Peatix Backstage Pass hosted its 17th edition on ‘Sustaining Communities,’ which delved deeper into the crucial aspects of recognizing evolving community needs and implementing sustainable practices to ensure their welfare.
Held at WORQ KL Gateway, Backstage Pass KL’s venue partner, the event began with a joyous and chocolate-rich networking session facilitated by Peatix Community Partnerships Manager (Malaysia) Rachel Tan and was further nourished by catering partner MyBurgerLab.
The fireside chat segment featured speakers Sara Suhaili from Good Juju Barbell Club, Ratna Manokaran from My Fat Squad, and Russell Curtis from KL Comedy Club, who generously provided insights on how their community building practices have enabled them to sustain the spirit to continue the good work.
Talking about the essential practices in the fitness community, Sara Suhaili, founder of Good Juju Barbell Club, emphasized the importance of addressing the emotional aspect of why people go to the gym first and foremost, in order to sustain gym goers interest and cultivate a sense of belonging at the gym
“The first thing we practice at the gym, [among both trainers and gym goers] is to leave your ego at the door. It begins with the [management] team and we make it a point to ensure we create a safe space. Talking to our gym goers, asking for feedback on how we can make Good Juju a more fun space and comfortable space for you to keep coming back,” she added.
Speaking on fat liberation activism and body positivity efforts, Ratna Manokaran, the driving force behind My Fat Squad, shared insights on how we must be mindful of what we include and exclude when formulating community building language and practices while also refocusing our energy on identifying what the “real work” is.
“Education and awareness is and will be continuously important. [However], we can sit here and talk about “embracing our curves” but at the end of the day, how does that translate to someone having access and safety in the medical space getting fat shamed when seeking treatment at the hospital, for example. We are not addressing those questions. How do we do the work to create more accessibility, fairness and justice for fat people,”
Russell Curtis shared his unique perspective on how to nurture the enthusiasm within a community by encouraging open communication channels and making way for successors to take initiative.
“All we can do now is run it the best way we know how, lead by example so that the next generation will see this is how we do things and say ‘let’s see how we can make it better’.” he said.
The fireside chat sparked thought-provoking discussions, with attendees actively participating in the Q&A session, seeking advice on overcoming challenges in wholesome ways to sustain their community’s essence. The segment wrapped with a staple Backstage Pass session of 60 second pitches from audience members.
“We are delighted to witness such an enthusiastic response to the 17th edition of Peatix Backstage Pass. The ‘Sustaining Communities’ fireside chat not only brought inspiring insights from experienced community leaders but also united individuals who are committed to making a difference in their respective communities,” said [Organizer Name], the event organizer.
The 17th edition of Peatix Backstage Pass brought together a diverse audience of new and experienced community leaders with a steadfast desire for knowledge sharing and community development. Attendees received valuable takeaways to apply to their own community-building endeavors.
Learn more about the Backstage Pass and how you can collaborate with us at https://services.peatix.com/backstage-pass or follow us on @peatix on Instagram
