Daily Archives: July 29, 2022

Is your humble abode choking the life out of you with its ever-growing cluttered piles of paper and junk?

Its time to go after liberation in our homes.

Roe Cummings, a millennial and intentional-living advocate, who lives with her boyfriend in an 800-square-foot household in California, used to be stress filled and bogged down by their stuff. Now she wants to liberate others by showcasing their minimalist life on Instagram on their page, brownkids, and showing how living a clutter-free lifestyle can be done through the Black lens.

But why?

The couple says that its time to declutter because the home is the second place (outside of work) where people spend the most time, yet its not the welcoming haven that is should be if its causing stress, underlined by looming tasks of how to keep it clean, keep up with the bills, all while managing the clutter and mess.

The pair said that as Black people, there are some fundamental benefits that come with cleaning the home and ultimately the soul when the clutter lifts and some deep-rooted healing takes place.

As people of color in this life, werent we expected, if not unconsciously, to live in dwellings of our own desperation? But, we did it. We reorganized our finances, brainchilded #thejarmethod, and I paid off $11,000 of personal debt on a $19,000 income. We made rent out of sheer know-how not always on time but always determinedly, they said. The year we figured the home puzzle out as a pair, the job and obligation chains loosened around our necks a little bit. Because, for the first time, money and our home werent in crisis anymore.

Many others, unfortunately, are currently in crisis mode when it comes to the state of their homes.

According to theorganizerchicks.com, the average American household contains 300,000 items and Americans spend $1.2 trillion annually on non-essential items. Also, Americans typically spend 17 minutes a day looking for items they have lost or misplaced which totals up to about 4.3 days a year or 344 days over the average human life span.

Also according to the website, the single biggest growing sector of real estate in the country is storage units. And while people are living in bigger homes they are still storing their things elsewhere.

Where is the disconnect?

According to verywellmind.com, it can start when people continue impulsively buying things (through emotional spending) and the piles and clutter begin while mental health is paying the ultimate price.

Clutter impacts your physical space in an obvious way; but some people dont realize that clutter can have negative mental health effects, too, the article notes. But, by becoming aware of how much clutter you have and whether you experience any stress as a result, youll be better able to discern if theres an opportunity for you to modify your physical space and improve your mental health.

Christine Platt, author of The Afrominimalists Guide to Living with Less, echoes similar thoughts as Cummings and told NPR that decluttering is particularly necessary for communities of color.

Afrominimalism is simply how I define my minimalist practice, which is influenced by the history and beauty of the African diaspora, she said in the article. But I really wanted to write a book that explained the psychology of ownership so that we understand our motivations. Why is it so hard to let go of things we no longer need, use or love?

She added that once Black people own why they hold onto certain things (especially to their detriment) there is awareness, empathy and empowerment.

And, you know, for Black folks and for other marginalized groups, its often the missing link for how and why we consume the way we do, she said. I say living with less is now our choice because ownership is just a complicated matter for people of the African diaspora, right? I mean, as a Black woman, when I think of ownership, I have to consider my ancestry. I have to consider the historical and generational inequities of slavery, of Jim Crow, of redlining, you know, and other state-sanctioned limitations on ownership and their lasting implications. Our familial and collective histories are just a big part of and continue to influence how and why we consume.

Where to Begin?

Life Hack says that decluttering is all about reducing and reorganizing in these simple steps:

Take a look at each area of your life and write down all of your commitments, according to Life Hack. From here, look at each one and decide whether it really brings you joy and value and if it is worth the amount of time that you invest in it.

Many of us do not have any set routines in our daily lives and simply tackle our obligations, chores and daily tasks haphazardly, Life Hack notes. Without structure, it can lead to chaotic days and a drop in productivity.

This might be a tough one but rethink all of your friendships and see who is meant to stick around and see who is not.

While you should spend more time with positive people, people who help you grow and make you feel happy, you should get rid of toxic people who only drain your energy, according to the article.

Declutter at work

Take a break from work and get to work on cleaning off your desk (or workstation) to be more productive and focused your boss will thank you later.

Begin with:

Your desk

Look through all of the stuff and throw away the unneeded items and sort through whats left and create a filing system so that client or customer is easier to find next time.

Declutter at home

Simplify your living spaces. If the bedroom or other rooms are messy, clean them and think like a minimalist.

Andrea Wolf, owner of Organize Detroit, a professional organizing company that services the metro area, told the Michigan Chronicle that she was into this 16 years ago before it became a trend.

From packing and moving to organizing and decluttering, the company has a knack for throwing it out or packing it up neatly of course.

Our goal is to simplify your life in a chaotic situation, a chaotic space in the house, Wolf said, adding that decluttering is all about giving people back their time and freedom. The more you declutter the less stuff in there, the less stuff to manage. The hope is to give yourself the freedom to use the space differently than maybe you were using it.

Wolf added that her three types of clients include those who are downsizing, accumulating, and just starting out, and they all come to her to streamline their belongings, which she says begins with starting small first.

We always say the best place to start something is a small drawer or cabinet dont tackle the biggest area in your house [yet], she said. Finish it completely so you can feel that success motivates you to tackle another area.

Read more:

Declutter Your Home and Build the Life You Always Wanted | The Michigan Chronicle - Michigan Chronicle

Amy Stelly can see the on-ramp for the Claiborne Expressway from the second-floor porch of her childhood home, a block and a half away from the highway. She lives in Treme, a historic Black neighborhood in New Orleans. For decades, the highway has devastated her neighborhood. Stelly is an urban designer and co-founder of the Claiborne Avenue Alliance, which is advocating for its removal.

Claiborne has not been maintained at all, she says of the highway on the brink of disrepair. Not only do we have the dire economics, we have the actual physical atrocity. Its dirty. Its loud. Its polluted.

So, when the US transportation department recently announced a $1bn five-year pilot program to aid communities racially segregated by US government-sponsored highway projects, Stelly responded with a mix of optimism and tempered expectations. Joe Biden singled out the Claiborne Expressway when the program, known as Reconnecting Communities, was first announced.

Experts and advocates question whether the initial investment is enough to reverse the devastation in Black neighborhoods in the name of connection. The amount unveiled by the transportation department is a far cry from the original $20bn proposed. But advocates agree that its an unprecedented and welcome step in pursuit of highway reparations.

Its the beginning, not the end, of the process, Stelly told the Guardian.

Under the departments program, announced in late June, cities, states, non-profits, tribal governments and city planning organizations can seek grants to conduct traffic studies, encourage public input on highway plans and pursue other planning activities in advance of a project to remove, retrofit, or mitigate an existing eligible facility to restore community connectivity. Communities can apply for $195m in grants in the first year, $50m for planning studies, the remainder for capital construction.

[W]e cant ignore the basic truth that some of the planners and politicians behind those projects built them directly through the heart of vibrant, populated, communities sometimes in an effort to reinforce segregation, the transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, said during a speech announcing the program in Birmingham, Alabama. While the burden is often greatest for communities of color, Americans today of every background are paying the price of these choices.

The wreckage wrought by Americas highways began after the second world war, when President Franklin D Roosevelt approved the construction of 40,000 miles of interstate highways. By the time President Dwight Eisenhower took office, in 1953, just over 6,000 miles had been built. That accelerated after Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, which authorized $25bn to construct a modern, interstate highway system.

Deborah Archer, co-faculty director of New York Universitys Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law, says that the federal program destroyed vibrant Black communities and cut the heart and soul out of many Black communities by taking their homes, churches and schools.

Back then, the US government provided little assistance to displaced communities, forcing people farther away from economic opportunity and toward already segregated and financially disenfranchised communities. Our highway system was a physical realization of the racialized norms and values in our country. So much of that was really intentional, says Archer, who wrote a paper on the historical damage highways have done to Black communities.

By the time the Claiborne Expressway opened in 1968, more than 500 houses had been cleared, according to the Congress for the New Urbanism, which supports people-centered places. The oak trees that lined Claiborne Avenue were replaced with concrete.

Its only right that the federal government seeks to correct the mistake that it made decades ago. So I applaud them for doing it. But we have to follow through, Stelly says. The key is to continue funding the efforts once this $1bn is exhausted, because we all know that its not going to get us to the final goal.

The Freeway Fighters Network, a coalition supported by the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), estimated that more than 70 projects are under way to remove or revamp highways and prevent expansions throughout the US. The group started in 2019 when activists lobbied lawmakers in Washington to support infrastructure legislation. It has since grown to an informal network that meets regularly on Zoom to discuss their projects and share strategies.

Ben Crowther, who led CNUs advocacy for the reconnecting communities program, says it will take years of sustained funding to see how these highway removal campaigns play out. He says the funding is not going to solve the inequities or the problems that weve created with the highway system in one fell swoop. Transportation department officials have estimated that the money could only support from three to 15 projects involving demolition and construction.

Whats unique about the new federal program, says Crowther, now advocacy manager of AmericaWalks, is that it gives non-profit organizations the chance to pursue funding to study what highway removal means for the surrounding community, which state transportation officials typically dont consider. He said it often takes public pressure to inspire change, like what happened during freeway revolts in the 1960s and 1970s when communities blocked proposed highway projects.

Its ultimately up to state lawmakers and governors to approve project funding, a prospect that often leads to even further delays, leading state transportation agencies to pursue this new pot of funding.

In St Paul, Minnesota, the group ReConnect Rondo has advocated for turning a stretch of Interstate 94, which cuts through the historically Black neighborhood of Rondo, into a 21-acre land bridge over the freeway.

Keith Baker, the groups executive director, described the Rondo neighborhood, where his family often visited, as a small town. But like freeways across the country, Interstate 94, built between 1956 and 1968, tore out the social, economic, environmental and cultural fabric of the community, he says. More than 300 businesses closed and more than 700 houses were demolished, according to the group. Baker estimates that those houses represented at least $157m in lost wealth. That equity never got realized for people who own those homes, he says. Before the freeway came through, Rondo was the enterprise district of the African American community. The freeway ultimately destroyed them.

Baker says his group plans to pursue grant funding to conduct a study on what their proposal would mean for the surrounding areas. The land bridge, he says, can bring houses and businesses back to the neighborhood, cultivating a green gathering space for the surrounding neighborhoods. A feasibility study released in June 2020 shows that the effort, which could cost an estimated $458m, could attract 1,800 jobs.

Deborah Archer, who also serves as president of the American Civil Liberties Union, cautions that the transportation department funds, though unprecedented in scope and intent, would not fully rectify the damage in Black communities caused by the loss of wealth. Future removal projects need to ensure that anti-displacement protections are in place to guard families living by highways and ensure they are not replaced in the name of economic investment.

The conditions that the highways created have been built over decades, Archer says. Its not going to be easy to weave back communities that were torn apart by these highways. The funding recognizes that rebuilding is not just about the absence of these physical dividers. Its even more about creating the conditions for a community to flourish.

For Stelly, the funding would give the Claiborne Coalition the opportunity to conduct an updated study to see how a highway removal project would affect the surrounding community. It offers a chance to gather community input on what the future could hold, to examine ways to ensure people are not displaced by future highway projects and to forecast the economic impact of removing the highway.

Stelly reflected on what the community her family has called home for decades lost: the convenience stores, the small family businesses, the neighbors. A funeral home is one of the few businesses that survived the aftermath of the highways construction.

When my family bought this property almost 70 years ago, this neighborhood was very different. It was beautiful. It was tree-lined. It had a host of professional services and had places to buy fresh food. It was clean, Stelly says. I would like to receive reparations for what my family has lost because when they made this initial investment, they didnt do it thinking that it was going to be derailed.

Read the original post:

Could the US highways that split communities on racial lines finally fall? - The Guardian US

Every other Friday, 25 Chicagoland mothers head to the South Austin neighborhood to participate in an initiative that will help support these young women in their academic careers.

The Academic Coaching program is part of New Moms, an nonprofit organization that provides services and coaching for young mothers around housing, job training and family support.

Since 1983, New Moms began working with mothers who are 24 years old or younger. Each year, New Moms partners with more than 300 young women who are looking to improve their lives for themselves and their families.

In January, the three-year pilot program partnered with the City Colleges of Chicago to increase degree attainment.

We created the Academic Coaching program with the goal of increasing degree attainment for young moms in Chicagoland, said Stephanie Held who is the marketing and communications coordinatorfor New Moms. We believe intentional investment in the postsecondary persistence and achievement of young moms will have lasting positive influences on families and communities.

In Illinois, 22% of all undergraduates are parents, according to the Institute for Womens Policy Research. Single moms in Illinois who graduate with a bachelors degree are 67% less likely than high school graduates to live in poverty and 45% less likely with an associates degree.

Additionally, there is an explicit racial equity piece to our goals because women of color are not graduating from college at the same rate as their white peers, much less student parents, Held said. An intentional investment like this program will provide a strong return on investment to families and communities leading to more mothers of color graduating from postsecondary schools and working in family-sustaining, living-wage jobs.

Over the next three years, the Academic Coaching program aims to understand how a peer network can help support young moms enrolled in college and see what kind of impact monthly monetary support has on student parents, according to Held.

Story continues

Recruitment for participants was done among New Moms, an existing network including mothers who are co-enrolled in the Housing, Job Training and Family Support programs and alumni from those programs, according to Held.

The application process included having applicants submit a letter of recommendation and a letter of intention reflecting on how the program would help them persist during their college career.

During the program, the 25 moms will receive a $500 monthly stipend while enrolled in the program, according to the City Colleges of Chicago.

City Colleges of Chicago is dedicated to eliminating barriers and addressing inequities that impact access to higher education for underserved communities, Juan Salgado, chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago said in a statement. The new academic coaching program is a powerful example of our shared investment in supporting young parents as they pursue their education.

Along with biweekly individual and group coaching, the academic coaching program provides transportation and child care support.

Should a mother take longer than three years to finish their degree, they will still be enrolled in the program and continue getting academic support until graduation and beyond.

Many student parents will start college and never finish, Held said. We want to see the city rally around this underserved and growing group and invest in ways in supporting them.

tatturner@chicagotribune.com

Here is the original post:

25 Chicagoland moms are participating in a three-year pilot program to further invest in their academic careers - Yahoo! Voices

Charles Thompson Dailey transitioned on July 10, 2022. He was born in Saginaw, MI on Dec. 14th, 1945. Charles has three children, Makyle, Nashelley and Asher, and 19-month-old granddaughter, Clio, and another grandchild on the way. His ex-wife & friend Deedee and siblings Joseph Dailey and Sheila Carroll, will also miss him. He was predeceased by his siblings, Mike, Pat, and Bob, and his parents, Jim and Mary Jane. Charles served in the Navy for 3 years during Vietnam and was mostly stationed in Japan. Afterward, he returned to Georgetown University in DC to finish a degree in English. Charles traveled in his 68 VW bus for years, living in various hippie communes and intentional communities like Healing Waters and Arcosanti. His eldest son now calls that VW bus home. In the early 80s Charles started Used Shelving of Arizona and did quite well. He had a way with words like no other and a talented hand for abstract art. He was eccentric and generous and sometimes inflammatory and always inspired. He loved to bring in his neighbors dumpsters and do the neighborhoods irrigation. He loved to whistle classical songs and create art in the wee hours of the morning. He was so much his own person; irreverent, creative, brilliant, funny, grouchy, and caring. We love you Charles.

Posted online on July 25, 2022

Published in The Arizona Republic

Read more here:

Charles Thompson Dailey Obituary - The Arizona Republic - The Arizona Republic

Beyond the hills of Paso Robles and just south of Salinas, there is a wide stretch of farmland. One city that lies in the middle is King City, the home of Sol Treasures.

This place is like food for the soul. Kids come, parents come, volunteers come, said Jeff Hinderscheid, the Executive Director of the arts and cultural enrichment center Sol Treasures.

Every summer, they host a children's art camp in the heart of the Salinas Valley to inspire kids of South Monterey County to learn and grow in the world of art. People show up because they believe in what we're doing, Hinderscheid said.

On July 25, the first day of their childrens art camp for the summer, kids were dancing, painting, and learning to play different instruments.

Hinderscheid says Sol Treasures was created in 2008 by a group of local artists. It started as a place for artists to call home, quickly expanded into a gallery, and then soon became a safe haven of learning and expression for the kids of South Monterey County. They now provide different forms of art instruction either in-house, or they extend their services as art teachers at the local public schools.

The programs include music, painting, dance, and theater. South County, King City specifically, is very big on agriculture and sports, but not everybody wants to do that. So we try to give them an option so they can find themselves and what they want to do, Hinderscheid said. He said one of the many reasons they created Sol Treasures is because of the unique demographics of King City.

It's one of the largest migrant locations in the world, certainly in the country, he said. According to Data USA, King City is a predominantly Hispanic/Latinx community, and as of 2019, about 49 percent of residents were born outside of the country. Their parents aren't taking them to San Francisco. I mean, most parents can't. It's so expensive to get a ticket at all, but it's just such a lost art. Theater people who love theater go to it, Hinderscheid said.

Jude Yriarte is the grant writer for Sol Treasures. She said the organization is very conscious and intentional towards the communities they work with. We're very deliberate about diversity, equality, and inclusion. We're trying to teach the children all the time about how to communicate in ways that help bring together ideas, instead of pull things apart, Yriarte said.

Yriarte said the demographics of King City are only a small part of why they provide these programs. The true meaning, she said, comes from the childrens joy. It's the best reward to see them downtown and they'll see you with their parents or something. They get very excited to see you.

Staff say thats what Sol Treasures is about: seeing that spark in the childs eye, and allowing them to find joy in art and expression.

Danielle Quijada is one of those students who found joy here. I'm very shy, but the first day I walked in and I was being very quiet and I murmured my first words to Jeff [Hinderscheid], and he told me, You're in theater now, you cannot whisper. We're all family, Quijada said.

Quijada is a new student at Sol Treasures. Shes from Soledad, which is about 30 minutes north of King City. She said she has always wanted to be a part of the organization. Growing up, she always watched her friends perform, and she knew she wanted to be a part of it. Her favorite memory is working on the Little Mermaid play.

The first show I did was The Little Mermaid, and that was a lot of fun. My favorite memory is doing She's in Love with all the mer-sisters because it felt like we're all real sisters, she said.

Walking around Sol Treasures, the impression of it being one big family was clear. The children were painting, dancing, and running around laughing like siblings.

17-year-old Hannah Ettinger said she joined Sol Treasures in the fifth grade, when they were working on the play Doctor Doolittle. Ettinger recounted what she loves most about her time with Sol Treasures, Being with everyone and participating in all these musicals where we sing and dance together, thats pretty fun, she said.

Thats what Hinderscheid says Sol Treasures is all about: art, family, expression, and joy. Hinderscheid remembers working his first play, The Lion King Jr.

I had made sure that our set designer built this thing, that when it raises it looks like the sun's rising out of the stage, he said. And then the lights came up to make it turn orange and red and stuff and I remember hearing 800 kids go, Wow! Awesome!

Sol Treasures summer camp ends this week, but will return next year. They also have programs throughout the year, like a concert series in August and a fundraiser gala in September. More information on the non profit is at soltreasures.com

Read the original post:

Monterey County youth find "food for the soul" at Sol Treasures - KCBX

It has been two years since Ole Miss students were sent home, in-person classes were moved online and COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. There have been challenging moments, deep sorrow over lives lost and moments of social disconnect. Nonetheless, communities have come together in remarkable ways to learn how to adapt and reconnect.

Integrating technology into classrooms has provided opportunities for students to learn beyond the traditional classroom setting and instantly connect with anyone, anywhere and at any time. The enhanced learning environment inside and outside the classroom has provided interactive experiences and intentional education. The combination of in-person, virtual, and hybrid appears to be conditioning students for the technologically-dependent world they live in today. The current student generation should be better equipped, more resilient, and more prepared to face whatever communication challenges and experiences should come because of the skills learned by communicating online.

Video conferencing, for example, has served a variety of purposes and enhanced learning because people have been able to virtually connect from across the globe with their peers, co-workers, and family members. Students meet inspiring speakers from their field on a Zoom call that they may not otherwise have had the chance to meet if they were in a traditional, everyday classroom setting. Throughout the school year, many professors, club leaders and organizations invite alumni and guest speakers to speak on Zoom.

Jacqueline Cole is a junior integrated marketing communications major from Memphis, who enrolled at Ole Miss in Fall 2019. Cole reflected and compared her experiences before and through the pandemic.

The graphic reads: Learning Behind the Mask: Communities come together in remarkable ways to learn and adapt through COVID-19

We didnt video-conference in our classes or anything before the pandemic, Cole said. But now, its a regular thing that I look forward to in many of my classes and clubs. Last semester, we had an influencer reach out to my internet marketing class. The influencer, Sara Caroline Bridgers, actually went to Ole Miss. She now lives in Hawaii, and we were able to talk to her about how she became an influencer, how she makes money, and how to promote a self-brand.

Remote opportunities have also provided many options for students in terms of learning and future possibilities for flexibility in the workforce. It has been to the advantage of students to learn more about the latest opportunities that have emerged in the past few years.

I can go beyond what I have always known because I have the idea now that you can work remotely from everywhere. So, I dont feel like I have to be stuck in one city, Cole said. I could definitely move around and have the opportunity to work for the same company, and my life wouldnt be affected because I had to move to a different location for another job. I feel like this [opportunity] has definitely opened up since COVID.

Since returning to campus this school year, Cole has noticed the empathy of her professors. She feels like her health is a priority. When Cole has to miss class for being sick, she knows she can rely on her professors to work with her outside of class to make up her work. She feels less pressured to constantly show up for class when she is not feeling well.

The teachers have become more understanding, Cole said. I have noticed that the teachers take more time and are a lot more caring about out-of-class circumstances. When students are sick, Zoom options for students make things healthier, especially for someone who gets sick all the time. I never feel like Im missing something anymore.

As the world is evolving at an extremely fast technological pace, The University of Mississippi is growing with it. The University has employed several initiatives to help students continue to learn and prevent learning gaps.

I have been able to connect with people despite the literal communication gaps, Cole said. I think the pandemic has helped the world, as a whole, communicate.

Students can pursue and balance their passions and hobbies with their academics when flexibility is built in by a remote schedule. Combining traditional and virtual procedures where necessary, timely, and convenient helps the day-to-day tasks flow more smoothly. The developments from the past few years, such as online advising, virtual tours and virtual speakers, should remain because they are efficient and informative.

Dawson Wilson is a senior majoring in integrated marketing communications from Ocean Springs. He is the current director of photography for UM Square Magazine and was the 2020-2021 photo editor for The Ole Miss yearbook. Wilson also shoots freelance photography.

Ever since COVID hit two years ago, I have learned just how much better of a learner I am when I take online and pace-yourself classes, Wilson said. I am a photographer, so this gave me leeway to really hone in on my craft while also being able to do school on my own time. I ended up finding the perfect balance of work, school, and play.

The novelty of the technology and circumstances at hand proves there is no true expert in the roomor on the Zoom. However, this is how and where great ideas can be born and developed. Students are navigating, growing, and learning during a highly confusing time when much of the world is trying to do the same.

I feel like going through all of this and knowing what I know now, the basic message that I have learned is just to live your life, Wilson said. If you dont do it, your mind will eat away at you with the what-ifs, but if you do it and dont like it, then you have the well, at least I tried it mindset.

Wilson went on to say, I think that whenever something major like this happens, technology will always advance to make things easier for us. As much as I think I remember the internet being super popular before the pandemic, it, no doubt, got much more popular during and after COVID. A big thing that people learned is how easy it is to find inspiration and a passion, while also being able to monetize that passion. At the beginning of the pandemic, when people were making small businesses in their homes with their stimulus checks, they realized how much the internet could open the world to everyone.

The University of Mississippi PRSSA chapter members in masks.

The world is more than what students have known thus far, in terms of location or opportunity. With the world becoming more technologically advanced, each generation must refine their online communication skills. Integrating technology into the classroom has helped college students navigate the complexities of communicating professionally and socially.

I was literally blown away when Kara Brand, who worked at Vogue, told us her story in our Square Magazine virtual meeting one day, Wilson said. The story was that she had graduated from Ole Miss and decided to move to New York. She worked for the MET Museum, where she worked the MET Gala annually.

One year, she met the editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, and she was offered a job on the spot. From there, she moved to L.A. to work for Teen Vogue, where she eventually ended up landing a job at Vogue in New York City. That is the short story, but I was so fascinated by her and her luck. I definitely do not think we would have gotten to hear from her if we had not had the pandemic.

Elena Ossoski is a sophomore pursuing degrees in education and integrated marketing communications with an emphasis in public relations. Ossoski currently serves as editor-in-chief of UM Square Magazine, where she works with a team of directors to lead the staff. The staff worked together to publish the first volume of the student-run fashion magazine during the pandemic.

The pandemic provided an opportunity for reflection, outreach, and creativity for Ossoski and the magazine staff. Since UM Square Magazine posts weekly content online, including social media and blog posts, the team members could still contribute to story-telling, despite obstacles put in place by the pandemic.

Ive been able to form connections and relationships with people through social media and email, whether they are professional or friendships, even with people I havent met in person, Ossoski said. I would reach out to alumni, fellow students, and just people I thought were cool. Since it was during the pandemic, most people I interviewed I havent met in person. I would form relationships and share the stories through Square.

It has been very rewarding, Ossoski said.

Social media became a direct reflection of what people were craving during the pandemic. Society had been missing out on normalcy: students wanted to know what everyone else was doing daily, so students constantly watched everyone post about it online. Students longed to be with each other.

Theres so much knowledge that you can share from one person to another, Ossoski said. You can share someones life experiences, what they did that day, what they did at school, what they choose to wear each dayits a very intimate way to get to know somebodyand it also happened during the pandemic, when we also werent able to meet face-to-face, so it was just nice to hear about how other people lived their lives and share about these experiences on social media and on the blog. It just gave more insight to life in general.

Social media and blogs became an outlet to get to know each other. Students desire human connection. Sometimes, you need that push from someone who has done something slightly scary before you; deep down, you know it will be okay, but when you hear a story from an inspiring individual who has made it, it motivates you. Social media provided that extra level of connection during that time of disconnection that allowed our generation to reach out instantly and take that leap of faith that students otherwise may not have been brave enough to take.

This story was written by By Haley Clift.

To read more stories from The Review: https://issuu.com/mrmagazine123/docs/the_review_all_pages_final

To learn more about our programs: https://jnm.olemiss.edu/

To follow our school on social media @umjourimc: https://linktr.ee/umjourimc

Apply now: https://bit.ly/36t5f3l

Read the rest here:

Learning Behind the Mask: Communities come together in remarkable ways to learn and adapt through COVID-19 - School of Journalism and New Media - Ole...

Too often, those of us committed to equity-driven philanthropy wait to respond to unimaginable trauma instead of funding community organizers working to build safety up front. The horrendous killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor followed by a summer of nationwide uprisings against police violence are among the latest examples of this cycle of violence, outrage, backlash and complacency. Sadly, state violence against Black people is not an aberration in the United States; it is a painful norm. And philanthropys response to this reality often falls short.

Borealis Philanthropys Communities Transforming Policing Fund (CTPF) exists to resource Black, Indigenous and people-of-color (BIPOC)-led grassroots organizations in every stage of their fights against police violence and the adverse effects of the carceral system. We provide funding and support in an effort to reshape philanthropys relationship with grassroots organizers and invest in community healing and safety from the start.

This July, the CTPF celebrates five years of supporting this transformative work, having moved nearly $15 million and counting to over 70 grassroots groups since July 2017.

This work is personal

The CTPF is led by Program Director Jeree Thomas, who was called to this work through her experiences as a youth justice attorney and a national policy director. For Jeree, witnessing the impacts of the criminal justice system on her family, friends and clients as well as the killing of George Floyd hit close to home and helped her approach the work of the CTPF with thoughtfulness and intention.

Im a person who grew up seeing both sides of the criminal legal system. One of my earliest memories is losing my uncle to gun violence. I also had family [members] who cycled in and out of incarceration. For a lot of people in our country, particularly Black and brown people, these systems are ever-present in our lives.

When Borealis first launched the CTPF, the fund focused on resourcing local models of police reform, such as procedural justice reforms at the legislative level. Soon, however, we realized that these measures were not enough to prevent violence and harm. What I heard very loud and clear from all of our grantee partners was, we have tried the procedural reforms and our folks are still dying, says Thomas, who recalls connecting with grantee partners and community leaders to tune into the needs of folks on the ground. As a result, the fund started to place a greater emphasis on expanding community services in order to help people who may be vulnerable and curb violence before it starts.

For example, shortly after Thomas joined the CTPF in 2019, one of our grantee partners, the African American Roundtable and their Liberate MKE coalition partners, fought successfully to redirect nearly $1 million from Milwaukee, Wisconsins police budget toward community-based programs. And in March 2020, the CTPF deepened our commitment to grassroots organizing efforts led by individuals most impacted by policing and those working to reallocate power and resources to communities while creating safety for all of us.

As grassroots organizations across the country made stronger demands for defunding the police, our fund was in the prime position to provide the foundational support to smaller, emergent groups, many of whom were advocating for their communities, and needing to connect with larger funders. Thats just what we did.

Shifting power and decision-making to the people

After many community conversations, the CTPF recognized that in addition to providing more organizational support to our grantee partners, it was time to restructure our model of giving to more directly center the communities we serve.

In 2021, we launched our first participatory grantmaking process to align our internal processes and practices with our mission and values of centering and shifting decision-making power to those most impacted by policing and carceral institutions. Our grantee partners selected committee members from across the country who have both direct experience with carceral violence as well as experience advocating against it alongside grassroots organizations. The committee worked together to review applications and select new grantee partners. Committee members brought their valuable perspectives to the grantmaking process, and in June 2022, the CTPF awarded $3.9 million in multi-year grants to 26 organizations.

We know that its not just about dollars its about relationships, reflects Thomas on the lessons learned from collaborating with committee members. We want to help build relationships that can get organizations and their communities more funding and support. We want to help our partners connect and strategize. Our approach to grantmaking is relational, not transactional.

Hopes for the future

Security, joy and the desire for true freedom for BIPOC folks are what drive us in this work. All people have a right to safety, and current systems and frameworks dont provide that. Its critical for philanthropy to help communities of color and grassroots organizers establish what safety looks like for them at a local level.

Looking ahead, the CTPF team hopes to expand our impact into other locales, continuing to support folks working to divest funds from policing and the carceral system and invest resources into BIPOC communities and organizations to expand local movements. Our fund is also making a push to integrate the values and practices of healing justice and disability justice in our work. Community safety impacts all of us which means that our work has to be inclusive and intersectional, says Thomas. And we have to be very intentional about how we are addressing the harm folks continue to experience and the healing necessary to move this work forward together.

As the country continues to grapple with racial injustice and reimagine what true public safety looks like, Borealis Philanthropy and the CTPF require continued support from funders to invest in grassroots organizing for the liberation, joy, safety and advancement of BIPOC communities.

Organizing is the center of power-building work and thats ultimately what we need to see societal shifts, Thomas says. This work is generational, so we have to fund it accordingly.

If youre interested in learning more about the Communities Transforming Policing Fund and how your organization can become a donor partner, visit borealisphilanthropy.org for additional information and resources.

Jeree Thomas serves as the Program Director for Borealis Philanthropys Communities Transforming Policing Fund, which she has been part of since 2019. Khadeaja Carroll is a writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

See more here:

What We Learned from Five Years of Funding Community Safety and Transforming Policing - Inside Philanthropy

PORTLAND, Ore.

PORTLAND, Ore., (July 27, 2022) Walsh Construction Co., a firm that values innovation, creativity, and collaboration, is proud to announce its partnership with Terwilliger Plaza, LRS Architects, and PAE on the design and construction of Parkview, an expansion to the current campus that will set a new standard for senior living. Upon completion, Parkview, an eleven-level, 370,000 square foot building offering 127 independent living apartment homes designed with modern Passive House principles, will contribute to Portland's distinction as a national leader in sustainable building practices. In late July, the skybridge will be erected and will eventually connect the Parkview expansion with the existing campus, which 350 people currently call home, while also creating an iconic gateway to the southern entrance to the city.

This skybridge, the first of its kind within a new city policy that allows bridges for senior living communities, will provide a cohesiveness to the Terwilliger community and a safe pedestrian connection for Terwilliger Members to cross SW 6th Avenue.

"Parkview at Terwilliger Plaza is an innovative and fascinating project, not only due to its Passive House Design, but also the groundbreaking skybridge," said Peter Houseknecht, LRS's lead architect on the project. "Crossing the busy SW 6th Avenue and Sheridan intersection could be dangerous. The skybridge's purpose is to provide Terwilliger Plaza Members an intentional and direct connection to the two campuses to support an engaged and inclusive community." The skybridge also provides expansive views of downtown Portland and grand views of the mountains to the north and east through the large double paned glass windows lining the entirety of the bridge.

The project, which broke ground in the Spring of 2021, and is scheduled for completion in 2023, is a transformative project for Terwilliger Plaza, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary as a stand-alone Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), also known as Life Plan Communities. This dedication to sustainability is a significant investment and aligns with the progressive ethos of the Terwilliger community. Governed by a Board of Directors led by a Member majority and engaging a representative self-governance leadership style, this commitment to sustainable building practices is Member supported.

As the largest Passive House building on the west coast and the largest senior living Passive House, the project sets a new innovative, all-electric, and energy efficient standard for high-rise communities. Relying on a tight building envelope, an array of rooftop solar panels, and superior air handling, each apartment in the community offers simple maintenance and operation along with exceptional thermal comfort and quiet interiors.

Our engineering analysis and design was bolstered by an integrated team that shared a vision for a unique senior living community, said Ruwan Jayaweera, Principal at PAE. By achieving Passive House goals, the project showcases how these principles balance cost, energy-efficiency, occupant comfort, and long-term carbon savings.

"Our involvement with the Parkview expansion and the community of people in which it serves aligns with our values to create buildings with enduring value, a dedication to sustainable practices, and building strong communities," stated Craig Leonnig, Senior Project Manager at Walsh Construction.

"The commitment to the future vision and forward momentum of Terwilliger Plaza by our community and Board of Directors is extraordinary," said Bob Johnson, President and CEO of Terwilliger Plaza. "The Parkview expansion and the iconic skybridge will be a point of pride for our community contributing to Portland's commitment to the environment and its senior population, challenging pre-conceived notions of senior living, and taking a leadership position in our industry. The collective expertise of LRS Architects, Walsh Construction, and PAE is an incredible team to lead Terwilliger Plaza into the future and long-term vitality of our community."

###

About Terwilliger PlazaTerwilliger Plaza, is a stand-alone non-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), also known as Life Plan Communities, established in 1962. Recognized for its representative self-governance leadership structure, Terwilliger Plaza, located in Portland, OR is comprised of Members who are volunteers, patrons, educators, and active participants in the city's vibrant culture of civic duty and personal responsibility. http://www.terwilligerplaza.com.

About LRS ArchitectsLRS Architects is a woman-owned architecture and interior design firm with offices in Portland and Bend, Oregon. Founded in 1976, the award-winning practice is driven by a passion for good design that goes beyond aesthetics to create vibrant communities and spaces that support the well-being of those who inhabit them. With 130 design professionals, the firm is committed to partnering collaboratively with clients to positively shape the human experience through the physical environment. The diversity of the firm's project experience provides a broad perspective and proven expertise in design, problem-solving, documentation, and project delivery methods. The firm's work, while centered in the Pacific Northwest, is found throughout the United States in over 30 states, as well as in China, Canada, and Nicaragua. Recognized with dozens of awards, the practice's work has been featured in hundreds of publications, including Architect, Fast Company, ENR, and Office Snapshots, among many others. lrsarchitects.com

About Walsh ConstructionFounded in 1961 by brothers Tom and Bob Walsh, Walsh Construction Co. (WALSH) is a Pacific Northwest general contractor headquartered in Portland, Oregon with offices in Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver, Washington. Working with organizations that make fundamental contributions to the community has always been at the heart of our business - we are committed to understanding and supporting our clients' missions. We are a Northwest leader in multi-family, senior living and affordable housing construction. WALSH's areas of expertise also include; mixed-use; student and market-rate housing; healthcare; hospitality; and education. We have an exceptional level of expertise in wood-framed buildings, as well as a broad spectrum of other construction types, including concrete, structural steel, mass timber (CLT) and modular construction. WALSH is committed to diversity within our own ranks, and with our business and trade partners. Internally, we build a culture of community and inclusion for our employees, one where they are empowered to demonstrate our company value of generosity by giving back to the broader community. We are passionate about building responsibly for a sustainable future and in the delivery of high-performance, green buildings. We place a high priority on creating healthy, durable and highly energy-efficient buildings, understanding that a building which uses less energy will reduce environmental impacts and operating costs. We are about the marathon, not the sprintwe understand that partnership and innovation takes time through investment in people and ideas. http://www.walshconstruction.com

About PAEEstablished 55 years ago and stretching across five offices on the West Coast, PAE provides services in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering, building performance analysis, lighting, and technology. We work with clients to design the nations highest performing and most regenerative built environments that keep people comfortable, healthy, and productive inside while restoring the natural world outside. Learn more at http://www.pae-engineers.com.

See the rest here:

Terwilliger Plaza, One of the Largest Passive House Certified Senior Living Buildings in the U.S., Set to Complete Iconic Skybridge in Downtown...

Life Deeds has provided intervention and prevention services to over 4,000 district youth and adults between the ages of 16-35 years old over the past decade

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Today, Life Deeds, a community-based initiative that serves high-risk youth and adults, announced its rebrand as it continues to affect positive change in lives across the District, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV).

Life Deeds, Inc. has created its own unique transformative mentoring program. Designed to instill values that facilitate independent living that consists of comprehensive assessments, co-creation of service plans that include the youth and their families; and incentive-based activities that are strength-based and constructive.

They have implemented support services and programs through collaboration with District service providers, area schools, libraries, and District agencies such as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), Department of Human Services (DHS), Department of Employment Services (DOES), and Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONES).

Key initiatives have included more intentional efforts to coalesce resources in underserved communities east of the river in the District. Our core competencies surround specializing in turning youth, and young adult lives around in the right direction. Having serviced returning citizens since our inception, we have a plethora of experiences through direct services and advocacy that have led to change in the lives of those most in need. The least, the last, and the lost is the population of youth and young adults that we have always aspired to serve. As a strength-based community-based provider, we are honored to have the opportunity to help identify sustained jobs, short and long-term housing options and equip participants in the DMV with the social skills to successfully navigate society.

As a community-based initiative that serves youth and adults throughout the DMV, we are honored to have the opportunity to help identify sustained jobs, short and long-term housing options and equip participants in the area with the social skills to successfully navigate society.

Life Deeds has provided workforce training and job placement for specialized youth and adult populations in the DMV since 2010. We have worked directly with employers to ensure that hard-to-place individuals are gainfully employed.

For more information on Life Deeds, you can visit our websitelifedeeds.org.

Media contact: Brian Van Hoven, [emailprotected]

SOURCE Life Deeds, Inc.

Continue reading here:

Life Deeds, Inc. Launches Rebrand Amidst Efforts to Assist Community with Housing, Employment, and Strength-Based Initiatives - PR Newswire