This network weaver is joining our team to help facilitate radical ideas and systems in a community civic approach
By Ireashia Bennett
Portrait of Nora Bryne taken by Ireashia Bennett
We are very pleased to welcome a new team member, Nora Bryne, to City Bureau as our Documenters Network Resource and Engagement Coordinator.
Nora is bringing her vast experience as a community connector and network weaver to our team to help us cultivate spaces in a way that is reciprocal in nature, supportive and caring. In this role, Nora will support our growing national network of Documenters sites by developing resources for network innovation and learning. Before joining City Bureau, she worked as a barista in Philly’s coffee community, a teacher in a Montessori primary school and, most recently, a data analyst at a nonprofit health center in Chicago.
Here’s a little bit about Nora.
Can you tell us about your background and what led you to this role?
I originally went to school for cultural anthropology. Initially I thought, I'm gonna work in a museum and live that life. And then I quickly got jaded with undergrad and was like, I can't imagine going to more school for a master’s and a Ph.D., that sounded so overwhelming. I finished undergrad somehow and then decided to just work and live and learn about myself. So I worked in some restaurants in Madison, and then decided to uproot myself, traveled for a bit and then found myself in Philadelphia through a friend. And then in Philly, I started working in coffee. And I fully embraced and love the coffee community in Philadelphia.
When my partner and I moved from Philly to Minneapolis, I worked at a preschool there. That was a life-changing experience working with toddlers. I had no background working with that age group. So it was literally a shock. It was also a Montessori school.
And then I found my way to Chicago because my partner got a job here. I worked at a nonprofit health center. I did reporting and data for them for the past five to six years. I was able to go back to school, which was really great. They offered a lot of flexibility and support in that way.
I love how vast your background is and the fact that you took time to get to know yourself and understand your interests more. How did you learn about City Bureau?
So, I went back to school, DePaul, I got my Master's in Sustainable Urban Development and I heard about City Bureau, just through events and people networks. And I have always been a longtime admirer of the work. I connect it to creating community spaces. I've always admired City Bureau's approach to it, because it feels organic, but then it also feels very intentional, which is really cool.
My experience with community spaces has always been very controlled by a person, a group or an entity. So to see City Bureau create these things, not just events, but news pieces that feel very collaborative and reciprocal, was really cool.
How do you see your past work experiences translating into your role here?
I'm really excited about this job, because I think it encapsulates everything that I'm looking for. I'm very passionate about policy making and I'm very interested in seeing how the Documenters Network formal systems can help create radical ideas—how municipal structure can blend with this very community-based civic approach.
Can you tell us about your relationship to Chicago, and what you like the most about the city?
I grew up not too far from here: Sheboygan is a two-and-a-half-hour drive. So growing up for special occasions and stuff we'd come to Chicago. I've always loved the skyline, seeing the lake, that culture, and then also the city, and sort of the vastness of Chicagoland.
I've always loved it, I've always wanted to live here. And when my partner was like, “I got a job in Chicago!” I was like, “Yeee!” It reminds me a little bit of Philly, in that there are so many neighborhoods within neighborhoods. I love discovering all the little nooks and crannies in the city. Now, living here and being able to bike places or walk places and see it on a micro level–it's pretty, pretty awesome. I love all those little moments of talking to wildcards, on the streets, that's also very Philly. I have so much appreciation and admiration for Chicago.
At the same time, I get so pissed off at it because of the politics and the truly systemic oppression throughout the city. I think that's the one thing, as much as I love the communities here in Chicago, and the variety, everyone's so scattered. I wish that we could connect more with each other. I know part of that is very much on purpose. But I hope that Chicago continues to connect more dots and organizations find more spaces where they can intersect.
Do you see connecting people to each other as part of your role as the Documenters Network Resource and Engagement Coordinator? How do you bring that intention of connection to support your work?
Yeah, I think that's something I'm really trying to explore and read up on. The fact that we are spreading now to new sites is super exciting because there are new ideas, new people. But then there’s the potential for loss of information. When you add more to the equation there’s more potential for harm, so how do you moderate those spaces without being a hovering helicopter?
I love connecting different parts of me or different parts of where I’m living. I really try to navigate spaces in a way that is reciprocal in nature, supportive and caring but also not too rigid. You want to make sure new ideas or new connections come up. So it feels like I am going to be doing a lot of teeter-tottering and balancing.
For my last question, what do you want people to know about you?
I am an adoptee. And, it's kind of a new identity for me. And it's something that I'm learning to take up space with, where I'm like, “Yay, I want to tell everyone!” I'm really excited to explore it and connect with other adoptees in ways that I haven't allowed myself to.
To connect with Nora, reach out at nora@citybureau.org.
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