dont forget the Ronald
Member
Traveling to Philadelphia to present the work we do here in Somerville to a national audience was Awesome!!
I feel much more energized an inspired after watching our Green Teamer's give a stellar performance and I'm proud that i could be apart of that. It was great to see our community join together to help our mission and it reinforces the impact that we are having here in Somerville. Thank you to all the supporters because we couldn't have made it without you.
Chelsea
Member
I am going to post my thoughts on the trip, too! Thanks again to ZipCar, Foundry on Elm, the City of Somerville, and ICMA for making this amazing opportunity possible.
Ron- we forgot to tell them that we got to take the teens to the Liberty Bell. It is a beautiful National Park site, and a very moving experience!
Another favorite non-conference moment was the opportunity to have a family dinner with folks from Groundwork trusts all over the country. It is great to meet dedicated people who are working hard to build strong, healthy, sustainable communities under the Groundwork banner!
Kev@Bflo
Member
Greetings, Groundwork Somerville!
Great job at the Brownfields Conference down in Philly. Impressive: all those experts on brownfield redevelopment from across the country, and it was Groundwork Somerville that was *THE* expert on organizing, mobilizing, and working with & on behalf of impacted communities. Everyone knows that remediation & redevelopment projects are much more effective when local communities are engaged and supportive. You guys showed how to get that job done in a fun and informative way. I learned a lot from your example.
It was especially inspiring to see the Green Team teens there, teaching professionals from all over the country all about the importance of working with impacted communities. They did such a great job.
There are so many challenges here in Buffalo, NY. But your panel presentation inspired me, made me more excited to get back to work, and helped me to see Buffalo's challenges as opportunities to work with people and try to make positive change.
Thanks for your work, and great job!
Jen Jalapeno
Member
Wow - I just need to add my own thoughts in here. We had such an amazing experience at the Brownfields conference in Philadelphia. It was absolutely empowering to be presenters at a national conference. But it was also more than that. Not only were we presenters, but we organized the entire panel. Our youth presenters, partnered with our adult presenters, were really a dynamo team, and demonstrated just how passionate, skilled, and empowered the employees of the Groundwork network are. The best part about presenting for me was watching as self-assured participants walked into our conference room and instantly became self-conscious as they realized they were walking into a living and breathing community meeting! They were taken out of the role of in-power developers, and transformed into the role of community members participating. It was magical and amazing to see the fear go away as they participated in our icebreaker, watched the historical skit, and then took part in small group breakout sessions. Thank you to the EPA for allowing us to present, ICMA for organizing, and our amazing sponsors, the City of Somerville, EPA, ICMA, Foundry on Elm, and ZipCar!
Congratulations to Groundwork Somerville for an amazing panel at Brownfields 2011!
What I loved about the Community Planning session was seeing practitioners from all over the country filling every single seat in that conference room. Everyone gathered there to hear about Groundwork Somerville's take on equitable redevelopment efforts that feature true community participation. Creating a space where everyone-- even those who are typically marginalized from planning and policy discussions and decisions that directly impact their quality of life-- can share their thoughts is one of the most valuable aspects of the Groundwork approach. I was so proud to see my colleagues and friends up there, leading a panel presentation that they themselves wrote, thought about, and rehearsed. Every single participant was engaged, even those who were listeners, and that is something typically unseen at the Brownfields conference (and I've attended 5 of those now). You all truly made an impact at the conference, in many ways.
That the conference room was filled to standing-room-only capacity tells me that the national brownfields conference needs more sessions like this one. Tangible, accessible, and honest dialogue about how to ensure planning and redevelopment engages everyone in a meaningful way is really important for all community development professionals to hear. On that front, I am hopeful that I'll be able to help guide a conversation with EPA and ICMA about how to make sure the Groundwork USA network of practitioners is at the table planning future conferences, particularly shaping the equitable redevelopment conversation. The conclusion of your session sparked a beginning to that conversation between myself and an EPA colleague; I know that I'll be referencing threads from this online discussion when that conversation continues.
Thanks for the opportunity to share!
You must log in to post.
