Table 2 Practices that fuel for knowledge exchange and engagement efforts

Critical Reflection

[[M]aybe I can share more about partner-to-partner reflection and learning. We have dedicated conversations around [how] everyone was transitioning during [the pandemic] and [trying to learn] what the best practices were that each organization had found. So, really sitting back and giving people time to actually reflect on what they’ve been doing, because changes came so quickly that there wasn’t a chance for a lot of people to actually realize all of the great work and pivots that were being made. As far as reflections, it’s having more space, and more communication, with our INN2 partners about what they’ve been feeling and doing over the past year or so.

Learning

[A]s a result of what we were hearing, we’ve brought on [a new partner] and they’ve been really doing work around housing and tenants’ rights. [T]hey’ve been providing workshops [for] community members - particularly with so many evictions happening, these relief programs ending and the moratorium on evictions expiring. [T]hey’ve been providing these ongoing workshops once a month to all the participants and the neighborhood leadership groups and so, that learning culture has also allowed us to see what are the real issues that are happening and how can we be intentional in bringing on partners that we wouldn’t have thought about bringing on before. [P]art of the trauma that’s created is not having a house. [H]ow do we address that by all supporting the folks that are working and they have a specific campaign, which is like – I think it’s called Housing LA or I can’t remember the exact term, but their whole campaign is around ensuring that members who are at risk of being evicted know their rights and know how to prevent that, or at least get support and assistance on how to challenge that, or know their legal rights and have that legal assistance. So, part of that learning culture has allowed us to hear and listen to the real issues that are happening, and then find partners that can support us in addressing those [needs] directly with community members. [T]hat was part of the needs assessment during COVID: [which] participants [had] urgent needs? [When] we did needs assessments, housing became one of those needs that community members shared pretty consistently across the board

Flexibility

[T]he big lessons are remembering that you can’t be everything to everybody, remembering to be flexible. [M]ost folks are, but to be flexible in the way that life is going to throw you. [B]ig life is going to throw you huge things and you don’t have to have all the answers, but you have a group of people or a team around you that you can count on to help you come up with those answers

Adaptation

We just did so much pivoting that now it’s kind of second nature. [I]t was cool to be able to develop a skill like that. [W]e have the control to choose how we react to a situation, and we can either panic and sit back and let life happen, or we can say “how can we attack this from a different perspective? How can we pivot? How can we better serve?” [W]e did a lot of that. We weren’t doing grocery delivery [as part of our strategy before COVID] & we just added it in, because that’s what the community needed. So now it feels like you’re able to really adapt in that way.