Network Catalyzers Agnes Meneses and Mat Cotton on Democracy and Belonging in Cities
Agnes Meneses has over 25 years in the nonprofit sector, understanding the relationships among funders, grantees, and communities. She promotes learning and dialogue to foster understanding of shared humanity. By applying bridging principles, she helps strengthen relationships vital to systems change. Agnes prioritizes self-reflection and collective sensemaking to build community amidst complexity. Through her consulting practice, she provides strategic advisory services to nonprofits and foundations focused on systems change and deep equity. She facilitates healing circles for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s initiative and coaches grassroots leaders. Previously, she was Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Chicago Foundation for Women and Senior Program Officer at Alphawood Foundation.
Mat Cotton Jr. coordinates the U.S. Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs’ collaboration with individuals, organizations, and agencies in the U.S. engaged in public discourses and policy advocacy directed toward racial justice and racial unity. Prior to joining the office, Mat worked as a grassroots community organizer, coordinating outreach and educational endeavors to build capacity in young people and families to engage in acts of service in their localities. Mat’s field of study at the University of Dayton was International Studies and Global Environmental Sustainability. His passion is engaging in community-building and social action with his family and an ever-expanding number of his neighbors on the Southside of Chicago.
Ruby Devoe, the Democracy and Belonging Forum’s summer intern, spoke with Network Catalyzers Agnes and Mat about their journey with Democracy and Belonging in Cities; the experiences that shaped their work, what they’ve learned, and the challenges they continue to navigate in building community.
What specific challenge or opportunity related to othering, belonging, bridging, and/or democracy are you exploring through the Democracy & Belonging in Cities learning community? How does your work help advance democracy rooted in belonging within your local or regional context?
We are exploring the challenge of providing access to all people in any given locality to opportunities to participate in and contribute to the development and well-being of their community and its institutions. The challenge of engendering in everyone a sense of belonging to their community, not as a passive sentiment, but an active one that gives rise to a desire to care for and contribute to its betterment.
One key dimension of belonging in cities we try to explore is how to create the conditions so people within communities feel like they have the power and capacity to contribute; to see themselves as protagonists who can shape their own cities or neighborhoods. Such exploration sometimes means creating space for reflection, which takes time to foster so people can share openly in the space.
What kinds of transformations — personal, relational, or collective — have you witnessed within the community? Is there a moment or memory from the past year that stands out — a time when the work felt especially meaningful, a moment of connection, or a significant challenge?
One in particular for me (Agnes) is when a participant shared that a conversation we had (where we had an exercise asking for participants to think of at least 10% asset in someone who has a vastly different point of view than them) contributed to at least a sliver of seeing the other person’s side…and thus a bit of their humanity. That feels like a small step, but that step of seeing someone more fully is a giant step towards seeing people not as an “other.”
What have you learned about co-creation through this process?
For me (Agnes), co-creation starts with being in dialogue and relationship with co-creators. Often, our process begins with an open share about something that we are both curious about, and from there, we start having an open inquiry and let the conversation go where it can go. We also bring in another partner from the German Marshall Fund, Tarsi Dunlop, who brings a wealth of perspectives. I’d also like to acknowledge Paul Costello, also from GMF, who was involved last year and in the earlier part of this year. The conversation can take many twists and turns, and can sometimes feel like it’s not an “agenda” but somehow what we talk about connects to what we are trying to shape and curate for the session. It actually makes the planning part much faster after we’ve spent time just exploring the topic from a broader context and inquiry.
How do you see your role as a catalyzer of this community? How has your participation in the Network Catalyzers Program supported this work? What have you learned about yourself through this experience?
We’ve seen our role as facilitators of a process of learning about this work. We have heard from participants that they are often thinking about these questions on their own, and that can lead to a sense of loneliness or burnout. As catalyzers, we have learned from our own experiences how much learning with a group, especially a group of friends, helps one to persevere in the long term.
The work of strengthening democracy and belonging sadly won’t be finished in any of our communities overnight, so it is necessary that we mutually support one another and exchange insights in learning in a way that sustains us over the long term.
And it is also in the way that our own participation in the Network Catalyzers Program has supported us. It has helped us to learn from others who are acting in a similar way and made the whole experience extra joyful because you are developing stronger bonds of friendship along the way!
I feel that part of our role as catalyzers is to hold the space so that people have time to do their own sensemaking.
What’s next for your community? Do you imagine it continuing beyond this program? If so, in what form?
Our hope is that this series will continue on to next year (which will be our 3rd). We do feel people continue to want a space where certain topics that may be fraught with assumptions, have entrenched beliefs, and rigid mental models can be explored with care and compassion.
Editor's note: The ideas expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of the Othering & Belonging Institute or UC Berkeley, but belong to the authors.
Explore the Network Catalyzers Program page for more conversations and insights from community leaders supported by this initiative. Click here!