Giving Thanks

Thanks to Taylor over at Wheaton Patch for posting this video of me and Abebech!

What are you thankful for this week?

Beloved Community!

On Thursday evening, November 18th, more than 70 diverse members of the Long Branch neighborhood came together at Clifton Park Baptist Church to share a meal and to practice community.

The church gymnasium was the perfect venue for the large crowd.

The gathering brought together members of three different community groups: (1) Members of the congregation at Clifton Park Baptist Church which is largely African American and African immigrant, (2) Members of IMPACT’s Long Branch Neighbor Corps–a diverse group with members from more than 9 different countries, and (3) Members of Cristo Vive, a home-based church in Takoma Park with a predominantly Latino membership.

These ladies coordinated the serving of the delicious food!

The evening kicked-off with the sharing of a potluck meal. The food included Ethiopian injera and doro wot. There were Salvadoran pupusas and tamales and Greek potatoes. And there was plain old (and very yummy) macaroni and cheese!

Foods from all over the globe.

At dinner everyone was asked to sit at a table with someone they didn’t know. There was intentional dinner conversation around the question: “What are you thankful for?”

Intergenerational dialogue!

After dinner, we learned more about the history and convictions of each of the three groups. The clear message of the evening was that there were more commonalities than differences among participants and that people had come because of a belief in the power of community.

Nana (Clifton Park) and Omar (Cristo Vive) address the gathering.

Participants were invited to share stories of when they’d experienced “community.” Genet told of idirs which are Ethiopian community groups that come together to help families with burial costs when they’ve lost a loved one. Others shared stories of communities celebrating and supporting births. Mama Lillian recalled a time when her kids were young and her DC apartment was the place where all the neighborhood children gathered for Sunday dinner.

Pastor Amaya shares what community means for him.

The evening ended with Pastor Essentino Lewis (Clifton Park) reminding the gathering of the higher call to build community and be accountable to one another. It was an amazing evening of bringing diverse people together to talk about what connects us to each other. The three groups will continue talking and looking for opportunities to collaborate on practicing community in Long Branch and beyond. This night was just the beginning!

Future community builder!

Long Branch Neighbor Corps Kicks Off!

The Long Branch Neighbor Corps kicked off with an orientation and retreat on November 12th and 13th. The Corps is comprised of diverse Long Branch community residents, service providers and business owners who have come together to create a community-based network built on the principles of exchange and mutual support and accountability.

Friday night’s orientation was a chance for Corps members to get to know each other better, learn and share about the concept of “network,” and understand the trajectory of the Neighbor Corps project. There were 16 participants at the orientation representing more than 9 countries.

Solomon (from Botswana) and Hibret and Emye (from Ethiopia).

During the orientation, participants shared examples of times they’d experienced a real sense of “community.” Gannet from Ethiopia recalled that her mother always opened their home to the community and welcomed everyone to make it their own. Briggitte’s Peruvian grandfather was a community leader who fought and died for the rights of workers. Maureen, who is originally from Ecuador, remembered her mother as a community defender and organizer who helped elderly neighbors repair their neglected home in the face of threats from the county.

Although the attendance was a bit lower for Saturday’s retreat, the energy was just as high. In keeping with IMPACT’s belief that relationship building is at the core of bringing diverse people together to work collaboratively, the majority of the day was devoted to creating connections through personal sharing.

Alicia shares about her life through the manila folder exercise.

The “manila folder” exercise had participants tell about the areas of family, fun, community, and work in their lives. Angela told of the childhood memory of surviving an earthquake while growing up in Yalta, Ukraine. Hibret shared that when he lived in Brussels, inevitably upon learning that he was from Ethiopia, natives would always ask the loaded question: “When do you plan to go back?”

During the retreat we had a special guest, Alma Couverthie of Lawrence Community Works (IMPACT’s sister organization in Lawrence, MA). Alma brought a wealth of information on network organizing. Her participation in the retreat was part of an ongoing exchange of information and ideas between our two organizations.

Retreat participants prepare to greet each other in the "hello" circle.

The retreat ended with a strategizing session. On November 18th, Neighbor Corps members will be joining with two other community groups at Clifton Park Baptist Church for a meeting. The church (which has a largely African immigrant and African American congregation) is in the heart of Long Branch and wants to be more connected to the surrounding community. Church members comprise one of the groups meeting on the 18th. The other group is made up of the members of a mostly Latino home-based church. The gathering of the three groups will boast of more than 60 diverse participants representing many cultures, races, and socio-economic classes. Retreat participants considered these questions: What can be learned during such a gathering? What can be shared?

Long Branch Neighbor Corps "Road Map."

After discussion, the Neighbor Corps members decided that this upcoming gathering is not only a great opportunity to share our team’s message of community, but also a chance to hear about how others are creating community. A smaller planning committee will meet early next week to finalize the meeting details. But there was one thing that Neighbor Corps members were adamant about . . . people should bring their favorite foods to share!

Check out this blog again after November 18th to find out what happens when these three diverse groups get together!

Future Neighbor Corps members!

How do you say mutual support in your language?
Here’s what retreat participants
told us:

*Ubuntu (Zulu)
*Mano Welto (Spanish)
*Inter Cambio Mutuo (Spanish)

And the winner is…

…POLLO RICO!

In our informal poll of residents’ favorite restaurants in Wheaton, the winner was clear — Pollo Rico got the most votes from neighbors at the Flea Market this weekend.

Carlos, Alpha, Santiago, Megan, Maria, Ana and Flora -- brrr, it was cold!!

We spent Saturday morning at the weekly flea market talking to residents about Tuesdays Together and asking them about their favorite places to eat. Our new friend Midou highly recommended the African Grille — Alpha and I resolved to try it out this week. There was also a lot of conversation about the best Chinese restaurant in Wheaton.

If you’ve never been to the flea market, you should check it out! You can get anything from winter hats to dog food bowls to stereo systems. It’s right in the old Safeway parking lot at Reedie Dr. and Georgia Ave. every Saturday and Sunday from 9am – 3pm.

Love Basketball? Volunteers Needed!!

Basketball Coaches Needed

Long Branch Athletic Association, a program of the IMPACT network, is looking for coaches to help tomorrow’s best and brightest basketball players.  LBAA is an independent non-profit organization whose goal is to create opportunities for low-income and immigrant children to play team sports. The teams comprised of boys and girls from the east Silver Spring community will range from 3rd grade to 12th grade. Practices will begin in December with games beginning the first weekend in January. Practices and games extend through the month of February. Team coaching in groups of 2-3 is encouraged. New coaches are also encouraged, as most participants are also new to the sport.

Coaching responsibilities include:

1. One 1 hour practice per week and one 1 hour game on a Saturday or Sunday.  Practices and games depend on age group and gym availability.
2. Ensuring rides to and from practices and games in coordination with other coaches and parents.
3. Creating a positive, fun and rewarding atmosphere for players and parents to become more involved in team sports and community life.

Please join LBAA in our effort to ensure that ALL youth in our community experience the benefits of playing team sports.

For more information, please contact Sebastian Brown at (814) 506-4543 or sebastian@impactsilverspring.org

 

 

The Long Branch village raises its first child

Have you ever heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child”? Even if you’d agree that it sounds like a nice idea you’ve probably questioned if it’s still possible in a society where fear and individualism have taken priority over exchange and community? While we’d be kidding ourselves if we said that we proved it possible in our third “Thursday Together” held last night, I think we took a huge leap forward. After holding two mutual support nights where folks have rallied around one another in helping neighbors get connected to jobs and various services, we decided that last night’s ought to focus on providing support to Alicia, who welcomed her granddaughter Scarlet into the world–and into the Long Branch village–this past Sunday.

The lady of the hour (or two) next to our newest Network Guide Isaac

 

For nearly two hours, 18 community members, many of whom have only met each other once before, channeled all their energy into brainstorming what they could offer Alicia and her family to ensure that Scarlet grows up in the most loving and thriving environment possible.

To get folks in the mood, everyone was asked to check in with a fond childhood memory. Kenny, the head of the Nob Hill YMCA, remembered being made fun of by his older sister for frequently eating dirt–many times with a spoon! Jose, the pastor of a local home based Baptist congregation, explained the heartache it gave him when he returned to the Amazonian village he grew up in only to find it totally paved over and redeveloped with tourist attractions.  Habibatha, originally from the Ivory Coast, explained how since she grew up speaking her local dialect at home, on her first day of school she didn’t know how to respond to the teacher when she first greeted her. Instead, she chose to repeat her teacher’s every word. She said that it worked up until her teacher asked her “How old are you?” and Habibatha could only respond with “How old are you?”

Hibret writes 'hello' in his native Amharic

Naturally, nearly every person’s memory was in someway tied to the natural, physical or social environment–or community–that surrounded them. So we posed the question to the group: what can we do right now to construct an environment that is most conducive to Scarlet having similarly wonderful memories? While at first the folks offered up more material gifts–clothes, books, crib…etc.–Solomon interjected and said he was committed to being Scarlet’s “uncle.” He explained that where he grew up in Botswana every elder was every child’s uncle or aunt. He’s always yearned to return the favor. It then sparked Barbara to promise to watch after Scarlet anytime Alicia or her daughter Emma wanted some time away from dirty diapers and endless crying. Paul, head of Takoma Park’s Dept. for Community Planning and Development, offered parenting advice.

OJO: Check out the old school bunny ears Paul's laying over Solomon

After most folks had spoken, Genet requested that Alicia give us a sense of her “wish list” for support. I suppose moved by the overwhelming love and compassion so present in the room–as well as the amazing financial struggles she’s facing right now amidst this wonderful moment–Alicia broke into tears. As the group rushed en masse to her side to calm her down and physically embrace her, Paul turned to me and explained that he’d never been in a ‘meeting’ like this before. He went onto say that it makes him realize how much of the human piece of development ’planning folks’ often miss, even though it’s what ought to be at the core of creating physical spaces where people are creating many of the memories we had just shared.

After the group settled down, Barbara was struck with an idea: why don’t we organize a community baby shower for Alicia and her daughter where we can continue to rally around her and offer support? The group loved the idea and agreed to hold it in two Thursdays. I imagine we’ll spend the following week working out baby shower details…

After much begging, the kids finally get Barbara to tell them a story

While just a first step, it was an amazing expression of this community or village’s commitment to raising this child TOGETHER. Why have Alicia and her family do it alone when there’s not only a community willing, but totally able to pitch in however they can?! I think we answered that question last night.