This I Believe Essay #4

Same approach, fourth week:

Please post your essay here before class on Tuesday. Also, don't forget to make some time to read the other essays posted. Leave a few comments. It is powerful to know that people are reading when we share our stories.

Class Notes 1/27

Felice Salmon is a radical homemaker in the urban Lexington community. She makes herself and her home a resource for children in the community, so that they can have a supportive environment outside of school. On Tuesday, 1/27. she spoke to the Creative Engagements class. 

What does it mean to be a radical homemaker?

- Empowering Youth

- Asset Building Community Development

- Being open to new relationships, being available

Why be a radical homemaker?

- Homemaking fights injustice

- Home Economics as an expression of responsible stewardship

- Healthy Homes make healthy communities

- Creative Approaches to Activism (Craftivism)

How to Empower Youth

- Relationships, children need adult role models other than parents

- Art and Discover, children need a place where they can explore curiosity 

ABCD

- Asset Based Community Development

- Internally driven change that empowers the community

- Ask "what do you have?" instead of "what do you need?"

- Residents become citizens instead of clients

Search Institute

- 40 Developmental Assets that help children find support and engagement

- Children need access to at least 20

- Include adult relationships, safety, high expectations, feeling likable, being part of an organization, being able to provide a service, etc. 

- Full list can be found at: http://www.search-institute.org/content/40-developmental-assets-adolescents-ages-12-18

Felice closed by adding, "find the value in what is already around you."

Thanks Felice!

       

Class Notes 1/21

• ·         Students need to make sure to keep materials and facilities clean and organized,
• ·         We discussed the work we will be doing with children and signed up for time slots and locations.
• ·         Remember to post questions about the guest reading by noon of the day we will see our guest.
• ·         Kurt demonstrated how to use more equipment for making bird houses.
• ·         Students worked together to assemble dozens of partial bird houses.
• ·         Students also started cutting out their two –tone stencils. 
• Completed stencils are due on 1/27/15. 

This I Believe Essay #3

Same approach, third week:

Please post your essay here before class on Tuesday. Remember to bring a printed copy of your essay to class and practice so that you are prepared to read it aloud.

Tuesday Questions

Post your questions (one for each of the assigned readings) for Felice before noon on Tuesday. Remember to include some context with your question to connect it directly to the language and points from the articles.

This I Believe essay #2

Same approach, second week:

Please post your essay here before class on Tuesday. Please also remember to bring a printed copy of your essay to class and practice so that you are prepared to read it aloud.

This I Believe essay #1

Please post your essay here before class on Tuesday. Please also remember to bring a printed copy of your essay to class and be prepared to read it aloud.

Class Notes 1/7

January 7^th, 2015

1^st  Wednesday Night Meeting

Griffin VanMeter

·         * Involved in the neighborhood association, Kentucky for Kentucky, Community Development Cooperation (CDC), and North Limestone community development.

·         * Used to just drive through the area, but moved here in the early 2000s.

·         *  Started fixing up houses with Marty after going to neighborhood association meetings.

·         *  He and Marty say that when you develop a community, pay attention to what is already there. Completely changing or redoing the area tells its people that what they already have is unimportant and not good enough.

Tanya Torp

·          *  Her house is the Justice House (has a Facebook page and is at 552 Elm Tree Lane)

·          *  The Justice House hosts community events, including a Saturday morning breakfast (9:00-11:00). The front yard is a community garden used to provide the neighborhood with fresh foods they otherwise could not get.

·          *  She is a Faith Feeds ambassador, which also gets fresh food to the area.

·          *  Be Bold—empowers girls and young women. “Your body is not your currency.”

·          *  She and her husband moved to the area planning to change it, but it changed them instead. She sad that it had been an arrogant notion and she learned to listen to the neighborhood and let it lead.

Felice Salmon

·          *  Became involved with the area through relationships made through her non-profit youth work.

·          *  When she had a child, she started doing youth empowerment from home.

·          *  Youth come to her home (specifically girls) to do family activities and make friendships with other children.

·          *  Said that there are three things she has learned that you need to focus on

o   Connection

o   Creation

o   Contemplation

Jeremiah Meyers

·         *  Part of Lexington Habitat

·          *  Lexington Habitat are the ones providing the typewriters

·          *  This is first meeting with CETA

Drew Hashimoto

·          *  Current president of the neighborhood association.

·          *  Was in the area as a young adult because of the punk rock community, but was originally from eastern Kentucky.

·          *  Left the area, became a single mom, and recently rejoined the area.

·          *  While away from the area, she got her bachelors in cultural anthropology.

Marty Clifford

·          *  Lived in the area as a youth, then joined the army and lived in California for a while.

·          *  Came back in the 90s to develop houses but stayed and became part of the community.

·          *  Formed the neighborhood association and is the former president.

o   Said that they usually form and are only active when there is crime in the area.

o   He wants the NA to be actively improving the area.

o   Also, politicians communicate with neighborhoods through NAs, so they are important to keep active.

·          *  Said that community involvement helped him mature and grow.

·         *  Also said that if you don’t get involved in your community, others will. You might not like what they do with it.

·          *  Been with CETA since the beginning.

Welcome to Community Engagement Through the Arts (CETA) 2015

Welcome to CETA 2015. Now that you have found our class blog, please return to see photographs of what we are up to, get updates about our visitors on Wednesday nights, and follow our collaborative, community-based public art project: Build-A-Home.