CONNECT to community

Per the wonderful suggestion of a neighbor, here is a place for 9th ward residents and community members to list projects, ideas, help wanted, events, services offered, etc. Please fill out the form directly below to add yourself. Click here to view the list.

 

Community Building Follow-up

In September 2020, Jim Diers hosted Build Community on Your Block with more than 50 residents of the 9th ward over 3 dates. We talked about how to reframe our thinking and solutions - what if we focus on our gifts rather than our problems? What do our neighbors have to offer that we are unaware of?

In order to continue building community, I am sharing some ideas/notes from these sessions to keep the momentum for next steps.

We already knew that 9th ward residents care deeply for each other and are committed to our community. What ideas do you have for ways in which we can continue to be there for each other?

Here are some we generated together:

  • Updating the 9th Ward Business Directory so we can shop local and support each other

  • Our own hyper-local Time Bank (e.g. Kola Nut Collaborative)

  • H.R. said that Jahmal Cole from My Block My Hood My City leads a Time Bank/Fix it/Clean by block and recently came out to Rogers Park to help clear out trees after the tornado

  • H.G. hosts a weekly Sing-along Café on Zoom, focused on people with memory loss and their care partners

  • J.V. told us about Yard Sharing. A person who has a yard allows 5 of us to grow food in his yard.

  • Creating new “bumping places”

  • Gathering in Circles - socially distanced in someone’s yard - to build/strengthen relationships

  • S.S’s block has an email group

  • Whenever V.A. shops, they buy food for the Grace pantry

  • Block parties (in non-COVID times)

  • A local tool library

  • My sister’s neighbors invited everyone to a sidewalk dance party last weekend. One of their neighbors is a DJ and he brought out his turntable and others brought vinyl and 45’s.

  • T.S. is talking to his condo board to make plans together

  • D.J. is interested in activities in Grey Park

  • G.H. is interested in a picnic at Ridgeville to discuss potential initiatives

  • D.J. collected ballot petitions as a way to meet apartment dwellers

  • Exchange food, treats and meals with neighbors. 

  • A.B. can coach someone who wants to speak publicly at City Council or the School Board.

  • A.B. and P.B. know a lot about Parkinson’s disease

  • P.B. can teach people how to paint murals

  • We need to use Southwest/Hidden Park

  • Peace Walks such as the ones hosted by the Black Male Alliance whose goal is combating violence in Evanston

  • A Little Free Library/Pantry that has puzzles

  • Find out all your neighbors birthdays and the kids can make cards for them. Gives the kids something to do and makes the person feel great about their birthday

  • V.M usually waves to neighbors from her porch or when she walks her dog

  • A.B. said her neighbors gives away magazines like The New Yorker and the Economist

  • S.P is a trained SoulCollage Facilitator and wants to offer a session for the neighborhood after the pandemic

  • A.B. wants to send postcards to people in swing states and said “I'd love to do postcards with somebody doing them, rather than doing them by myself”

  • M.G. talked about a happy hour and dancing every Friday plus a friend on that block that has a large yard to show movies outdoors each weekend

  • A.B. is looking for someone with a garage or another large space that might be heated to store food pantry items

Which of these are you interested in being involved in? Let me know.

Did you see the list of all the gifts/interests people shared, too?

Sneek peek:

Postcards coming soon!
What note would you write to someone on your block?

postcard_front
postcard_back
 

Resources

Our community has a lot of resources at both the institutional and grassroots levels. I try to keep my list of resources updated. Please contact me if you’d like anything added!

Here are some highlights:

Build Community on Your Block

There are three opportunities to attend this Zoom workshop in September 2020. You must live in the 9th ward to attend.

This workshop will explore the unique power of community in caring for one another, promoting health, creating spaces where all are safe, preparing for emergencies, and living together without conflict. It will help you to identify the many underutilized resources in your neighborhood, recognize and value the strengths/talents of your neighbors, and develop tools for building a strong sense of community on your block and beyond.

About the Facilitator: Jim Diers
Jim has a passion for getting people engaged with their communities and in the decisions that affect their lives. Since moving to Seattle in 1976, he put that passion to work for a direct-action neighborhood association, a community development corporation, a community foundation, and the nation's largest health care cooperative. He was appointed the first director of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods in 1988 where he served under three mayors over the next 14 years. Currently, Jim teaches courses in community organizing and development at the University of Washington and serves on the faculty of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute. He travels internationally to deliver speeches, present workshops, and provide technical assistance to community associations, non-profit organizations, and government. Jim received a BA and an honorary doctorate from Grinnell College. His work in the Department of Neighborhoods was recognized with an Innovations Award from the Kennedy School of Government, a Full Inclusion Award from the American Association on Developmental Disabilities, and the Public Employee of the Year Award from the Municipal League of King County. Jim's book, Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way, is available in both English and Chinese editions. More info on Jim: www.neighborpower.org

Please fill out the form below to register.

You will receive a Zoom link via email. You must live in the 9th ward to register/attend.