April 2026
When certain folks are doing everything they can to rip communities apart, building them feels hard. Heavy. Even paralyzing. Especially when you’re leading people who are carrying the exact same weight.
But what if I told you there is a way to navigate the muck, forge community with the cool cats you lead, and do it with more authenticity, courage, and joy?
Most leaders don’t even know that they have the most powerful community-building tool available right in their toolbox. And it’s being severely underused. The tool? Curiosity.
Drawing on the restorative circle work he’s done across nonprofits, government agencies, higher education, and community organizations, Frank Velásquez Jr. makes his case that curiosity is what herds cats, bringing them together and strengthening their communities.
Frank’s got something interactive that’ll shift how attendees engage. And they’ll experience firsthand what happens when curiosity is sparked and people feel like they can actually show up without fear of judgment. They will leave knowing exactly how to recreate the environment with their own teams, with practical tools they can use immediately to deepen engagement and help the people they lead show up more authentically, courageously, and joyfully.
And yes, there will be some truth-telling and a few surprises along the way.
Register for Event(This is an in-person DLA workshop session)
4 Key Learnings:
- Lead Difficult Conversations with Curiosity
- Frame Conversations to Set the Tone
- Establish Group Agreements That Create Safety for Hard Truths
- Utilize ORID Questions That Transform How Teams Work Together
This session is ideal for nonprofit leaders, facilitators, educators, and anyone seeking to transform the way they approach challenging conversations.
Participants will leave with concrete strategies for implementing these practices in both workplace and personal settings.
When
Thursday, April 30th 2026
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Location
This will be announced soon – please check back!
This is an in-person DLA workshop session
Presenter
Frank Velásquez Jr.
Storyteller Extraordinaire | Social Justice Warrior | Relationship Cultivator
Founder, 4 Da Hood
(This is an in-person DLA workshop session)
About Frank Velásquez Jr.
Storyteller Extraordinaire, Social Justice Warrior and Relationship Cultivator, Frank Velásquez Jr., relentlessly pursues racial and gender equity, while creatively connecting our stories, preserving the distinct flavor of each one like in a yummy bowl of gumbo. As Founder of 4 Da Hood and the visionary behind the Ascending Leaders in Color program, he forges paths for Peeps of Color to lead with more authenticity, courage, and joy! Because for Frank, advancing equity isn’t just a job – it’s a movement towards building generational wealth for communities of color to thrive! And he’s doing it one connection, one story, one courageous conversation at a time.
Register for Event(This is an in-person DLA workshop session)