Our Story
Some highlights of our journey so far
We started with creativity…
Specifically, helping communities and artists work together to make their community a more creative, empowered place.
And ran a festivals like EQUAROX, the festival equality, as a way to combine arts, community development, and activism.
We started looking more at the societal context that affected arts and what drew us together on the entrepreneurial journey
We needed to R3SET...
We started experimenting with design thinking, crowdfunding, social media, blockchain, cooperatives and other innovative community development models.
That work lead us to Holyoke. And the importance of narrative development in shifting the beliefs and perceptions of a community.
We learned how a community to be empowered, it must be able to share it's own story, and started to develop a multimedia platform.
We were called to the Berkshires...
And started to combine the power of design thinking, networking, and celebration.
And we held our first true ID3A Jam
We discovered The people wanted a better way to connect. A way to share their story and learn about their neighbors and the things that were going on around them.
So we launched a podcast studio...
SP3Ak EASY Studio was designed to help communities and organizations share their story
We worked with 1Berkshire to launch the first podcast to attract and retain entrepreneurial residents for Berkshire County
That Berkshire Podcast pilot launched on all podcast platforms
We helped start a movement...
We helped launch the Berkshire Black Economic Council and built their first website...
We partnered with the Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation to launch the first pilot of the EL3VATE Community Empowerment Platform
We initiated and partnered with the Berkshire Black Economic Council for the 2020 SUCC3A ID3A Jam.
The ID3A Jam was designed to create a holistic, collaborative framework for Berkshire Black businesses, community leaders, and the larger Berkshire County community.
Then COVID Struck...
With lockdowns starting on the day of our event, we reorganized 120+ person SUCC3SS ID3A Jam into 6 online events
We launched the first online group for entrepreneurs based in Berkshire County, MA.
We partnered with EforAll to help 60+ local entrepreneurs survive the transition to online only business during the initial phases of the COVID-19 lockdowns
We kept jamming...
We worked with the Association of Black Business Professionals of Springfield to design a better way for anchor institutions to do business with minority entrepreneurs
We worked with Roots Rising to help them define their new community farm
We helped the W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project engage the community in a more meaningful and effective way
We facilitated a leadership program...
We helped launch the first leadership accelerator program for BIPOC leaders in Berkshire County
We helped cultivate the power, connection, and purpose of the group, and introduced them to a network of community organizations
We celebrated our graduates at the Berkshire Innovation Center with our partners and the graduate's friends and family
What's next?