Post Tagged with: "community building"

Although community-building is hard work, there are many ideas that are both powerful and relatively easy to pull off. The potluck is one such example. All the organizer(s) usually have to do is sort out the venue and provide some basic infrastructure. Then everybody else contributes to make the magic happen. And the result can be the ultimate community ice-breaker. The potluck depicted above is at Milagro Allegro community garden [...]

Documentary filmmaker S. Leo Chiang discusses the role of community in a post disaster environment and his experience in filming his latest documentary; A Village Called Versailles. The film chronicles the Vietnamese communities struggle in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina had devastated their homes. Their story shows the strength and importance of community in the effort to rebuild after a disaster.   Download this episode (right click and save) Show [...]

Developing a consensus amongst neighborhood organizations is vital if they wish to succeed.  Professor and long time community organizer Jim Diers discusses his past work in the Seattle Office of Neighborhoods, the incentives of strong planning and how he’s bringing a back bone to the Democratic party. Download this episode (right click and save)Show Information Guest: Jim Diers, Professor, University of Washington Related Event: Santa Rosa Community Summit Related Organizations: Seattle [...]

Neighborhood organizers get a real energy boost when they come together. In fact, it’s essential to community work. That why, on Saturday August 14th, we at the NEN were so excited to be part of the 2010 Craigslist Foundation Bootcamp, an event that focused on capacity building within communities in the Bay Area and across the nation. The event united hundreds of activists, together with dozens of speakers, workshops, resources, and [...]

How can people care about neighborhood traffic calming or graffiti abatement if they’re still struggling financially? SF City Treasurer and upcoming Craigslist Boot Camp speaker José Cisneros talks with NENfm about his fight to stop citizens getting ripped off and the importance to our communities of financial empowerment. Episode Length: 29:04 Download this episode (right click and save) Show Information Guest: José Cisneros, Treasurer, City and County of San Francisco Related Event: Craigslist Foundation [...]

When community groups examine their neighborhoods for valuable resources, libraries and museums are often overlooked. But Marsha Semmel, Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services – and a speaker at the Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp on August 14th, explains to NENfm how local library/museum branches can be leveraged to start a new chapter in your neighborhood. Episode Length: 25:09 Download this episode (right click and save) Show Information Guest: [...]

On Saturday August 14th, fifteen-hundred people will get together to meet and learn from some of the country’s finest minds at the 2010 Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp. Craigslist Foundation CEO Lynn Luckow joins NENfm to explain more about the event and why community is the key at Boot Camp. Episode Length: 20:04 Download this episode (right click and save) Show Information Guest: Lynn Luckow, President and CEO, Craigslist Foundation Subject [...]

Noe Street, in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood near Duboce Park, is an example of a street that works for its residents and charms everyone who visits. Beautiful flora, pocket parks, slow traffic, and neighbors that care for the street’s little spaces; Noe Street shows what’s possible when residents are empowered to take care of their environment. Urban planning veteran Allan Jacobs should know: Forty years ago, he helped make the [...]

After months of story-telling from across San Francisco, the NEN Blog is really starting to flourish with lots of perspectives from grassroots community-builders from all over the city. If you’re feeling the itch to make a difference in your neighborhood, we hope that the NEN Blog inspires you into action. If you’re already out there on the warpath, perhaps the Blog will provide new ideas to spur you on to [...]

Those communities that successfully tackled crime, cleaned up trash, and got the neighbors talking – how did they do it? In this presentation, NEN Director Daniel Homsey outlines the stages through which most neighborhoods go on their journey to becoming active communities. Daniel ends with the secret ingredient that carries communities beyond single-issue flash campaigns to long term resilient neighborhoods. [Also viewable on Youtube here.]