Here’s the content reorganized into a blog format with clear headings, logical flow, and an action-oriented structure suitable for the VI Community Calendar website.
Rebuilding the Village Roundtable Discussion
Meeting Notes & Next Steps
Emancipation Day | Friday, July 3, 2026
Emancipation Garden, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Join the Conversation
Community members are invited to become part of an ongoing “Rebuild the Village” conversation.
The Emancipation Day Coalition is planning a follow-up Zoom meeting, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, or Thursday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m. Those interested are encouraged to join the newly created WhatsApp group, where they can participate in a poll to help determine the meeting date, receive updates, and stay connected as this collaborative effort moves forward.
The invitation reflects the central purpose of the “Rebuilding the Village” Roundtable Discussion held on Emancipation Day: transforming a single community conversation into a sustained movement for collaboration, problem-solving, and collective action throughout the Virgin Islands.
➡ CLICK HERE to join the WhatsApp group:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/Bs9ltUhJHoWGueTB6QgJ13?mode=gi_t
Meeting Purpose
The July 3 gathering brought together community leaders, nonprofit organizations, educators, advocates, faith leaders, farmers, youth advocates, and residents to commemorate Emancipation Day while exploring practical ways to strengthen collaboration across the Virgin Islands.
Rather than simply reflecting on history, participants challenged one another to honor the legacy of emancipation by working collectively to address today’s community challenges.
This meeting served as the first brainstorming session in what organizers envision as an ongoing coalition-building process.
Major Discussion Themes
Building the Village Together
Participants recognized that many organizations share similar missions but often work independently while competing for limited funding.
Several ideas emerged for building a stronger network of collaboration, including:
- Sharing expertise and resources
- Coordinating community initiatives
- Pursuing grant opportunities together
- Supporting one another’s work while maintaining each organization’s individual identity
- Building long-term partnerships rooted in trust, accountability, transparency, and shared responsibility
One of the first practical recommendations was developing a shared Virgin Islands Community Calendar to better coordinate events, educational programs, volunteer opportunities, workshops, cultural activities, and community services.
Love as the Foundation of Community Development
Throughout the discussion, speakers emphasized that rebuilding the village begins by rebuilding relationships.
Participants reflected on the deeper meaning of emancipation—not simply as a historical event, but as an ongoing responsibility requiring:
- Love
- Unity
- Forgiveness
- Compassion
- Civic responsibility
- Collective action
While acknowledging challenges facing the territory—including violence, economic uncertainty, educational gaps, and social division—the conversation consistently focused on opportunities for restoration rather than despair.
Investing in the Next Generation
Youth development emerged as one of the strongest areas of agreement.
Participants discussed the need to:
- Expand mentorship opportunities
- Restore vocational education
- Strengthen civics education
- Develop critical thinking skills
- Connect youth with Virgin Islands history and culture
- Increase agricultural education and environmental stewardship
- Address transportation barriers and after-school programming
- Strengthen family and community support systems
Speakers emphasized that preparing future generations is a shared community responsibility.
Organizations Working Toward a Shared Vision
Several organizations highlighted initiatives already making a positive impact across the territory while inviting additional partnerships and collaboration.
Organizations represented included:
- Ascension Livity Inc.
- Pan African Support Group
- Virgin Islands Progressive Movement
- People’s Progressive Party
- Step Street Project
- We Grow Food, Inc.
- New Beginning Organization
- Conch Shell Media, LLC and other community organizations
Featured initiatives included:
Step Street Project
A proposal to transform St. Thomas’ historic step streets into cultural corridors and urban food forests that reconnect neighborhoods while promoting environmental stewardship, food security, and community pride.
Dignity Village
Presented by Sister Marguerite Price, this developing initiative seeks to create tiny-home communities that provide safe, dignified housing opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Supporting Existing Solutions
Rather than creating new programs for every community need, participants emphasized strengthening initiatives already serving residents.
One example discussed was the USVI Conservation Corps, which currently engages young adults through:
- Agriculture
- Environmental stewardship
- Conservation projects
- Workforce development
- Community service
- Mentorship
- Leadership development
Participants encouraged organizations to contribute volunteers, expertise, educational opportunities, and financial support to existing successful programs rather than duplicating efforts.
Proposed Coalition Structure
Participants discussed several practical steps toward forming an ongoing coalition.
Immediate Actions
- Build and maintain a contact list
- Share events through a community calendar
- Continue communication between meetings
- Invite additional organizations and community members to participate
Structure & Process
The coalition would:
- Meet regularly
- Assign responsibilities
- Evaluate progress
- Maintain accountability and transparency
- Preserve each organization’s independence while collaborating on shared priorities
Collaborative Funding Strategy
Rather than competing for grants, organizations proposed:
- Applying collaboratively
- Sharing funding opportunities
- Pooling expertise
- Leveraging each organization’s unique strengths
Progressive Results from the First Meeting
Several tangible outcomes emerged from this initial discussion:
- Agreement to begin forming a cross-sector coalition.
- Creation of a shared contact list for continued communication.
- Commitment to develop a Virgin Islands Community Calendar.
- Identification of the USVI Conservation Corps as an existing youth initiative that organizations can immediately support.
- Exploration of collaborative grant-writing and shared funding strategies.
- Commitment to hold regular follow-up meetings focused on refining ideas, assigning responsibilities, and maintaining accountability.
Looking Ahead
Organizers emphasized that this was not intended to be a one-time discussion, but the beginning of a long-term movement to strengthen collaboration throughout the Virgin Islands.
Future meetings will continue refining ideas, developing action plans, assigning responsibilities, and expanding participation as additional organizations and residents become involved.
Everyone who shares the vision of rebuilding stronger, healthier, and more connected communities is encouraged to join the conversation and help shape the work ahead.
Join the WhatsApp group to receive updates and participate in the scheduling poll for the next meeting:
This format works well as a living blog post that can be updated after each coalition meeting, creating an ongoing public record of progress while serving as a central resource linked from future news articles.