Essex County Community Organization

For several years, ECCO has intentionally experimented with centering wellbeing as the foundation of sustainable power building. Through its Restoration policy and the development of the Being a FRIEND model—integrating Fun, Rest, meaningful Interaction, Nourishment, Exercise, and Development—ECCO has seen meaningful improvements in staff grounding and morale. At the same time, the organization has learned that lasting culture change requires more than time off; it requires redesigning structures, pace, and expectations.

With support from Finding Our Way Home, ECCO will convene an intensive staff retreat to deepen this work. The retreat will combine guided healing and reflection with intentional planning to assess what practices are working and to embed FRIEND-centered systems into ECCO’s daily operations. This integration is designed to support staff sustainability, improve strategic clarity, and strengthen ECCO’s ability to accompany leaders and communities through ongoing crisis.

ECCO’s hypothesis is that organizing rooted in joy, rest, and connection is not ancillary to justice work but essential to it. By cultivating an internal culture that resists burnout and despair, ECCO will be better equipped to build resilient leaders, model liberated ways of working, and sustain long-term campaigns for belonging, dignity, and collective care—offering a replicable model for partners across the movement.