FAMA is proud to announce our affiliation with an international organization- the Camerados, with the launch of our first pop-up Public Living Room right here on the Historic Fourth Avenue. We appreciate the support of Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona for this exciting new community building activity.

The Public Living Room is opening in Haggerty Plaza, 316 N. 4th Ave, Tucson. It will be a place to stop by for a chat with others, to build connections and understanding, and to get some light relief from day-to-day life. The event will take place on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, will be open from 2pm to 4pm and is free and open to all.

Public Living Rooms have been springing up in communities starting in the United Kingdom and spreading around the world. They are open to everyone and are set up by members of the Camerados movement. The Fourth Avenue Merchants Association recently joined this impressive movement to provide another free community building experience for the Historic District.

Public Living Rooms are spaces where people can relax, connect with others and be themselves. Those who come to a Public Living Room get a warm welcome, light refreshments and a feeling of community. What they’ll never get is judgement or anyone trying to fix them.

Camerados’ founder Maff Potts said: ‘Times have been tough for people all over with the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis and I don’t know anyone who hasn’t found it hard. I hope that Public Living Rooms will be a place where anyone can take a break from their daily worries, have a chat and feel a sense of connection. Sometimes that’s all we need to help us to keep going.’

The first Public Living Room was set up in Sheffield UK in 2016 and now they can be found across the UK and the world including locations such as Blacksburg VA, Denver, CO, Auckland New Zealand, Perth Australia, Freetown in Sierra Leone, and now in Tucson, Arizona.

Anyone can be a Camerado, whether they decide to set up a Public Living Room themselves or just pop in for community and conversation. What Camerados all have in common is that they try to stick to six simple ideas for getting along with others. These include disagreeing respectfully, mixing with people unlike themselves and having a bit of a laugh.

For more about Camerados visit: camerados.org