Build IRL Newsletter #17
SF contemplarium, puzzle of vanishing dues, dancing in the square, What's next (next cohort and more!)
👋 Hey fam!
Saum & Colt from Build IRL here! 🛠️
Jetlagged, grateful, and SO hyped for what's next! ✈️🌍
After a crazy summer, we took a much-needed family break.💖 Colt chilled in Ghana, I hit up India. Great-grandpas, cousins, uncles, and yup, TONS of aunties!
And yeah, we LOVE aunties!
But for real, this break reminded us—IRL community isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s an ESSENTIAL.✨
Now? We’re back, full steam ahead! 🚂🔥
This week’s edition:
🏰 SF Contemplarium— building SF’s honoring infrastructure (builder highlight)
🧠 Puzzle of vanishing dues. Time to bring 'em back?
🧩 Upcoming event from our builder: Swing on the square
🚀 What’s next? Join the waitlist for the next cohort. Lots more brewing!
Lets go! 😎
01/ Builder Profile: SF Contemplarium 🕊️🏛️🌳🌟💬
Meet Seanan Fong, who’s on a mission to make San Francisco a place where we truly honor our human journey, together. 🌟
Seanan is one of the amazing builders from Build IRL’s first cohort. From the moment we met him, his passion, humility, and brilliance left a lasting impression. Seanan’s quest to understand the human journey led him to Harvard Divinity School. Over the past decade, he has worn many hats: interfaith chaplain at Stanford Hospital, certified mediator with Harvard, minister at First Parish in Cambridge, and an early employee at a health startup.
But what does he mean by honoring?
In his words, Seanan explains
“Where do you turn …
If you want a quiet place away from home to light a candle for a friend you’ve lost?
If you want to talk through a moral dilemma with someone you trust?
If you simply want a moment to celebrate being single?I believe that honoring our human journey, in moments like these, is one of the most important things for us to do as humans. Deep down, our inherent human dignity deserves our care and respect.”
To make this happen - he founded the San Francisco Contemplarium, a new community institution dedicated to honoring our human journey in San Francisco through programming, physical offerings, capacity-building, and professional services.
We sat down with him to learn more:
Why did you start the Contemplarium? What your goal in the next 6 months?
Seanan - I started the Contemplarium because I was craving space to honor my own human journey, but haven't felt it in the city. I've learned that so many people feel the same need. In the next 6 months, I want to really build the community of folks passionate about building it alongside me.How are you building the Contemplarium community?
Seanan - Right now I'm spreading the word and convening people who are interested in building it together. There is lots of excitement around this, and the next step is to get us all together as the Stewards of the Contemplarium.
Wondering how to get involved with the Contemplarium:
Here are a few ways -
🛠 Join a “Build the Contemplarium” Workshop — Register here
🗓 Wednesday, September 17, 7–8:30pm, 📍 The Commons SF (550 Laguna)
🎋 Stop by a Reflection Stand Popup
🗓 Sunday, August 25, 12–4pm, 📍 Duboce Park — See details
Sunday, September 1, 12–4pm, 📍 Duboce Park — See details
✍️ Sign up for a Journey Group - where a small group meets regularly to share what is our hearts.
⏰ Can’t make these events? Subscribe to the newsletter, and fill out this brief general interest form!
Wow!🌟
02/ 🧠 The puzzle of vanishing member dues
When did you last pay your dues? 🤔
Historically, member dues were the lifeblood of impactful organizations and clubs🏛️.
Consider the Odd Fellows of the 18th century: their dues funded lodges, community activities and charitable works. Other mutual aid societies, like the Knights of Pythias, relied on member contributions for social services, highlighting self-reliance and mutual support. 🤝
At Toastmasters 🎤— members still pay dues not only to sharpen their public speaking skills but to support the local club costs and global organization. Or Rotary International and Girl Scouts (and those famous cookies 🍪) still rely on membership dues to empower the next generation of leaders.
While sponsorships, merch, and grants provided financial support to many of these clubs, member dues built resilience.
Member dues are not the same as a monthly subscription (think: Netflix — where you pay a fee for service).
Dues are more than just payments—they are investments in the collective well-being and sustainability of the group. 💪 The financial commitment builds trust and reciprocity, with everyone contributing to the club's success.
By maintaining self-sufficiency, dues give communities the freedom to focus on their core mission without being swayed by external pressures. This autonomy strengthens the community bonds, as members know that they are directly supporting the activities and initiatives that matter to them.
So, we wonder, why did we forget our dues? 💡
03/ 🧩 Upcoming event highlight from our builders
8.24.24 | The Doghouse 💃🏽🕺🏽 - Swing Dancing in the Square!
Hosted by The Doghouse, this evening of dance will start with a beginning swing dance lesson, followed by a fantastical evening of swing dancing. Everyone from beginner to seasoned dancers is welcome!
04/ 🚀 What’s next?
We’ve got tons of exciting events, experiments, and initiatives in the works. 🎉
Stay tuned—we’ll drop the dates for our next cohort soon. If you or someone you know is a perfect match, hit up the link below to join our waitlist!
Our adventure to help many more builders is just getting started. 🚀
But hey, we need all the support —collabs, funding, and spreading the word! 🤝
Got someone who’d be pumped to help us build more builders? DM us! 💌
Keep building! 🛠️
Until next week,
Saum & Colt