn about how they can build a sense of belonging for people from diverse backgrounds in their own communities through nature and physical activity.

StationSoccer

Soccer in the Streets has been providing free soccer programs for underserved youth in the Metro Atlanta area for more than 35 years. In 2016, it launched the first soccer field project inside a train station in the world through its StationSoccer program. About to open its seventh location, StationSoccer has flourished into a cross-sectoral partnership between The City of Atlanta, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), the Atlanta United Foundation, and other supporters. The initiative captures how public/private collaborative tables can create impactful change through social infrastructure. Through visits to two of StationSoccer’s locations, attendees will experience how transportation and leisure have come together to create an enabling environment for social connection throughout Atlanta. Soccer in the Streets staff will share how the program came to be and the impact it has had on families in the surrounding communities. Participants will witness how adding a social development program to the built environment leads to positive community development.

This tour will take place using public transit, allowing attendees to experience a real-life journey of a community participant in the program.