Rebuild Together

Engaging Communities to Stop the Spread of Hate and Violence

A facilitated workshop with Deepthi Welaratna

When hate and violence show up in communities, they don’t appear out of nowhere. They spread through relationships, narratives, norms, and systems — much like contagious diseases.

Rebuild Together is a research-driven, participatory workshop designed to help organizations understand how harms spread — and how communities can interrupt that spread and rebuild trust.

What This Workshop Is

Rebuild Together is a three-hour facilitated workshop for organizations navigating polarization, community harm, or rising risk of violence.

Drawing on public health models, social network research, and behavioral science, the workshop reframes hate and violence not as individual failures, but as collective conditions shaped by environments, incentives, relationships, and stories.

This is not a lecture. It is a working session grounded in real experience and shared responsibility.

What We’ll Do Together

During the workshop, participants will:

  • Surface lived experiences of harm, escalation, or fracture within their communities.

  • Map how ideas, behaviors, and norms spread through social networks.

  • Identify contagion pathways — where risk accelerates and where it can be slowed.

  • Explore countermeasures at three levels:

    • Collective (systems, norms, institutions)

    • Interpersonal (relationships, influence, trust)

    • Individual (beliefs, behaviors, choices)

  • Build a shared language for talking about risk, responsibility, and response.

The session is designed to be rigorous, grounded, and human — supporting honest conversation without blame or oversimplification.

What You’ll Leave With

Participants leave with:

  • A shared framework for understanding how hate and violence spread

  • Clear priorities for intervention and prevention

  • A grounded set of community-driven responses

  • Language that supports alignment across teams, partners, and stakeholders

Every workshop component is designed for immediate action and impact.

Who This Is For

This workshop is well suited for organizations working in:

  • Community safety and violence prevention

  • Education and higher education

  • Public health and mental health

  • Philanthropy and civic systems

  • Nonprofits and mission-driven institutions responding to polarization or harm

It is especially valuable for teams facing real-world stakes, not hypothetical scenarios.

This may not be a fit if:

  • You’re looking for a quick fix or messaging script.

  • You want abstract theory without application.

  • You’re outsourcing responsibility rather than engaging collectively.

About the Facilitator

Tiny Little Cosmos is led by Deepthi Welaratna, a writer, musician, and strategist with two decades of experience across the arts, civic systems, philanthropy, and technology.

Her work blends rigorous research with creative practice to help groups think clearly, speak honestly, and move forward without losing what makes their work meaningful.

Organizations often engage Deepthi for follow-on strategy, communications, or advisory work after the workshop.

Format & Pricing

Length: 3 hours
Format: Virtual or in person (travel billed separately, if applicable)

Fee: $5,000

This fee includes:

  • Three-hour facilitated workshop

  • One 45-minute planning call, held after booking, to align on:

    • participant composition

    • community context and sensitivities

    • goals and desired outcomes

    • any adaptations needed to ensure the workshop is grounded and effective

Additional planning, customization, or follow-on work can be scoped separately, if needed.

A limited number of workshops may be available at a reduced rate for small nonprofits, grassroots organizations, or early pilot engagements. Please inquire.

✷ What People Say

  • Two people are sketching and brainstorming ideas on a white sheet of paper, with various notes, diagrams, and illustrations.

    "Brilliantly facilitated large and small group conversations. Clear focus with plenty of time for peer learning and engagement—reflected in the final collaborative work product. How great is that?"

    Anonymous workshop feedback gathered by an independent evaluator

  • A large bulletin board covered with pink and yellow sticky notes, printed images, and notes.

    “A terrific introduction to a group of passionate and excellent professionals. The day offered exposure to and reflection on important areas of discussion, challenges, and potential solutions.”

    Anonymous innovation program feedback gathered by an independent evaluator

  • “I learned valuable insight on how my organization and myself can be advocates for women’s wealth and equity issues that people of color still face.“

    Anonymous session feedback gathered by an independent evaluator

What’s Next

If you’re interested in hosting Rebuild Together, the next step is a brief conversation to understand your context and goals.

Request a workshop date or learn more →

This workshop is offered by Tiny Little Cosmos, a multidisciplinary creative and strategy studio supporting organizations working through complexity. It draws on a wide body of public health, social science, and community-based research, and reflects the work of many practitioners and scholars over time. Sources and influences are acknowledged as the work continues to evolve.