Getting Ready, Staying Ready
We are catching up at the tail end of winter time, sowing seeds for the rest of the year in collective resilience planning and fruitful circularity
Somehow we have already reached the first glimmers of Spring since our last message. Two blizzards have come and gone, and mounds of ice continue to thaw in the sun. 2026 brings with it a hard earned turning point for DSM.215 along with many transitions and new opportunities.
Deep Space Mind 215 Headquarters lands in West Philly
At the start of this year we were able to secure our first physical space, began enacting a cooperative model in our operations, and prepped for a rich Spring of engagement and experimentation. For the most part, we spent 2025 shoring up our structure, doing internal work towards sustainability, and training alongside other community groups city-wide on facilitation, climate resilience, and neighborhood storytelling. Now, we can breathe, furnish our new office and training space in West Philly, and get back to building with our neighbors.
Download out our 2025 annual report HERE to learn more about our sustainability work, and our plans for a co-operative alternative to non-profit leadership.
Welcoming to This Semester’s Restorative Justice Intern
January marked the start of the Community College of Philadelphia Spring semester, where we have been hosting Ke’Ana Robinson, an intern who is completing CCP’s restorative justice certification program. As part of CCP’s inaugural graduating cohort Ke’ana will be supporting our restorative and transformative justice work before completing her certification this May. Ke’Ana Robinson is a Licensed Social Worker based in Philadelphia who brings expertise in political social work, workforce development, and community engagement. As a passionate advocate for social work students and emerging professionals, she is dedicated to inspire the next generation of care workers to lead with care and integrity.
Ke’Ana joined us recently at a Philly Homes 4 Youth potluck, where she was able to meet Marion Campbell, director of Eddie’s House, sponsor of the Philly Homes for Youth Coalition, and one of the founding members of the Restorative Cities Initiative. Marion reminded us that she was one of DSM215’s first trainers in our learning journey into restorative practices. We live for these full-circle moments, and in fact have made circularity one of our core values– returning to relationships that have fed us, reaching forward to continue the legacies of those we have built off of.
If interactions like these are any indication of what’s to come in 2026, we are hopeful for a fertile year.
This month look out for:
West Philly Climate Ready sessions led by DSM215:
As community ambassadors for The City’s Office of Sustainability’s Climate Resilience Partnership Program, DSM215 will be hosting listening sessions to collect stories and input around climate resilience in the West Philadelphia neighborhood. The city will use data collected to inform Philly’s Climate Resilience Plan.
We will also be asking neighbors feedback around skills and knowledge neighbors are seeking to learn this summer around crisis readiness.
Join us in person March 28th, or Virtually April April 2nd, from 6:00-7:30 PM Register HERE.
In person participants will receive a gift card and a meal (subject to availability). See you soon!
Seeding Joy at the Philadelphia Art Museum returns March 28th
Shout out to our neighbors at Drexel Writer’s Room and their monthly Seeding Joy series at the Philadelphia Art Museum. Register HERE for a morning led by artist Andrea Walls exploring ancestral artforms and spirituality.
Philly Homes 4 Youth Coalition seeks new members and partners
The Philly Homes 4 Youth Coalition invites you to this month’s meeting. Learn about ways you and/or your organization can team up with youth, youth orgs, and changemakers throughout the city to work towards safe accessible and stable housing for youth and young adults.
Seeking youth with lived experience of homelessness, as well as youth workers and youth advocates who’s work intersects with the issue of youth housing insecurity. Young people will be compensated for their time.
Sign up HERE to receive updates and calendar invites.