it really does take a village
The B-Zone
The B-Zone is an intentionally designed space meant to deliver balance. The team at Utopia Connect Foundation is purposeful in how we execute every undertaking by infusing elements of wellness into each activity or event we host at the B-Zone. If you haven’t guessed it yet, the B stands for Balance. Our intent is to create spaces and opportunities where we can Dialogue, Connect, Learn, Shift and together, work towards becoming our best selves in order to serve our communities well.
The B-Zone is made possible through the generous and deliberate partnership of Vivify Construction who sees beyond mere construction and instead; works towards building spaces that offer a more balanced quality of living for their residents. Vivify Construction holds a vision of making their dwelling places a holistic experience and one that contributes to making Chicago neighborhoods better places to live. With our joint efforts at the B - Zone, the communities of Austin, Oak Park, Elmwood Park, River Forest are afforded increased opportunities to engage in the arts and in mental wellness programs.
At the B-Zone, we orchestrate each activity with intent because there are real-world problems our communities continue to face, and an emphasis on self-care is a strategic starting point. We cannot care for others if we don't know how to care for ourselves. We place high emphasis on serving women and girls in our community; and have therefore, infused that rich element of self-care as a launching pad to everything else we do. One of our board members recently elaborated on what makes a table so balanced and identified the need for all of its legs to be even; and when that element of balance is not present, that table remains in a constant state of instability-making it harder to function within its purpose, compromising its effectiveness.
Our hope is that as we promote spaces infused with elements of self-care, that care will ripple across our communities as we seek to build a more empathetic and safe city. So from our quiet "Tea & Meditation" time to our "Dine & Dialogue" and our "Mindfulness Moments, we look forward to having you join us as we all begin to shift towards a renewed appreciation and awareness of ways that we all can harmoniously co-exist and be well.
Small Intimate Events
We orchestrate small intimate events that are manageable within our space confines. These events are on an invite only basis and are purposefully driven towards building community and appreciation for our diversity.
Art Classes - Let's paint the town red
Art has a way of connecting people and often has the potential to open our minds to new possibilities and awarenesses. Our art classes are intended to do just that, and will contribute to well intended outcomes as each student walks away with an art piece that holds a greater and long lasting intention.
Art Exhibitions
Even the walls can speak and we use it to tell stories. We deliberately solicit work from local artists that is compelling and meant to offer perspective, solutions, and bring hope. Our artwork is showcased and some will be sold with a portion of the proceeds going toward the cause of women and girls.
Meeting & Virtual Office Address
We consider the many small business and independent workers who simply wish to host a one hour meeting in a safe and supportive business environment. For a minimal cost, we rent out our meeting rooms to help foster growth and change.
Cooking Classes
Nutrition matters and our cooking classes will not just focus on food but on healthy ways to cook and prepare meals while also using it to build community. Having a kitchen positions us to also consider volunteer opportunities geared towards families. We believe in the power of service to others and volunteering is an element of our organizational values and one that we promote. Our kitchen can become a place to help feed the hungry.
Dine & Dialogue
We are excited about using our spaces for advancement of women and girls and for community building and dialogue. We hope to host structured conversations that tackle pressing and hard issues and bring awareness to diversity, equity and inclusion while also bringing many of the drivers in our city to site at the the table to dialogue around many of the concerns in our city. There is power in food and we can serve a lot of issues sitting at the right table.
Tea & Meditation
Quiet time is actually healing to the soul and we often shy away from it or it gets drowned by the constant hustle and bustle happening around us. The B-Zone sees value to all of us going inward. Making time for gratitude and reflection and we have created opportunities where you can join us for peaceful meditation and tea. This will be on an invite basis and geared towards many city and community workers who are often stretched thin and give so much of themselves to everyone.
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