Week 2: Creating Community Programming

For almost 50 years now Focus: HOPE has been working to provide “intelligent and practical action to overcome racism, poverty, and injustice,” which seems unrealistically broad. Focus: HOPE is actually quite large (it has its own campus!), but I work specifically in the HOPE Village Initiative, where the programming focuses on the area surrounding focus hope and making sure that 100% of its residents are “well-educated, economically self-sufficient, living in a safe and supportive community.”

I was hired to work on Focus: HOPE’s Cool Cities Park project, something that has barely been developed but that they want to eventually be huge. Cool Cities Park is a small community park that Focus: HOPE owns and has tried throughout the last ten years to “activate.” They’ll occasionally have a program there, but these programs are infrequent and the park remains locked most of the time, something the residents of the three surrounding apartment buildings (which includes seniors, residents who have recently aged out of foster care, and formerly homeless individuals) are very unhappy about. The staff at focus hope has never had enough time to really begin consistent programming there… until this summer. The plan is to have programming of all different types at the park throughout the summer on Thursdays and Fridays. I knew general plans for the park, but today I was able to meet with some community stakeholders and really begin to brainstorm some really cool opportunities. On the table are regular movie nights, vendor fairs for new entrepreneurs, and craft fairs for children and adults. I’m super excited to begin this programming and to see what it takes for a non-profit to begin a project this large and make it successful. Throughout the project, I will be documenting my process so that in the next couple of years Focus: HOPE can really continue building the program and make this park, as a stakeholder would say, “a destination park,” where people from the community and surrounding communities look forward to coming.

I was also recently put in charge of six little free libraries that will be placed throughout HOPE village, something I am really excited about since I worked at my town’s public library for about eight years. Two of these libraries are painted and will soon be placed in loving homes, and four more I will see through the decoration process before they are placed. I love the idea of these libraries because after the initial cost of the library they are so easy to maintain and so unique. They will spark conversations throughout the community and encourage the love of reading, things I am super excited to see happen. I hope that both the park and the libraries can give the community more opportunities to meet new people, grow as people and entrepreneurs, and have fun. Even more, I am glad to be a part of something that will hopefully have a long-lasting value in the community, something that focus hope can continue to improve after hearing from community members, and something that will provide a stronger sense of community for all of its residents.

Aside from work, my first week in Detroit has been really great! I am loving getting to explore Detroit with my cohort and see the mix of the more famous places and the communities I travel through. I especially love how many people are committed to helping Detroit with its comeback. Between the numerous community gardens, the non-profits focusing on everything from housing to education to heathy food access, and the sense of social justice understanding that so many seem to have, Detroit is an amazing place to be for someone who would like to eventually work permanently at a non-profit. I am excited to continue working throughout this summer at focus hope and to visit more sites through our group meetings and as a cohort.

-Lindsay