GCDD's Real Communities are Promoting Positive Changes from MAD Fall'12
The following is the Real Communities Initiative article from the Fall Making a Difference magazine giving an update on GCDD's Real Communities Initiative projects.
Macon Debuts the First Youth Roving Listening Project
Over the summer, GCDD's Real Communities project with Centenary United Methodist Church in Macon, GA carried out the Roving Listening project for the first time. The project, which was adapted from the work of DeAmon Harges at Broadway United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, IN, the site of a GCDD learning journey trip, is a method to start deep, meaningful conversations within the community and understand each person's gifts and skills.
On July 2, Centenary Methodist Church kicked off a week of training for 30 community workers to learn the art of Roving Listening. Separated into four different teams, each made up of people with and without disabilities, the group moved out into the Beall's Hill neighborhood to listen, connect and understand the gifts and ideas of the people who live there.
The project lasted for a month, with Roving Listeners going out into the community three days each week of the project and finishing each week with a Monday night community dinner that engaged the individuals they connected with the previous week.
According to Stacey Harwell, minister of Community Building at Centenary, based on the comments learned from the project, members of the community were interested in creating more programs for youth and avenues for them to get to know their neighbors better. There was also interest in developing more opportunities for the community members to participate in crime prevention and beautification of their community. "People enjoyed the community dinners, so we built them in to a year-round grant we recently applied for," stated Harwell. "We are continually searching for ideas to teach and carry out in the community."
Although the Roving Listening project has concluded, the goal is to receive funding from other grants through Centenary to extend the program for five years.
"Overall the project went well," said Harwell. "The community responded, the roving listeners were great and we started a solid foundation for building relationships in the community."
Clarkston Community Garden Starts Second Planting Season
After successfully completing the first planting in the Clarkston International Community Garden in April 2012, the Real Communities Initiative started gearing up for a second season with another planting on August 15. There are 26 plots in the garden, divided among families and individuals, each responsible for their own plot.
"The participants are taking on more leadership," said Basmat Ahmed, the Real Communities Community Builder. "I think this second time around they felt more confident and more used to the place, so they are taking ownership and organizing themselves."
Starting in mid-September, gardeners should begin seeing growth of veggies they planted such as arugula, cabbage, onions, radishes and more. In addition to the plantings in the Clarkston community garden, Ahmed wants to develop activities and events to bring people together. "This is a long-term idea that will include teaching food activities, as well as how we can be inclusive to everyone in the community," she said. "People in Clarkston come from different backgrounds and it is important to involve everyone and make them feel comfortable and confident in how they contribute."
GCDD Participates in an International Learning Journey
Recently, GCDD representatives and members of several Real Communities Initiatives had the opportunity to travel internationally and attend the Toronto Summer Institute (TSI) through a learning journey on July 7-12. This is the third time GCDD has gone to the TSI, and this year several people were able to attend including Caitlin Childs, organizing director of the GCDD Real Communities Initiative, GCDD Council members Tameeka Hunter and Cheri Pace, Real Communities Community Builders Amanda Quintana from Milton and Teri Schell from Savannah and Haven Mellor, a member of the Real Communities in Savannah.
"TSI is a conference that people attend from all over the world," said Childs. "It is a place for those on the cutting edge who think creatively to make inclusion a reality and support innovative changes."
One of the things TSI is known for is its unique approach for people to come and learn, share and connect with others who are already involved in innovative initiatives. It's a small gathering and the participants drive the majority of the agenda of the conference. There are very few set workshops. The attendees decide what they would like to talk about, which creates the space for a lot of deep conversations and meaningful strategy sessions.
"This was a great place for a learning journey because the participants and facilitators were all so immersed in the movement of real change in the realm of inclusion," said Schell. "One topic we talked about was the need to hear from all members of a community, rather than just the experts or those who step up to the plate. Oftentimes, the person who hasn't spoken up has a wealth of input to offer and we just have to invite and then welcome them."
The Toronto Summer Institute originally was developed to focus solely on school inclusion and integrating classrooms, but it has evolved over the years. There are many people who come who have no connection to disabilities but want to participate because they are really focused on community-building and creating a
culture of inclusion.
Hunter, a longtime GCDD Council member, said participating in this learning journey helped her have a better understanding of the goals of the Real Communities projects. "This trip helps us remember and recognize that all communities have talents and gifts that are not tapped in to and human resources are an excellent tool to help build and sustain communities," she said. "It made me realize how I could help build or support a community around disabilities."
Although there are not many set agendas or topics, there are many well-known advocates, both within and outside of the disability community, who are there to help guide the conversations. The aim of the conference is to facilitate and assist future leaders in building inclusive and diverse communities, schools and workplaces.
"After listening and learning from everyone there, I want to quit placing certain people or organizations outside the realm of participating in our project," said Schell. "I want to make it a goal to reach out to all, regardless of the initial viewpoint a person seems to hold."
"I think we will continue participating in the Toronto Summer Institute through GCDD Learning Journeys because it is core to the approach we take with our Real Communities Initiatives," said Childs. "At GCDD, Real Communities projects are about establishing inclusion at the ground level and giving every member of the community a chance to have a meaningful contribution."
