Saying Goodbye to 500 12th Street

Dear CompassPoint Community,

We’re ending our lease at 500 12th Street in Oakland at the end of this month. Like many of you, the COVID-19 crisis challenged us to reimagine how we can best fulfill our mission while also recognizing the reality that norms around in-person working and gathering will likely be forever shifted by the experience of the pandemic. Even as vaccination efforts continue to roll out and offices and businesses re-open, we know we are not coming back to a pre-pandemic “normal”, but transforming into something new instead. We’re excited to explore the various shapes that may take over the coming years, but feel clear that we no longer need to carry an office lease with our current footprint. 

This decision doesn’t come without a sense of loss. Our office and training room have been a space for connection and community for hundreds of leaders over the last eight years! Although we’re leaving our physical space for now, we remain deeply committed to returning to in-person learning and will continue to be rooted in the Bay Area. We intend to have a new home base for folks to gather and learn together. Our current space has been one of many CompassPoint homes in the Bay Area over the last several decades, and continuing our connection to place and community is important to us.

 

We will continue to offer and expand our online trainings

Over the last year, we’ve seen how online learning has created greater access for the leaders we serve in the Bay Area, California, and beyond. We’ve seen the demographics of our community of participants change with more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) leaders in attendance. We’ve also heard from folks that online formats are convenient and benefit participants with different learning styles and accessibility needs who aren’t always best served by in-person teaching. For all of those reasons, online learning will continue to be a core part of how we engage with leaders through this next phase of the pandemic and beyond.

 

We will return to in-person learning

The last year—and counting—has also reminded us how critical in-person learning is. There is nothing like the connection that is built when we share space together. We are committed to returning to in-person learning and relationship building at a new location (or locations) in the Bay Area. We’re looking forward to the moment we’re ready and able to convene folks again.

“Re-opening” will likely be a long process and the considerations for returning to in-person gatherings aren’t just operational, they’re also emotional and psychological. Our priority will be to engage with you to define what safety and readiness for in-person learning look like for you and our team. Until then, we’ll see you online! 
 

In partnership and solidarity,
The CompassPoint Team