capella- reflection

What did you believe it would be like before the event?  What do you think about the experience now? Do you think any of the thoughts or beliefs you brought into it affected your experience? If so, how?  What would you change about the event or how it was organized if you had to do it over?  

What did you learn about the neighborhood in which we are working?  What are some of the primary concerns of the residents and church members?  What do you think is important for the neighborhood?  For the residents?  What are some of the positive things about the neighborhood that you learned?  Negative?  In the future what additional community engagement aspects can be introduced to encourage more community input/feedback?

Before the event took place, I was under the impression that it would be unsuccessful after seeing the state that the boards were in. I was pretty sure people had made it clear that they didn't care about the project. However, it turned out to be successful, many people attended and there was a feeling of dedication to change, and the community. Many of the feelings I had initially brought to the event were that of ambivalence, that notion that if the community didn't care, why should I? But I was wrong, they do care, and I have to admit I was positively surprised. Even though I thought the event was done very well, I would have possibly made the board interface more lasting, maybe given the people something to take home with them. I also would have had more food. Additionally, I think we could have done a better job of advertising the event, maybe through avenues that are more direct, such as going door to door or approaching people at church, grocery etc. Even though some things could have been improved, the event made an impact, and that was our intention all along.
Observing that people were engaged and interested, my first impressions of the neighborhood were wrong. It is a working, some would say downtrodden, area dominated by the all powerful single family house, with a few apartment blocks mixed in. Many of the primary concerns expressed by the residents pertained to safety. Many people said that they had witnessed violence and crime regularly, and were concerned with the security of their families and loved ones. Another issue was the general state of the neighborhood as it hasn't seen consistent maintenance or upkeep. Establishing a sense of security in the community is paramount. If the residents don't feel safe, they will not be inclined to invest their time and money into an area that does not care for them in return. They have to feel like they are getting out what they put into it, as they are the people who are going to be living there permanently. Efforts should be made to make the community safe for children especially, as I saw many of them wandering around during the event. Deterring crime is easier said than done, however, and cannot be accomplished by a visual gentrification of the neighborhood alone. The people of mid city are open to change, they are ready to make they're community what it can be and are willing to cooperate. However, many people that live there simply don't care about the efforts of students and there is a general sense of contempt for outsiders among a few people. I think using mediums which people are already familiar with could encourage more input/feedback, such as internet sources or direct communication.