The Northeast Missouri Action and Compassion Team, a new coalition aiming to bring local groups together to further activism in Northeast Missouri, invited more than 20 local organizations to attend its first meeting.
NEMO ACT will meet once a month to discuss progress on different projects relating to local environmental and economic issues.
Senior Chloe Jackson says she was inspired to start NEMO ACT after she attended a non-violence retreat at the Possibility Alliance, a local sustainable living-learning service center. Jackson said she is working on this project for her senior capstone.
“I wanted to put knowledge into action,” Jackson says.
Jackson says NEMO ACT will be a coalition of existing organizations rather than a new organization. She says meetings will begin with updates about projects each organization is working on, followed by a performance or event for entertainment.
Jackson says the second half of meetings will be a time for members of different organizations to to come up with a group project for the month. Jackson says she hopes to see a wide range of people involved and projects completed. Jackson says the coalition also will provide a place for people to learn about issues and opportunities for activism in Northeast Missouri. She says another goal of NEMO ACT is to provide a place for organizations to share resources, knowledge, facts and skills.
Jackson says for the time being, she and Possibility Alliance co-founder Ethan Hughes will help facilitate the meetings. She says the hope is the coalition eventually will be self-sustaining, with members of different organizations volunteering to lead meetings.
Jackson says the coalition will be open to anyone who has an interest in environmental and social issues in the Northeast Missouri region.
“I hope [NEMO ACT] bridges the gap between Truman students and the Adair County community.”
– Chloe Jackson, f0under of NEMO ACT
Hughes says NEMO ACT has three main goals — to care for the people in Northeast Missouri, to care for the ecosystems and farmlands, and to share skills and resources. Hughes says NEMO ACT will provide time for groups to get together once a month and work together for change.
Meetings will take place in the theater at Pickler’s Famous. Hughes says several organizations have been invited with hopes of creating a bigger group representing about 100 different area organizations.
“[NEMO ACT] is an incredible opportunity for people to come together for the important purpose of doing good,” Hughes says.
Meetings will take place 5:30 p.m. the last Thursday of every month at Pickler’s Famous on The Square.