Community Theme: CARE

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The 2024/25 FREE theme is CARE (Collect, Assess, Restore, Engage).   

We investigate how individualistic and collectivistic cultures combine in civic engagement. We ask: How does self-care connect to cultures of care and nonviolent collective action?

FREE collaborates with Sustainability Champions for inclusive TMCC activities, culminating on TMCC Earth Day, April 17, 2025. This year we integrate interdisciplinary activities into our courses and events for culturally creative student, faculty, and staff experiences with CARE.

"In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether the injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action... We who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open where it can be seen and dealt with."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Why we Can’t Wait, pages 78 and 85

FREE develops "care" so tension “can be seen and dealt with” compassionately. We explore Dr. King’s "four basic steps": evidence, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action. FREE asks three big-picture questions:

  • How do community perspectives about belonging, well-being, and sustainability connect individuals to cultures of care on campus, in the region, and in the world?
  • How do we integrate courses into holistic paradigms for thriving?
  • How do we integrate cultural stories about our mountains, valleys, rivers, deserts, and trees into academics for global citizenship?

Event Information

Culturally Responsive Antibias Curriculum and Events
An interactive workshop on anti-bias strategies with a culturally responsive paradigm about individualistic and collectivist cultures.
Who: Micaela Rubalcava, Fe Danger, and Rick Bullis
When: Aug. 15, 2024, 9:45–10:45 a.m. and January 2025 Professional Development Week
Location: TMCC Plaza

FREE 2024–25 Care
Who: Micaela Rubalcava facilitates how-to integrate CARE into courses and events.
When: Aug. 20, 2024, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and January 2025 Professional Development Week
Location: RDMT 256 and Zoom

Civic Engagement Panel
How Does Civic Engagement Cultivate Care for Pride and Belonging in our Diverse Community?
Who: Ben Davis and guests.
When: Oct. 17
Location: SIER 108

TMCC Earth Day
When: April 17, 2025, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Location: Student Center

Resources