Mission & Values
Our mission is to help returned community members connect to a bigger world by experiencing and participating in the arts, which upholds our core values of dignity, connection, and joy.
We believe that people when connected to their communities are healthier and happier people; that healthier and happier people are safer for themselves and the community; and that arts are a key driver of connection between self and community.
Services for returned community members are mostly focused on the fundamentals of survival: food, housing, transportation, jobs, and healthcare.
At Big World Connection, our focus is on joy. On the thrill of discovery. On something new, and exciting, and incredible. On the beautiful and deeply moving, meaningful, and affirming. On gaining dignity of place in our communities, and as equals in connection.
Vision
Our vision is to bridge the gap between the isolation and desolation of incarceration and a life of full human dignity by facilitating communion through the arts among returning, currently, and never incarcerated people.
We are returned community members
We started Big World Connection to share with others connection and joy.
We realized that the arts we had always loved so much could help both ourselves and others find much needed openness, connection and community. We feel, viscerally, that when we experience art together, it fosters communion through a deep, shared experience that breaks through inhibitions to create more connected, healthier humans, and thereby healthier communities.