October Has Arrived
Recalibration
& Sustaining Community
October at Shine Bright School
October continues the conversations we began in September. After asking what wealth can mean in our lives and communities, we turn to what sustains us: how we organize, how we show up for one another, and how we recalibrate when what we have been doing is ready to change.
Share one reflection. Continue one conversation.
Important October Dates
Three gatherings give us space to move from individual reflection into conversation, and into art, with one another.
October 16, 2026
Peer Study Group
7:00 to 7:30 PM EST
An open session with no set theme this month. Bring a reflection, a question, or whatever you want to explore with the community.
October 22, 2026
Book Club Chat
7:00 to 7:30 PM EST
Bring a passage, question, tension, or idea from Emergent Strategy that stayed with you.
October 27, 2026
Rejuvenation Art Showcase
7:00 PM EST
Online, through the Shine Bright School course platform. Pay what you can.
Join the ShowcaseEmergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds
By adrienne maree brown
This month, we use Emergent Strategy to look at how change happens in community: through small actions, honest relationships, and the willingness to adjust course. The book draws on the work of Octavia E. Butler, science fiction, and the patterns of the natural world to offer a way of creating change that is adaptive, relational, and rooted in liberation.
Rather than focusing on finishing the entire book, we use October to explore four ideas: small is good, change is constant, critical connections matter more than critical mass, and trust sets the pace.
Read the sections that support your learning. Bring a reflection, question, journal entry, passage, or observation into the community.
October Week by Week
Each week gives us one lens for exploring how we recalibrate and sustain community together.
Small Is Good, Small Is All
Change in community often starts smaller than we expect. This week, notice the small actions, conversations, and practices that already hold us together.
What is one small practice in my life or community that is working, and what makes it work?
Where have I been waiting for a large moment when a small, consistent action would serve me better?
Change Is Constant
Plans, seasons, and capacity shift. Recalibrating is part of the work, and not a sign that something has failed.
What in my life or work is asking to be adjusted right now?
What changes when I treat adjusting course as part of the process instead of a setback?
Peer Study Group
October 16, 2026 · 7:00 to 7:30 PM EST
This is an open session with no set theme. Bring what is on your mind, whether that is a reflection from the weekly prompts, a question, or something you want to think through with others.
Come ready to listen, share, and learn from the different experiences members bring into the room.
Critical Connections, Not Critical Mass
Strong communities are built through the quality of our connections, not the size of the crowd. This week, look at the relationships that carry the work.
Who am I deeply connected to, and what keeps those connections strong?
How do I want to show up for the people in this community, and how do I want them to show up for me?
Emergent Strategy
October 22, 2026 · 7:00 to 7:30 PM EST
Bring a passage, idea, question, or tension that stayed with you.
We talk about what surprised us, what felt familiar, what challenged our assumptions, and what the book helped us see differently about change and community.
You can participate whether you read a small portion or a large portion of the book.
Move at the Speed of Trust
Trust is built over time through consistency, honesty, and care. This week, consider what pace allows us to stay in relationship while doing the work.
Where am I moving faster than trust allows, and where am I moving slower than trust would support?
What idea from Emergent Strategy do I want to carry forward after October?
Rejuvenation Art Showcase
October 27, 2026 · 7:00 PM EST
Art is liberation. The Rejuvenation Art Showcase is a gathering around art made for rest, restoration, and joy. It takes place online through the Shine Bright School course platform, and admission is pay what you can.
Join the ShowcaseWays to Join In
Participation can look different from week to week.
Respond to the weekly conversation prompt with something you noticed, questioned, remembered, or reconsidered.
Read another member's reflection and respond with curiosity, connection, or a thoughtful question.
Engage with the portions of Emergent Strategy that support your learning and capacity this month.
Come to the Peer Study Group, Book Club Chat, Art Showcase, or all three.
Continue the Work Through Money Work
Money Work Cohort 4 is open for enrollment. Live group sessions start March 3, 2027, and pre-work is required, so early enrollment is recommended. The course is a space to explore your relationship with money, enoughness, security, responsibility, and the beliefs you carry.
Learn About Money WorkKeep the Conversation Going
September invited us to place our money stories in a wider context. October asks how we recalibrate and sustain the community we are building, and invites us to learn from what other members are noticing too.
Bring your experience, your questions, and your curiosity. Read at your pace. Join where you have capacity. Spend time with the perspectives other members bring into the room.
Share one reflection. Continue one conversation.
Shine Bright School
October Community Engagement Guide