How To Host A Community Club with Future Front
Community Clubs are intimate gatherings hosted by Future Front members in Austin, Texas.
Grounded in nurturing creativity, community, professional resilience (or all three!), clubs are a way to make space for the things we need to learn, the habits that support our growth and the people who remind us why we’re here.
We launch a new round of clubs every summer, and this year our Open Call for ideas has returned. Whether you’d like to host a club or attend a club, keep reading for some background on these sweet series, as well as meet a few of our 2022 Club Hosts.
FIRST, A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON COMMUNITY CLUBS.
⭑ What is a Community Club?
01. Community Clubs are designed to nurture creativity, community or professional resilience.
02. Meeting regularly, all clubs work to achieve one purpose, like:
Mastering a skill
Nurturing a habit
Celebrating / supporting something everyone in the club loves
03. Clubs usually have 10 to 20 active members throughout the year—and they’re seasonal. A club might meet once a month from February to October, for example, or maybe they’ll meet every other week during the Spring, etc.
04. Clubs must be hosted by Future Front members and available to all members to attend. (They can be open to everyone to join, though—it just depends on whether or not the host decides to make their club public!)
⭑ How often do Community Clubs meet?
In order for a Community Club to thrive, it’s got to meet on a regular basis! For a Community Club to be listed with Future Front, it must run on a weekly, bimonthly, monthly or quarterly schedule.
⭑ What does a Community Club host do?
A club host sets the tone and the purpose of their club. A club host selects the intention and overarching goal of the club.
A club host runs their club autonomously, with support from Future Front. A club host sets the agenda, location, medium and/or topic for every club meeting using Google Calendar or an alternative calendar tool. They also check in with members of the club at least once a month via email, text or some other communication method.
A club host wants to be a good host. If you’ve become a host, you’re interest in community-building as a practice, sharpening your facilitation skills and practicing curatorial work! Hosts meet with the Future Front team once a quarter to check in on their club, share resources, learn from growth edges, have fun and hang! Hosts are responsible for:
Keeping the club free and safe by staying curious and asking for feedback
Having and starting conversations, as well as facilitating space for others to share
Understanding everything that is going on within the club, etc.!
⭑ Can’t imagine what makes for a good club? Or what joining one might look like? We got you! Let’s take a look at Hike Club.
Two years ago, Future Front member Stephanie of Storied Series decided to list her own bimonthly Hike Club as a Future Front Club. The club met every other Sunday at different trails in Austin, and the goal was simple. The club was designed for people who wanted to get outside—and just needed to find the time, space and company to do it. (After listing the club with Future Front, Hike Club doubled in size and Stephanie still runs it today!)
second, hear from some of our 2022 hosts.
This Is Not A Book Club — Hosted by Amanda Johnston, Founder and Executive director of Torch Literary Arts, an organization supporting creative writing by Black Women in Texas
✹ How would you describe This is Not A Book Club?
This Is Not A Book Club is a low-key meet-up where book lovers come together to support local independent bookstores, learn more about Torch Literary Arts, and meet new people. It’s not a book club, but we do talk about all things literary and encourage everyone to find a great book to take home. We have treats and book giveaways, too!
✹ Why do you think sharing literature within our communities is important?
Authors and freedom of speech are under attack. Most books being challenged, censored, or banned are overwhelmingly by and/or about BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ people. What gets published becomes our perception of the world.
Representation matters in publishing and across media, so it is vital that we support diverse writers who dare to tell the stories that make us think and ask questions. It is vital that our communities read and support our indie bookstores and local libraries so free thought and imagination can inspire generations to come.
“We have an abundance of creators, organizers, and heart workers in our community. Feed into them and receive the bounty that will grow in return. ”
Summer Period Club — Hosted by Kate Morton, a dietitian, menstrual health advocate and the founder of Funk It Wellness
✹ How would you describe Period Club?
Period club was a chance for everyone to come together and build community around menstrual education. We had so much fun—we did a different craft each month and just hung out and talked about all the things that society tells us are "TMI.”
✹ Talking about menstrual cycles and things can be a bit intimidating! How do you creatively approach these kinds of subjects? What got you interested in periods from the start?
I have to give our club members a lot of credit. They came 100% ready to dive in and talk about all things cycles. One thing we found helped everyone feel comfortable and have fun was doing a different craft activity each month. I think having something to do with your hands and creating something new can help you feel more comfortable and bonded to the people around you.
✹ What kinds of topics did you explore in the Period Club? Why are they important?
We explored cycle tracking, what is a normal period, how to advocate for yourself in a health care setting and many many other important aspects of menstrual health but most importantly we all shared our lived experience and I think that is where the most valuable education came from.
Money Moves Club — Hosted by Lina Zuluaga, artist, UX designer and Future Front Texas board member
✹ Talking about money can be a bit intimidating! How do you creatively approach these kinds of subjects? What got you interested in making this a community conversation from the start?
It really IS intimidating! There is no formula for everyone because our stories are so different but the thing we have in common is the fact that we all have to deal with money. Money means different things to all of us, it might mean security or a way to measure success but at the end of the day, we’ve all made mistakes and have had wins when it comes to money, whatever that means to you personally. I try to approach from a place of curiosity and kindness every time we get together. There is a lack of education around money and most of us have to hope what our parents told us about it is true, and figure it out ourselves. Sometimes learning the hard way is what we have in common and I use that commonality to have a conversation and share what we’ve learned because someone else is probably going through it.
✹ Any interesting stories from your club or things you’ve learned through your club that you’d like to share with us & the community?
There are too many and that’s why I started a Money Moves blog! I wanted to keep track of what our conversations are about for the members who can’t make it in person, I definitely try to encourage people to come to the chats but it's nice to look back in the blog and see all the resources we’ve shared in one place. Here is the link to it, if anyone is interested!
Skechers Drawing Club — Hosted by Cynthia Muñoz, artist, social impact leader and Future Front Texas board member
✹ What’s your favorite thing to make as an artist?
I've always been drawn to images of people. Most of my work focuses on self-portraiture simply for convenience because I'm a cheap model!
✹ What do you like most about drawing with other people? Or just collaborating creatively with others in general?
As a procrastinator, having a specific event or reason to draw forces me to actually do it versus just thinking I should do it sometime. A lot of people have told me that they feel the same way, thus Skechers was born! I really enjoy that the majority of people who attend are people I don't know so it's nice to see new faces and it's fun peeking at what they're drawing because everyone's style is so unique. I feed off other people's energy and enthusiasm so having collaborators keeps me motivated and inspired.
✹Do you have any advice for people interested in attending Community Clubs, or just being in community, in general?
Just show up! Community Clubs are meant to have a low barrier to entry so if you're interested at all, just try one and see if you like it. Being in community in general is a bit harder, but I find that attending events is an easy way to check out a group that allows you to show up as you are. You can be quiet and observe or you can start mingling right away!
