Riseup email- dcmadhatters(at)riseup(dot)net

Riseup list- https://dcmadhatters.list.riseup.net

(You don’t have to use Riseup mail to join the list)

Facebook-  facebook.com/groups/dcmadtea 

 
Twitter- @dcmadhatters  <— not very frequently updated.. SO FAR 

Tumblr- dcmadhatters.tumblr.com  <— also not frequently updated SO FAR


Another great way to contact us is to…. COME TO MEETINGS! HELP US ORGANIZE STUFF! HANG OUT WITH US! We are a really nice, diverse bunch of people (plus an elf ;D), and we don’t smell that bad, promise. 

sorry for the super late announcement. i forgot we have a tumblr page.

Meeting at Wonderland Ballroom is kind of just a change of pace. We are still probably gonna keep meeting at Radical Space DC, but we are likely gonna be changing our meeting schedule to add another day, time & location so hopefully the schedule will work for more people.  

Got any suggestions for cool places to meet in D.C.? Email us and let us know: dcmadhatters(AT)riseup(DOT)net

We’d ideally like to meet in spaces that are:

free,

wheelchair-accessible,

accessible by Metro / bus,

in D.C.,

private or semi-private,

available in evenings,

somewhere we could bring food and water/tea/soda into,

somewhere with at least one accessible bathroom (mega bonus points for unisex/family/gender-neutral bathrooms)

thanks in advance! 

mad love & solidarity,

DC Mad Hatters 

Hi, whoever reads this! I forgot to update this. Whoopsies. Anyway, just in case you were wondering, the DC Mad Hatters group is not dead! We’ve had meetings, and then took a break due to various things (school, work, activist things, etc.) but we’re hoping to pick it up again. Meeting announcement (very late, cuz I forgot this thing existed) in next post.

TONIGHT @ 7pm —sharp at RADICAL SPACE DC, 5525 Illinois Ave NW,DC ( Near Georgia Ave-Petworth Area) 

Bus lines run up Georgia Ave (7th St)
From Petworth Metro Station - 62 BUS - towards TAKOMA STATION, E4 BUS - towards FRIENDSHIP HEIGHTS STATION,  63 BUS towards TAKOMA STATION

Updated D.C. Mad Hatters contact info!

Riseup email- dcmadhatters(at)riseup(dot)net

Riseup list- https://dcmadhatters.list.riseup.net

(You don’t have to use Riseup mail to join the list)

gmail- dcmadtea at gmail

Twitter- @dcmadhatters

Tumblr- dcmadhatters.tumblr.com

We’re also on Facebook! facebook-dot-com/groups/dcmadtea

it’ll be partly for support, partly for organizing stuff.

sorry for the last minute notice, i forget to update this thing. whoops.

anyway, so far we’re meeting on Thursdays at Radical Space DC. but that might change. *shrug*

also btw here is our contact info

gmail- dcmadtea

Riseup list- dcmadhatters-dot-lists-dot-riseup-dot-net

(You don’t have to use Riseup mail to join the list)

Twitter- dcmadhatters

Tumblr- dcmadhatters

We’re also on Facebook! facebook-dot-com/groups/dcmadtea

Instead of meeting at Soho Tea & Coffee, we’ll now be meeting at the new DC Radical Space which is located at 5525 Illinois Ave NW DC.

New meeting schedule coming soooooon

You can help us decide on when to meet by putting your preferred day(s) on our Doodle page: http://doodle.com/p2acdzqx7swyuu2z

mad love!

gmail- dcmadtea

Riseup list- dcmadhatters-dot-lists-dot-riseup-dot-net

(You don’t have to use Riseup mail to join the list)

Twitter- dcmadhatters

Tumblr- dcmadhatters

We’re also on Facebook! facebook-dot-com/groups/dcmadtea

Group Guidelines

This gathering has some basic agreements to ensure inclusion, safety, and open dialog:

•  To create trust, we respect confidentiality. The group decides on what level of disclosure and openness outside the group we want.

•  We ‘listen like allies.’ We respect a wide diversity of choices and perspectives, even when we disagree, and we don’t judge or invalidate other people’s experiences. We try not to interrupt. When it’s our turn to speak, we can ask others for feedback and advice, or just have people listen without responding. All responses are in a positive spirit of support and respect. (If able to, we will use “twinkle fingers” or other non-verbal methods to communicate agreement, indecision, or disagreement instead of verbally interrupting when someone is talking.)

•  We try to avoid making assumptions about anyone’s mental/emotional experiences, disability status, racial or ethnic identity, age, gender identity, gender pronouns, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, educational background, religion, political ideology, etc. If we want to know something personal about someone, we will politely ask them, and if they don’t want to give an answer, we will not take it personally.

•   We also practice ‘step up, step back.’ People who are quiet are encouraged to speak, and those who talk a lot are encouraged to give others a chance. We invite new people to introduce themselves if they want. Silence is also always ok.

•  As a community, we try to use ‘owl vision’, the ability to listen closely to the speaker while also having a feeling for the needs of the whole group. Keep in mind that others might be waiting to speak, or when we all might need to take a break.

•  We are mindful of potential triggers. We will warn the group before speaking in depth or in graphic detail about subjects that may be triggering, so that individuals can decide whether or not they need to temporarily leave the space to avoid being triggered.

•  We respect personal space and always ask for consent before touching others, even when someone is visibly upset. (Consent is not coerced or assumed. Consent is not the absence of “No,” but the presence of a clear, confident “Yes.”) We want all to feel safe and comfortable, and to respect that unexpected or unwanted physical contact may be triggering. Also, please consult with those around you before smoking or using alcohol or drugs in the group space.

•  We recognize that overcoming oppression helps everyone’s liberation; it is the group’s responsibility to challenge racism and white supremacy, classism, ableism, misogyny, sizism & fatphobia, homophobia/queerphobia, transphobia & cissexism, ageism, and other forms of prejudice. We educate each other in the spirit of solidarity, and hold others accountable for their behavior without criticizing who they are as people.

•  We respect spiritual beliefs, altered states of consciousness, and definitions of reality that fall outside the mainstream material view.

•  This a safe place for all, and we respect and care for each individual. We practice Harm Reduction, and reach out to those in need.  (In life-threatening situations, we will ask for consent to reach out to the individual’s trusted contact(s).)

This is a work in progress. We need everyone’s feedback and ideas of how to improve our efforts and strengthen our group. And as we meet, keep in mind that there are many other people gathering like this to build community support networks with a vision of a new world.

most of these guidelines were lovingly borrowed from The Icarus Project manual Friends Make the Best Medicine and some of them were edited.

Welcome to the DC Mad Hatters Tea-Party Tumblr. We hope you’ll join us. (Hats are optional.)

We are a new, non-hierarchical peer support group in Washington, D.C. organizing for community-based alternatives to the mental health industry. We seek to help create a safer space in the community for people with various mental / emotional experiences, and different backgrounds and identities to come together and share stories, learn to give consensual peer support, share self-care techniques, and educate ourselves and each other without fear of being judged or coerced. We emphasize respect, self-determination, consent, self-empowerment, accountability, mutual aid, and Harm Reduction while recognizing the intersections of mental health ableism and other forms of oppression.

We welcome people of any and all mental and emotional experiences, ages, dis/ability statuses, neurotypes, socioeconomic statuses, racial and ethnic identities, body types, gender identities and gender expressions, sexual orientations, religious and spiritual beliefs, and political ideologies. We welcome folks regardless of the presence or absence of clinical mental health diagnoses or any treatment(s).