Staff Retreat Reflections

Last week, the entire team of Inclusive Action for the City went to Mexico for our annual staff retreat.

To be honest, it was the first time ever we had a week-long staff retreat. Every year we talk about the need to pause and plan with each other, but our various projects cut into our time. I think the longest retreat we’ve ever had was a day, and we stayed local. Competing priorities.

How did we land on going to Mexico?

Our micro-loan clients invited us! A handful of clients who benefit from the Semi’a Fund, our micro-loan fund, happen to be from Puebla, a state a couple of hours away from Mexico City. When they visit our office to make a loan payment or receive some business coaching, Puebla often comes up. It’s a centerpiece of inspiration and culture for their businesses, and their love for Puebla often ends up with them asking, “when are you going to visit?”

This year, we ended up going. The idea came from our Deputy Director Azusena who discovered that we’ve accumulated quite a bit of points on our credit card. She calculated that the points can buy all our flights to Mexico City which would leave us just a two hour bus ride from Puebla.

With these points, combined with the financial award I received last year from LISC’s Rubinger Fellowship, we were able to cover the costs of our entire trip to Mexico City and Puebla.

The goal of this retreat was to spend some time away from the office assessing our initiatives and planning their future. With Mexico being the home country of many of the entrepreneurs we serve in our micro-loan fund, we also sought to dive into what makes their businesses work by immersing ourselves in the country and culture.

It was a unique opportunity that upon return, made me think about how trips like this shouldn’t be this rare. The nonprofit sector is not recognized for valuing its workers, paying for trips, giving them time off, or catering lunches for them weekly…instead our sector is known for severely underpaying staff, inducing panic attacks because of the work on our plate, and penalizing risky moves that may fail, but could also have a huge return for the communities we serve. At our organization, we try to push up against these norms.

The trip was restful and super productive. Every time I have the opportunity to travel, I think about how much we can learn from other cities domestically and internationally. Like the US, Mexico has its challenges, but there are areas where the country is more advanced than we are. Our time together in Mexico was a short opportunity to observe how communities work in Mexico and what lessons we can take back with us to Los Angeles, but it was an important time for us to connect about work. I was surprised how easy it was to launch into a robust discussion about our projects, their strengths and weaknesses, and the direction they should take in the future. Even when I felt our surroundings were too loud or distracting for us to have a meaningful discussion, the IAC team proved me wrong. We were all eager to connect with each other professionally and personally.

We had a full schedule that included work meetings at coffee shops and taco stands, as well as breaks that allowed us to explore on our own. The first half of the trip was spent in Mexico City where in addition to team meetings, we got to spend time at a food systems conference hosted by Ethos at Huerto Roma Verde, and visiting with Lugares Publicos, a nonprofit organization that activates public space, and learning from the cooperative, Colectivo Zacahuitzco. The second half of the trip was spent in Puebla, two hours away by bus. That piece of the trip had a calmer pace (dictated by the pace of Puebla itself), and was capped off by a meaningful visit with Merced, the owner of Los Originales Tacos Árabes, one of our Semi’s Fund clients. Her and her family hosted the seven of us for a delicious dinner in her hometown of San Pedro Zacachimilpa about 30 minutes away from Puebla City.

Each of the team members spent some time noting some reflections from the trip. I think it’s amazing how we all experience the world uniquely. When we combine our perspectives, it makes for a powerful voice that can have an impact beyond any one of us by ourselves.

-Rudy Espinoza, Executive Director

Click below to read their thoughts and see their images.

Azusena Favela, Deputy Director
Julie Jung, Communications & Development Associate
Kateri Gutierrez, Economic Development Associate
Lyric Kelkar, Policy & Research Associate
Marco Covarrubias, Operations & Development Associate
Maribel Garcia, Economic Development Associate

Azusena Favela

México! I always welcome any opportunity to visit the Motherland. Unlike many folks, I can’t point to a specific place in México to call home or stories to share about childhood summers there. Instead, I am in constant search for magical connections to practices, places, and people that help me piece together my history.

This specific trip was no different, except that the journey included my colleagues. For all intents and purposes, our team is relatively young, meaning the majority of the team has been with the organization for a year or less. This trip was an opportunity for the team to develop a deeper connection with each other and to the inspiration behind our work.

The idea for this piece was inspired by a walk in the Zócalo with Rudy and Marco who were armed with their Fujis (my phone did the trick). As we navigated through the buildings and the people, I realized we were taking in the same sights but snapping different angles. I have over 700 pictures (and some videos) of this 7-day trip and it was difficult to make a selection for this blog (happy to chat about all 700 with you!). But, alas, next I will walk you through some of my favorite sights and their significance to my work.

These stop signs in Cholula were a reminder that it doesn’t take much for pedestrians to be placed at the center of design and planning. They read STOP, first you and then me (others said first the pedestrian). Doesn’t that just have a nice ring to it? As a member of the LA Walks advisory board, a pedestrian advocacy organization, I thought of the organizing efforts underway to ensure communities color have safe and comfortable sidewalks and that crash fatalities are eliminated. The sidewalks are unique spaces that have an opportunity to marry storefronts, pedestrians, and street vendors to foster a sense of community.

As such was the case with these musicians who would be a rare find in Los Angeles. Rudy and I were having our weekly check-in on a walk in Puebla and came across this trio. The violinist captured my attention! He has a strong resemblance to one of our Semi’a Fund clients, Juan who owns and operates a small corner store in South Central LA. From the day I first met Juan, he’s had an image of his store that included fresh paint, a juicing station, a nice selection of produce, and robust inventory. With support from the Freshworks Fund, Emma’s Market will soon be rocking a new refrigerator to hold produce! LA Food Policy Council was instrumental in securing a point-of-sale system to support the introduction of technology into the business. The team at IAC and LAFPC will continue to work together to support the execution of this vision.

Musicians were not the only ones activating public spaces. This family of clowns had the entire crowd mesmerized with their tricks and jokes. On this busy walkway in Puebla that had been closed to vehicular traffic, the clowns rendered family-friendly entertainment, free of cost, without fear of authorities citing them for unlawful assembly. It was beautiful to see the ownership of a space and the camaraderie that was created within minutes. Similarly, in Mexico City’s Parque Alameda Central, I came across a dope group of young men fully engaged in a rap battle! My first thought was “dang, they have skills” immediately followed by how many people in certain US cities would be threatened by the convening of black and brown youth.

In the next few months, IAC and its partners will support community based organizations to activate six City owned vacant lots, through an adopt-a-lot program. Through a participatory budgeting process, local community residents will have an opportunity to design, implement, and manage the activations. I am hopeful the program will create similar vibes of community.

Public spaces were also thriving with vendors. In Mexico City, for example, certain streets were designated for vending (similar to an idea floated in Los Angeles to create special vending districts).

I also came across these storefronts that were integrated into the sidewalk and housed local business owners. In Los Angeles, our City Council has made it illegal to vend within vend within 500 feet of tourist destinations such as LA Live, Hollywood Blvd., and stadiums. This move completely ignores the cultural value added to a destination. In every plaza, vendors were a critical part of the experience. I believe we can reference models like this to improve the way in which we integrate micro-entrepreneurs into the culture of our City.

I recognize that I spend the majority of my time awake with the team or thinking about (sometimes even dreaming about) our collective work but our day-to-day practice sometimes limits our ability to nurture that beyond the 6 o’clock mark. I am grateful for opportunities like this to reflect on our mission, identify new concepts that can inform our work, and truly connect in a more meaningful way with my team. I am eternally grateful that I have a unique opportunity to witness the hard work of our micro-entrepreneurs pay off but more so that they consider us family. Hanging out with Merced of Los Originales Tacos Árabes de Puebla in Puebla was the best way to closeout this trip. I felt at home.

Julie Jung

This trip couldn’t have come at a better time! We were all working well over 50+ hours the past few weeks to successfully execute the announcement of our new name, produce PLUS2, and launch a new website from scratch. If the points didn’t pay for this trip, I would have sold a kidney to go.

The trip was a perfect balance between work meetings and exploration.The work and play was seamless because for all of us, we have a common thread in our whys. Why we do our work? Why we push ourselves to be better? Why family and community matter? It wasn’t unexpected to suddenly break out in conversations about development, public spaces, personal dreams, and our vision for the future. It was such a fresh breath of air to get to know one another outside the usual confines of our office.

México allows you to explore vibrant streets, engage in new conversations, soak up culture, and definitely work up an appetite. What I was truly captivated by was how this city isn’t afraid to use the old and new together. I saw it in their architecture, public spaces, forms of transportation, and food.

We all joke about staying hip with the times by using the latest slang; i.e. sus, on boys, new merch (instead of new swag), and a hundred sayings even I can’t keep up with. It gave me a moment to pause to ask are there things we’re doing that are outdated, strategies that need rethinking, or simply methods we need to revisit?

Our first day in Puebla we took a trip to visit the Great Pyramid of Cholula. We decided to pay for a guide to give us the full history. Our guide, Lupe, took us on an expedition through the base of the pyramid that was excavated in the 1920-1950s. I was mesmerized because it’s rare to find someone with a true gift of storytelling. She made us feel like we were all on Indiana Jones ready to uncover a new set of staircases.

This experience helped reaffirm that community members are the true experts of the history and the needs of their own cities. A lot of the knowledge we gained came from cab drivers, street vendors, and regular people we came across as we walked around the city.

As I reflect back on our week away from the office, I’m grateful for passionate team members that truly support one another in the office and out.

I’ll formally end my post with a haiku to share an unexpected finding.

Churros are so good.

Not all churros are the same.

Some come from circles.

Kateri Gutierrez

Our team retreat to Mexico exceeded my expectations. On top of learning about my co-workers in a space outside of the office, I discovered more about the entrepreneurial spirit, resilience, and economic challenges our neighbors south of the border face. From internal conversations that engaged all of us in each others’ work to the locals’ stories we gathered along our trip, the experience brings new energy and greater motivation to achieve our mission.

We started in Mexico City, an overwhelming metropolis with people that manage to make you feel like you are another local stopping by your daily cafecito, pozole, or pan dulce. We came across street vendors, artists, and small business owners that made their customers feel like old friends. This was also the case for Puebla City. I was fascinated with the entrepreneurial spirit in both cities because people found creative ways to make ends meet: from selling straw artwork to juggling fire sticks to selling Clorets, there was pride in the hustle.

In addition to the entrepreneurial spirit I felt in both Mexico City and Puebla, I noticed a great sense of resilience. We asked locals about their opinions on their government, and most responded with indifference. Most did not expect their government to make a significant change or any change for the good. Many locals we spoke to also shared the ways they take leadership in their own communities: some examples include selling locally grown produce, opening a consumer cooperative that offers vegetarian and vegan options, and designing public spaces where all community members are welcomed in the planning component. To put it simply, locals did not wait for hope and took matters into their own hands, and their contributions to the community and local economy would speak for themselves.

Coming from my work with COMPRA Foods, our purchasing cooperative, I could not help but notice how prevalent 7-Elevens and Circle Ks were, and how many people purchased fast food there. Mexico recently outranked the United States as the most obese country in the world, and given the accessibility of processed foods in virtually every corner, it is tougher for grocery stores and corner markets to compete with the global chains. On a positive note, we came across farmers markets, street vendors offering produce, and a corner store growing herbs to sell to the consumer.

In our efforts at COMPRA Foods, we try to make local corner stores competitive enough to offer healthy items, but as observed, the lack of food accessibility transcends borders. Small businesses in both Mexico City and Los Angeles compete with global brand recognition, changing demands, and rising costs of goods sold. As much work as there is to be done, I found a greater duty to continue implementing creative ways to help our local corner stores sell healthier food, and share our knowledge with the many other communities that face this food equity challenge.

Our Inclusive Action team had productive conversations about our respective projects, our impact, and how we can collectively achieve our mission of uplifting communities through advocacy and transformative economic development initiatives. We all noticed similarities in the challenges, efforts, and the good news we experience here. In listening to local organizations and entrepreneurs we return home with the gift of knowing that our efforts are not isolated, and the community continues to grow.

Lyric Kelkar

In the nearly 10 years I have been in the workforce, I have never been on a staff retreat to talk about what the future of the work holds. In that time, I have always worked in very small teams, ranging from 4 to 12 people - meaning everyone was always running around putting out a fire or figuring out how to best use their 40 hours each week to get everything done. So a retreat felt almost impossible - it is never a good time to step away from the work.

About eight months ago, Azusena jokingly said it would be cool to go to Puebla to check out some of our clients’ hometown and see what we can learn from them on their home turf. Well, they made it happen. We started the trip in Mexico City. My first outing was at a small ice cream shop. Just in the walk from the hotel to the ice cream shop, it was clear that the use of public space by the public in CDMX was far more sacred that we find here in LA. The sidewalks were filled with people grabbing lunch from street vendors, people chatting, riding bikes, playing music, and even lovers just existing together. It was Thursday at 2 in the afternoon.

The roads are narrower, but the sidewalks are reminiscent of home - sometimes narrow and sometimes wide, but scattered with cracks, trees, bikes, and signs. There were roundabouts at what seemed like every major intersection, and even they had public space in the middle of them - prioritizing amenities for pedestrians over cars. Even the signs for bikes seemed more urgent - the bike lane sign read “Prioridad” (priority) instead of right-of-way, the US’s more passive way of saying that someone other than cars has a right to use the public space. It struck me that everywhere we went, no matter the time of day, people were around and enjoying the space. They were a priority in it. What can we do in Los Angeles to make that also the case?

It wasn’t just the public space itself, but also the use of it, specifically by street vendors. In CDMX, we found that there were highly regulated systems, both formally and informally. Marco translated a few conversations with vendors in Chapultepec Park.

Each cart was marked with where in the park it was allowed to set up.

The carts were clearly all city distributed, but had very low rent prices for their space - 12 pesos a week, or about $2.67 per month. There were three or four different types of carts, but all of them were versatile so that they could be opened and used in a way that best suited the needs of the vendor. They also allowed for detachable pieces to be added and removed, creating a unique space for each product. When thinking about regulation for vendors in LA, perhaps we should look to Mexico City for inspiration.

Although Mexico City was filled with inspiration for how our streets in LA could be more accessible, Puebla was filled with community. We stayed close to the city center in Puebla City, and nearby was the zócalo, where people gathered (again, utilizing public space to its fullest). The cafes took up parts of the sidewalk, people were out and it was clear that this zocalo was a place of community.

Even in the middle of the freeway, there was a space for bikes and pedestrians to go through the town, completely protected from cars. It was raised above the highway, allowing for views of the city. This was another place that clearly had the priority on people and how they interact with space. This city, where our clients warmly had us over, was one that fostered interactions between people.

Inclusive Action took that to heart. Many of our productive conversations were held in Puebla, over excellent food and drinks. We felt the community there, and strengthened our own. I learned more about each of my colleagues’ programs and how I can be a better colleague myself (reminder - checking in isn’t usually a burden to those you are checking in with!). Most importantly, though, we were able to have real, candid conversations about what it is that was burdening us and then how we could productively move forward from that.

We were lucky enough to have many moments of laughter and openness with each other. I have found that the older I get, the harder it is to have these moments with people, especially those you only know through a work setting. This trip was an absolute treat. I learned more about how we can look to places such as Mexico for inspiration on policies, but I also got to know my colleagues in a way that wouldn’t have been possible in the office. I think that makes our work stronger, and our “why” more clear. The mission is much easier when you have others who understand and uplift you. At Inclusive Action, we have exactly that.

Azusena said it in our closing remarks - we spend more time with each other at the office and at meetings than we do with our family and other friends, so how do we build this relationship more and keep these conversations going? Perhaps time away is just as important as time in the office.

Marco Covarrubias

Each time I visit Mexico, I’m struck by how much there is to see, feel, and learn (and eat). I feel extremely fortunate to have experienced these cities with my colleagues from Inclusive Action, who cannot walk a single city block without asking a question about their surroundings, starting a conversation with a local street vendor, or trying to understand the city we were exploring. Walking the streets of Mexico City and Puebla with these intelligent, curious, and passionate individuals was enriching filled with lessons.

Activating public spaces can be simple. I am jealous of the amount of public spaces found in Mexico City and Puebla. Plazas, placitas, plazuelas, shaded walkways, public benches are abundant in Mexico. They are central to public life and, on any given evening, it is easy to find crowds of people enjoying the parks in their own way. Above is one example. I’m not sure why, but clowns are really popular in Mexico. They captivate crowds of people sitting in ad hoc stadium seating, made of sidewalks, fountain ledges and monuments. Within a few meters of this clown show in Alameda Central, there were ice cream vendors, rappers battling each other, and young couples enjoying some pizza on a park bench. The plaza is simply built, with very little in terms of what we would consider “park fixtures.” No basketball courts, no fields, no jungle gym. No signs telling you what you can’t do. The Alameda Central is a blank canvas on which the people of the community paint a beautiful collage made up of their favorite activities.

Above is a toy vendor in Puebla’s Zócalo. In some ways, vendors are more free in Mexico. We learned from our friends at Lugares Publicos that governments don’t really regulate street vendors.This has helped to preserve the rich street vending culture, but it also has its downside. The gap in government regulation has led to informal vendor associations that are led by neighborhood bosses. This arrangement keeps the system running, but it can often lead to extortion. You can read more about this here!

Our team came across this wall of planters when we visited el Huerto Roma Verde a space that was equal parts community garden, school, conference space, and marketplace. I chose to share this photo because I think it represents two things. One is the level of ingenuity that I saw while in Mexico. Everywhere in Mexico, it seems like people make the most out of the things that they have. I saw many examples of this inside this community garden. The pots are made of old construction helmets. In other parts of the garden you can find old paint cans that were flattened and turned into a wall, hundreds of 5-gallon water jugs that were stacked to form a sanctuary-like space, and wine bottles that were lined up to form the walls of planters where herbs and vegetables grew. The second thing I think this shows is that projects don’t have to cost a lot of money in order to be impactful and beautiful. If there is no political will to create community spaces, we can create our own.

This was the view our team enjoyed in Cholula, the oldest inhabited city in Mexico. The smoking peak on the left is Popocatéptl and the group of snow-capped peaks on the right is Izztacíhuatl. These volcanoes are two of the tallest in the hemisphere and are the inspiration for an ancient story about two young lovers. Our team took in this view as we stood on what remains of the Great Pyramid of Cholula, the pyramid with the largest base in the world. We learned that the original builders of the pyramid chose this site because it aligned with the four major volcanoes in the region. It was fascinating to see how city planning and spiritual beliefs were intertwined. Examples of this could be found all over Mexico City and Puebla. It made me think about how we should always be intentional about the ways we design our built environment.

I’ll end with this photo of this woman selling snacks in Mexico City. I saw her and thought of the street vendors in LA, the majority of whom are women. I thought of the resilience that people on either side of the border have to have every day in order to survive. Seeing people’s resilience helped to reaffirm why we do this work. We do it because we see the resilience in our communities and the lengths to which people go just to make a living. And, ultimately, we do this work to create a world in which people don’t have to be this resilient just to survive. A world where they have more opportunity.

The retreat gave our team a chance to reflect on our work and map out a path towards the future of our organization. We were open and honest with each other about how we can improve. And we were able to be curious together and share a lot of laughs. Now, it’s time for us to put our ideas and reflections into action.

Maribel Garcia

Maribel Garcia, Economic Development Associate

Our staff retreat was my first time visiting Mexico City. From day 1, I could not stop but think that Mexico City felt more like Los Angeles to me than other areas in Mexico that are familiar. The similarity makes sense. We were reminded by Guillermo Bernal from Lugares Publicos that Los Angeles, besides being another large city, has one of the largest Mexican populations outside of Mexico. This naturally has had an impact in Los Angeles. Yet in those similarities, I felt the deviations in our perceptions of street vending. I manage Inclusive Action for the City’s Semi’a Fund program and approached this trip, and this project, with that lens.

One morning I was walking in Roma Norte, a colonia in Mexico City, to meet up with a coworker, Kateri, at a coffee shop. The area is safe, but I was walking alone and Google Maps sent me through a few desolate streets so I tried to stay alert. This was until I saw a street vendor across the street. I quickly felt safer. This street vendor activated the otherwise deserted street. Eventually two men stopped to make a purchase and it further reinforced the fact that street vendors can and often do activate public spaces. It made me think of my (unfortunately) too infrequent runs around my neighborhood. Street vendors add liveliness and community where it is sometimes lacking. They can make us feel safer in areas that would otherwise be neglected. It reinforced in my mind the value to incorporating street vendors in our planning of complete streets.

Later that day Kateri and I were making our way back towards our hotel when we noticed el edificio de la Secretaría de salubridad e higiene (Department of Health and Higiene). Right in front of this building were a number of street vendors selling food, clothing and other miscellaneous goods. The irony struck me. An informal marketplace flourishing in front of its regulatory entity. I often hear complaints on the failures of Mexican government. Not just on this trip, but from friends and family. Often I hear of taxpayer money fruitlessly being spent on extravagant buildings where virtually nothing happens inside. This may be the case here, but I thought back to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, a powerful regulatory entity was unable to curb a flourishing informal economy. That irony aside, it also struck me how much more pleasing it was to see people huddled around eating and conviviendo (co-existing) over the stunning solitary art-deco structure across the street.

A few days later we visited Cholula. We climbed a replica of the Great Pyramid of Cholula and from this height I got a bird’s eye of shops with tables and merchandise being sold in-front of their businesses. I immediately thought of one of our Semi’a clients. This client has a clothing store on Tweedy Boulevard in South Gate and she had, similarly, taken out a rack of clothing outside to draw customers into her store. It worked, but within a few days she got a visit from an inspector who informed her that she is not allowed to have items outside of her store. She removed the rack but she remained confused. It seemed like such a natural and harmless act to put a clothing rack in front of her storefront. I then thought of the Piñata District, a street vending corridor by Olympic and Central in Los Angeles. Perhaps that’s the fear. That without strict regulation a corridor can become crowded and begin, as with the street vending corridors, to operate in the informal economy. And perhaps this is what the Piñata District looks like from a greater height. Not crowded and informal but lively and active.

On one of our last days in Puebla we were having a work-session at a coffee shop in front of Profética, a bookstore. During a quick break I walked into the bookstore. I must’ve looked lost because I was very kindly approached by one of the employees who stopped what she was doing to help me in my search for a cookbook. As she left a stack of Amazon fulfillment orders in front of me I realized she had been looking for items she would later be shipping. We chatted for a bit. I told her how nice it was to be in a bookstore. How bookstores had been disappearing from Los Angeles for a few years now and how familiar those Amazon orders looked. She shared a similar story. She said local family-owned bookstores were closing down and that the majority of their sales were from Amazon. They shipped books throughout Mexico, the United States, and Europe. Customer trends, even in Mexico, are shifting towards online platforms.

Lastly and most importantly, I learned the importance of working collectively to improve our programs. In our day to day we sometimes forget to step back, review our programs and ensure that we refine our goals and processes. Our retreat allowed us the time to review and improve our work and also made it clear, to me at least, that our work is transferable. Our programs have value not only in Los Angeles but also across the border.

Rudy EspinozaJuly 17, 2019