Tuesdays Together Resident Leadership team in Action

Listening to the immigration experience of the Segovia family revealed afresh the pain around immigration that exists in the community.  It was amazing to see how many people who come to our weekly Tuesdays Together gatherings have a family member or friend who are experiencing deportation or have complications with their immigration process.  What is clear about these individual experiences is that in each case, residents are challenged to find good support and legal advice that they can trust and afford.  Consequently, the leadership team at Tuesdays Together decided to organize a mutual support session specifically focused on creating an awareness and surface resources on Immigration.

On June 14^th, the leadership team hosted an immigration mutual support event at our weekly Tuesdays Together gathering.  The team invited Michelle Mendez and Loide Jorge, immigration Attornys, who joined us at Tuesdays Together to respond to residents’ questions and concerns about immigration.  The dialogue was attended by over 45 residents who were able to ask questions and find out more about how they can use a list of resources recommended by Michelle and Loide at the event.

Building community one pass at a time

 

After finishing out the Spring Season in the Takoma Soccer league, the 3rd and 4th grade boys teams have continued practicing Tuesdays and Thursdays into the summer. With the facilitaitional help of Coach Armando, who lives in the Nob Hill apartments, the 3rd grade team’s parents met a few weeks ago to organize a rotating drink and snack schedule. On average 15 parents show up to Armando’s practices eager to help run drills, cheer the kids on, provide refreshments and even, as was the case this past Thursday, deliver practice jerseys, or pennies, one parent was compelled to buy for the team.

Thanks to Coach Armando’s intentional relationship building via weekly check-in phone calls and impropmptu pre-practice sideline meetings, the parents feel deep commitment to and ownership over their children’s soccer team. They have already selected a team secreatary and assistant coach and next Friday, at an LBAA-wide summer soccer program registration party, will formalize additional parent roles looking forward to the Fall season. Armando is eager to create a structure for parent involvement in the teams that can ultimately act as a space for mutual support and civic engagement in the larger Long Branch community.

 

Below are several pictures from Coach Chris’ 4th grade boys practice:

5th grade soccer guys and team managers

 

Coach Chris teaching "goalie 101" to David and crew

 

Wilinson practicing goalie basics

 

Below are pictures from Coach Armando’s 3rd grade boys practice:

Parents and uncle watch on as their star player does best job to stay inside the lines Soccer dad David explains importance of parents being actively involved in kid's soccer program

“Outreach Will Be a Part of Everything We Do.”

A lot has happened since the last time that Piney Branch’s four Leadership teams (PBAT, PLCI, PTA, SIT) met on April 11th:

1. School staff and leadership team members came together on May 2nd to look at PBES’ current mission statement for alignment with the school’s values and goals. Ideas for a new mission statement were proposed.

2. Parents and students attending the May 5th PTA meeting went through their own mission statement examination and brainstorming process.

3. Feedback on the current and proposed PBES mission statements was gathered from parents attending the Authors Tea event on May 13th. This event was chosen for the solicitation because a large and diverse parent population usually attends.

4. Members of the PLCI met to sort through all of the feedback and organize the ideas into coherent draft mission and vision statements.

The purpose of the May 23rd follow-up meeting of the Leadership teams was to share the draft mission and vision statements for feedback; to provide clarity around the way forward for the School Improvement Team (SIT); and to begin thinking about implementation of the expanded focus and more inclusive practices of the SIT.

Feedback on Mission/Vision

The six draft mission statements and four draft vision statements crafted by PLCI members were posted around the Media Center for viewing. Meeting participants (parents, staff and administrators) were given time to read and ponder each statement and “vote” for the one that resonated. Voting was done by placing a sticky dot on the mission and vision statements of choice. The students at the school will be given an opportunity to voice their opinions about the statements in a similar way. The “winning” mission and vision statements will be announced prior to the end of the school year.

Changes to the School Improvement Team

In determining how to combine the best practices of the PTA, PBAT, PLCI and SIT into one new and improved SIT, it was decided that not only will the School Improvement Team continue to focus on academic achievement, but it will also take on the work of community outreach. As principal Generlette said, “Outreach will now be a part of everything that we do.”

Implementing the New Way

Expanding the focus of the School Improvement Team to include outreach, means that the the SIT will take a more active role in connecting the school and community on a relational level.  One way that will happen is that SIT members will participate in the planning of school/community events. Although many of these events have an academic focus, they typically also have an outreach purpose. The SIT will organize into committees to help plan and carryout events like Back to School Night, International Night, and Parent-Teacher Conferences. Each of the committees will have a parent and staff liaison to make sure that the events are truly community focused. The SIT will work in much closer partnership with the PTA. Assistant principal Kara Tymon said that this new way of doing things on the SIT will help to, “ensure that participation on the Team is a valuable part of everyone’s time.”

What’s Next for the Action Team?

They Piney Branch Action Team has one final project for this school year:   “Welcome New Families.”   The goal of the project is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for incoming third graders and their families. The Action Team is partnering with the PTA to carry out this project which will include a door-knocking event, a school tour/scavenger hunt, family pizza dinner, and a community-building PTA meeting. Check back in with this blog to find out how this project goes and to learn which were the  ”winning” mission and vision statements!

Looking Back, Moving Forward

Last Thursday’s Neighbor Corps session was split between reflecting on the past and planning for the future.  As was written about in an earlier post, many NC members participated in a Saturday leadership development session on personal power.  They wanted to share some of that energy with those unable to attend.  That sharing happened in the form of a “fish bowl” activity.  As with an actual fish bowl, those inside are insulated from those outside and thus the “insiders” have the freedom to pour out their thoughts and feelings without interruption.   And boy did they let it flow!  For Genet, Saturday’s session helped her to understand why people choose to, “nibble instead of grow.”  Victoria took away from the session that, “we can share our power without diminishing it.”  Andre noted that the session reminded him of how often he’s seen people,  “diminish others to make themselves feel better.”

In addition to sharing about the The Kernel of Power and Nibble Theory, “insiders” revealed some of the honest feelings that came up during the workshop about the PhotoVoice project.  Victoria mentioned that some NC members wanted to feel more ownership of the project.  Given the real feelings that came up about  the direction of the project and group autonomy, Thursday’s session provided an ideal moment to take a step back and examine the original framework of the Long Branch Neighbor Corps for continued resonance.

In a nutshell, the framework is:
1. Identifying times when we’ve each experienced effective community,
2. Practicing the identified “ways of being” within our group, and
3. Taking leadership to spread the practices to the larger Long Branch community.

Emiye said that the framework still worked for her and shared a story about employees at her sister’s job.  Those employees created their own edir which is an Ethiopian practice of communally pooling money to be used by community members in need.  Here was an example of an Ethiopian practice successfully transported to an American setting.  This model is at the heart of the Neighbor Corps project.

However, even with continued shared resonance around the Neighbor Corps framework, more discussion revealed other issues that Neighbor Corps members wanted to address.  Victoria and Emiye both felt like the team would greatly benefit from stronger relationships among team members.  As an example, Victoria mentioned that there were absent team members who were perhaps in need of support, but who had had no one reach out to them.  Even though Sebastian (IMPACT staffer) shared that he had been in touch with the absent members, her point wasn’t lost.

After polling the Neighbor Corps members present, it was decided that the immediate next step for the team should be to focus on relationship-building.  A small group of Corps members will meet before next session to discuss ways to strengthen relationships within the team.  Stay tuned to find out what this dedicated, innovative and powerful group comes up with!

Women Supporting Women

Long Branch Women's Mutual Support Circle

The Long Branch Women’s Mutual Support Circle met for the first time last Thursday at the TESS Center. The group was formed to promote the exchange of information, ideas, gifts and talents, the building of supportive relationships, and the creation of opportunities for economic empowerment. The first meeting boasted 10 women representing wide-ranging countries of origin from Ethiopia to Honduras.

Victoria shares with group members her hopes for their future.

Victoria, one of the Circle’s organizers, expressed her vision for the group saying, “It’s not something that’s already there, we’re going to build it together. We will show our talents and abilities to others.” As a matter of fact, a large part of the first meeting was devoted to naming some of the gifts and talents that the women possess. Edelsa is a skilled seamstress. Haydee is a great cook. Yemny knows how to cross stitch. Ana wants to share her love of reading.

The members of the group want to meet regularly to learn from each other, be supports to each other, have fun, and perhaps have some small businesses spring up from their time together. The group will meet again on Wednesday, February 16th at the Carroll Avenue Community Center.

Wheaton Ambassadors

On a freezing evening, residents of the Ambassador Apartments, along with network members, resource partners and community connectors met at CASA de Maryland’s Wheaton Worker Center for a Neighbors Exchange. Many thanks to our amazing host Fernando who not only opened the doors for us, but let us know about valuable CASA services and told us a funny story about a fat cow!

Cordelia, Mavis and Fernando listen to Edward share his story

Throughout the course of the night, we got to know 13 of the apartment community’s “ambassadors” — residents who shared their reality, encouraged us all to keep moving forward and offered information about community resources. We were joined by network members as well. They helped us by modeling in our mutual support circle and showing our new friends how we build the network.

Here are some of my highlights from last night:

• Edward sharing information about a job removing snow and his experience as a retiree.
• Emma — who beat us all to the punch by suggesting her neighbors visit Montgomery Works to find job resources. And she suggested looking for jobs at hospitals since she herself found a job at Holy Cross.
• Seeing Malik and Lexi again — Rosa and I had door knocked them on Saturday. Lexi is interested in helping us teach English at Tuesdays Together and she is going to take Emma’s suggestion and visit Montgomery Works! And Malik found out about the dental program available through Montgomery Cares and asked his neighbors to continue eating (so he can stay employed at Safeway!).
• Rachelle sparking a spirited conversation among the group about the benefits of attending Montgomery College.

We hope to keep meeting with these great “ambassadors” in other spaces in Wheaton, especially Tuesdays Together!

The ladies in black -- Emma, Maria and Ravindri

 

Practical English

Nathalie with her blank check

During the second week of the ESOL class at the Fields Apartments, our teachers Nathalie, Emily and Byron focused on really practical English — like filling out a check!

Nathalie made a large check for the class to look at and handouts for residents to practice writing on themselves. These types of skills are in high demand and the students were excited to learn more from Byron (since he works at Bank of America!).

We’ll have posts from our teachers later this week.

A Night of Support and Exchange!

More than 20 Long Branch residents participate in Network Night!

More than 20 residents (representing more than 9 countries of origin!) were in attendance at the Long Branch Network Night held at the TESS Center on January 13th. Newcomers and regulars came together for another evening of getting to know one another and practicing how to care for each other through mutual support.

Network Night kicks off with greetings in the "Hello Circle."

In the mutual support circle, people are given an opportunity to either request support, make an offer, or share an announcement. It is a moment of authentic exchange that works best when everyone puts energy into brainstorming for those requesting support and effort into finding opportunities to utilize and share offers and announcements.

Viviana shares into the mutual support circle.

In the circle, Viviana (originally from the Dominican Republic) shared that she and her family are in need of affordable housing. They are currently renting a home that is more than $2000 a month. They would like to buy a home, but the expensive real estate market and the need for large down payments make this a difficult dream to realize. Yemny, a Community Connector at the TESS Center, provided information on a program with the Housing Opportunities Commission that might be helpful. Brian, a Takoma Park resident, suggested that she consider buying a home that would also have space for her to take in a boarder and generate rental income. Genet, originally from Ethiopia, requested support around helping a friend secure a much-needed winter coat. Viviana offered that Progress Place has a Clothes Closet that provides winter clothing to men, women and children.

Participants browse info on available jobs and apartments.

Carol, a Takoma Park resident, had an offer and a request. She is a volunteer at the Electric Maid which bills itself as a community storefront. She shared that the venue would like to provide space for community meetings like the Long Branch Network Night, but is in need of more volunteers.

All of the mutual support moments provided opportunities for residents to receive from the pool of collective community knowledge and to give to that pool as well. El Salvador native Mario said, “I’ve lived here for 10 years and I’ve never been to a meeting like this!”

“What’s Your Name? My Name Is…”

After our introductory meeting last month, the Fields of Silver Spring English Class officially began last night in the community party room!  We had over 30 community members take part– we even ran out of chairs by the end of the night.  The first lesson focused on simple greetings and the alphabet.  After practicing how to introduce ourselves, we all learned how to pronounce the letters in English.  An intense game of hangman helped everyone remember the proper pronunciations.

Nathalie's team pulls out a victory in the final game of Hangman. The word? Snow!

Thanks to our great volunteer teachers, Nathalie, Emily, and Byron, the class was a rousing success!  We will be meeting every Wednesday and Thursday from 7-9pm.  Feel free to drop by!

See everyone again tomorrow!

PhotoVoice: Pictures Will Tell the Story

Solomon studies a picture from an Atlanta photo project.

Long Branch Neighbor Corps met on January 6th after a two-week hiatus. Even without formal meetings, members managed to stay in touch over the holidays through, of all things, CAMERAS.

LB Neighbor Corps is in the first phase of a PhotoVoice project. PhotoVoice is a method of storytelling using participatory photography. PhotoVoice projects have been conducted throughout the world to help community members represent themselves and achieve positive social change.

Corps members discuss the potential power of a PhotoVoice project in Long Branch.

During the holiday break, Corps members worked together to document their lives in Long Branch. Pairs of Corps members shared cameras and experiences over a two week period. At this evening’s meeting they brought their cameras (full of pictures to be printed) and an eagerness to learn more about the possibilities of photo-documentation.

Ronnie closes his eyes and listens as a picture is being described.

Ronnie told the group about a PhotoVoice project that he participated in in Atlanta, Georgia called Dirty Truth. That project had downtown Atlanta residents document the city’s vacant property challenges through pictures. Ultimately, the photo exhibit was the catalyst for $35 million dollars in investment in those same challenged neighborhoods.

The next step for the LB Neighbor Corps PhotoVoice project will be to have each member choose a single significant photo from among the pictures they’ve taken and tell the story behind it. As more and more stories are told, emerging themes will be identified. Those themes will be used to shape the targeted issues of the Long Branch PhotoVoice exhibit.

Keep checking this blog to follow the progess of the Long Branch PhotoVoice project and to see some of the pictures taken by Neighbor Corps members!