Amphi Resource Fair

Building community through Cyclovia and the Open Streets Movement

Amphi residents meet at Literacy Connects to explore resource providers.

In May of 2023, LSA met with a group of neighbors from the Amphi neighborhood in northern Tucson, a place where around 32 languages are spoken, and we proposed the idea of Cyclovia Tucson - our twice-yearly open streets event, coming to Amphi. There was a lot of excitement around the idea of local residents coming out to enjoy their public spaces and especially around sharing some of what their rich and culturally diverse neighborhood has to offer others in Tucson. When we asked what partnership on this event would look like to them, they responded by saying,

“We would love Cyclovia to happen here, and our people need resources before then. We want to celebrate open streets together, and we need our basic needs met.”

hassan clement is an Amphi neighborhood activist working with the Nonviolence Legacy Program and Pantera Tenant Empowerment Program. He had the idea of hosting a resource fair modeled after one that Literacy Connects had produced two years prior at the height of the COVID19 pandemic, noting, “That was the best event ever, people were able to get services right away, not just information. We need another event where service providers can bring the office to the community, not the other way around.”

Members of Tucson Refugee Ministry prepared and served a wide array of yummy traditional dishes from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

At Living Streets Alliance we are constantly asking ourselves what partnership means - especially in the context of hosting a 40k person event in a new location in Tucson two times per year. One answer to this important question, is that partnership means following the leadership of Black and Brown people in order to support their efforts in their own neighborhoods. In Amphi, preparation for Cyclovia meant rallying community around useful resources at an event taking place one month before Cyclovia, and getting the word out through door-knocking and personal networks.

While the adults explored the resource tables, kids had fun at the arts and crafts table.

The Resource Fair in September offered: rental assistance, free groceries, vaccines and health checkups, books and educational resources, harm reduction kits, a free clothing shop, informative resources for the refugee community, free bike repair, and even free haircuts from Celina at the local 3rd Generation Barber, all while enjoying music and delicious food prepared by families involved with Tucson Refugee Ministry and sponsored by the Kevin Dahl Ward III Tucson City Council Office.

Amazingly, the event drew over 40 resource groups present and more than 200 people in attendance, including 50 children and 6 dogs! The fair came together in community with other wonderful partners and resource providers, such as Arizona Complete Health, Pima County Health Department, International Rescue Committee, Literacy Connects, and so many more. Appreciation was in the air and the day was filled with smiles, hugs, raffles, and kids painting and playing guitar.

Health services were one of the many resources available to attendees.

We at LSA know that paradigm shifts are possible through creativity and collaboration; and that collaboration is not simply a means to an end, but integral to an ongoing process of building shared power structures required for challenging mainstream engagement strategies and decision-making. The resource fair is an example of investment in shared power and leadership, both in the planning of Cyclovia and for future partnerships. For example, LSA is in the process of developing a Community Resource Kit, packed with all the materials and steps needed in order to help communities make events like this happen on their own, or with new partners in the future.

LSA Staff (left to right) Jessica, Kate, and Patricia with Amphi neighborhood organiser hassan clement.

By leveraging resources to support neighborhood leaders, we were able to engage people in fun and useful ways, and to share more about Cyclovia and the open streets movement - ultimately learning about how residents would like their Amphi Hub to take shape at Cyclovia and how they would like to participate. We are also inviting many of the organizations that contributed to the Resource Fair back for Cyclovia, so that in addition to musical performances and fun activities neighbors will be able to enjoy a day of car-free and carefree streets while knowing they are also taking care of their most urgent needs. As we endeavor to make the possible visible through Cyclovia, our work in Amphi raises the question,