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Workshop Report: Being A Better Neighbor

The Neighborhood Vision Task Force created an incredibly thorough report, and this workshop (the first of many), held on May 16 was an opportunity to gather with AHCC members and delve into the report more fully, and discuss ways for all of us to bring it to life. The following are the highlights of what came from the discussion.

Ways of being: How can we be that would invite more relationship with our neighbors

  • Relationship Led: The ultimate byproduct of this effort is deeper and more plentiful relationships with our neighbors and each other. There may be things we do, events we host, goals we accomplish, but in the end, the measuring stick is relationships
  • Extend Hospitality: Hospitality is about offering grace to a stranger. What would happen if we simply extended that kind of hospitality to a larger population of our neighborhood? What if we extended more invitations for the things we do already?
  • Community Catalysts: If we can bring people together to talk about what matters to each other, we are destined to discover that maybe we are not alone, or as different as we might assume. We also might begin to see our differences as treasure to learn from. In fact, this happened even in this workshop

Short-term actions to take:

  • Sunday Meal – Could we do a special edition Sunday meal where we invite a broader population of the neighborhood, and encourage people to stay and engage in conversation over a meal?
  • New Members – Could we host a workshop like this with new members, or member candidates to get them involved right away?

Exciting Ideas

  • Youth Scholars/Youth Choir
  • Connecting the energy of people within the staff and with what is happening
  • Environment – what can we do within our walls, and outside of our building e.g., build a pavilion/patio/gazebo to use our outdoor space as a place to gather
  • Worship in the park, break bread with people in the neighborhood
  • Using music to heal trauma
  • Offer technical/production internships
  • Community meals expansion
  • Employment networking/job fair
  • Build a laundromat the community can use, and potentially operate

Questions for the community

  • What is the relevance of assumed issues – e.g., gun violence, homelessness, hunger?
  • How can we deepen relationships with who we already know, work with in the community?