The "Only in San José" podcast launches and so the adventure begins.
Only in San José (OSJ) blossomed as an idea in April of 2019, under the premise of civic literacy and a means to collectively organize and share information in San José. The first project under OSJ, is a podcast aimed at demystifying and democratizing the process of civic participation in local government--ground zero of systemic change. That same year, OSJ was selected as an Emerging City Champion Fellow project and received a $5,000 Grant Seed Funding to begin its official journey.
Only in San José today...
A year in the making and against all odds, the podcast launched in June 2020 during two global pandemics, COVID-19 and Racist Police Brutality against Black and Brown human beings. Sometimes when it rains, it does pour, but no matter what, there is always new growth after the rain. 2020 has become the year of reckoning on all systems of oppression not only in San José but around the world. There is much work to be done in order to heal and sow new seeds that can thrive; but first and foremost, we must start at home, with ourselves, and our city, the Valley of the Heart's Delight.
Mission
“Only in San José’s mission is to EDUCATE, ENABLE, and EMPOWER the residents of San José in the co-creation of a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient city, today, tomorrow, and onward.”
Our Values
Everyday and most recently, all that we once new and were taught turned out to be false narratives around upholding systems of oppression. Our values are what we measure all that we do at Only in San José. This method can apply to any organization, you don’t have to wait for common sense laws to be passed to start acting with common sense, we can do that now in more ways than we realize.
Democracy, Equity, Sustainability, Resiliency, and Joy.
“Ideologies are wrapped in contexts that are constantly shifting, which is why Only in San José choses to operate by our values and the values of our community.”
How it will work
Only time will tell... If we’ve learned anything from 2020, it’s that the best laid plans are the ones that are able to adapt and pivot quickly in face of rapidly changing circumstances. In that spirit, we are happy to report that this project was able to withstand many obstacles and remain true to its mission, now more than ever.
We are hard at work in setting up the structures of a cooperative operating model. Meaning, that one day this will become a community owned business, owned by the people of San José, and we answer only to the people of San José. Until then we will be putting into practice the cooperative operating model at every opportunity that we get. All of our first Patreon Members will participate in Phase 1 Co-Creation period, and be exclusively invited to participate in Phase 2 as an official Founding Member when the day arrives.
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