Refreshed Idealism

I realized tonight that I am not really updating this as much as I should be updating it. I apologize for that.

So Tuesday was a very eventful day for me at Jericho Road, we had our first real event as fellows in community organizing. Tuesday was "Night Out Against Crime" in New Orleans, what this is a national night where communities get together and sit outside and talk about the issues of crime and violence in their neighborhoods. For us as community organizers that meant we had to organize events in our neighborhoods, some of had block parties, and big events with some of the local churches. My neighborhood decided to just partner with two separate sites in the area; the local police station, and the Youth Leadership Council. Both sites were heavily attended by our residents, each had free food, lots of music, and many other organizations from around the area. I had to as the neighborhood coordinator be the point person making sure that both sites had materials, the spots reserved, tables and chairs to sit at, as well as making sure people were there to sit at the tables the whole time of the event.

Me sitting with a few board members, I don't look excited, but I am.

This was my first real experience in event planning, resident coordinating, and really being a leader for a large group of people, and even to a certain extent mass marketing. It was a tiring but exhilarating experience at the same time, I loved being out doing something, making posters, sitting at the tables talking to all the people about the wonderful neighborhood association that I was representing. I even got a compliment from one of the other neighborhood association coordinators that it was nice to see so much material out on the table and that she was impressed that I made half of the materials. It was the first time since arriving at Jericho Road, that I was excited about my job, not that I wasn't before, but I was starting to get burnt out a bit just talking about all these events, and having endless meetings about them. It was nice to see the final product playing out and talking to residents and hearing their enthusiasm to join the association. I was complimented by so many people at both sites, many saying it was so nice to see a young person with so much investment in a community of people.

It was also the first time I felt like I was being treated like a responsible adult and that people were respecting me for the job that I was doing. I liked meeting all of these people whom I can work with on future events in the neighborhood and it was refreshing to talk to residents about all of the plans that I had to work with them on. My idealism that I came here to New Orleans was refreshed by this experience, I came to work this morning with tons of ideas for new events that I want to propose to the Board of my association and to call up residents and get working on. Just a few little teasers of ideas I am thinking about doing would be upcoming for Halloween, I am planning "Safe Routes" for trick-or-treating, as well as a Halloween party with kids and some of the senior citizens in the area. In November I am planning a food drive to help the local Mission that is in my neighborhood. Lots of plans and ideas in my head have swirling around I am trying to catch them all and get proposals ready for my supervisor, so we can start fleshing them out with our residents. I am sure as the year moves along I will be excitedly be talking more and more about my upcoming events.

Well until I update again,

Peace!