I pulled out my old vest and got mistaken for a scout! July 22nd was the first ever Bridge to the Future event hosted by Girl Scouts Great Rivers Council, formerly Great Rivers Council(I'm telling my age). This particular even was really special because current Scouts "bridged" to the next level in scouting on the Purple People bridge that connects Cincinnati to Newport, Kentucky. I got an email earlier in the year asking for any Girl Scout alumnae to come out and help the girls bridge by pinning them. I was all over it and so was my mom who was sort of my.. mom-ager when I was younger. Earlier during the week, my mom asked me if I had registered and I hadn't because I wasn't sure if I would be in town or not. Two days before the event, I searched my email and the council website for directions to sign up and ended up leaving a voicemail late at night with my contact information. I got a call back from council the next day and it was confirmed that I'd be attending. Yay! Fast forward to the morning of the bridging event and it was sort of difficult to get out of bed. I wanted a little more sleep and my friend had a going away party the night before. I thought to myself "there's next year" and "they'll have plenty of people, they won't miss me. After all, I did register late," But another voice took over and told me that it was my duty to show up for the scouts who would be bridging. I knew that there were going to be a few young Black girls who would be amongst the crowd and I wanted to be that figure to show them that 1) Black girls love Scouts and 2) Black girls go FAR in Scouts! I grabbed my vest, cute green shorts, my white shirt, and headed out the door to welcome girls to the next level. I arrived on the Newport side of the bridge, looked for the sign-in table and saw familiar faces that I've know for nearly 15 years! It felt great. It was really hot outside and it was only 9am but I was so excited. I was directed to the front of the line with the other alumnae and it wasn't as large of a group as I expected. There were maybe 12 of us, two of us younger, and I was the only woman of color. It was something I've been used to and gave me a bit more pride. While standing in line, I began talking with other women about scouts and how awesome this event was. I met a older woman( mid-50s)who is a Occupational Therapist and said that she not only became interested in OC because of Scouts but she got her job because of Scouts. During her time in the organization, she wanted to make the camp more accessible and she talked about helping to carry people because there weren't any ramps. That was the basis of her Gold Award project and set the trajectory of her career. Another woman next to me suggested that I go for the gold award. I was wearing my vest so I guess she might assume that I was a current Scout. I responded, "I earned my Gold Award 10 years ago!" She thought I said "two years ago" and said that she may have been on the committee when I got mine. I was flattered but I repeated myself and clarified and said "10 years ago. I got mine in 2007." We laughed it off and got ready for our walk. We were the first to move in the procession followed by Seniors, Cadettes, Junior, Brownies, and Daisy Scouts. We led the group onto the bridge and proceeded to recite the Law and Promise like old times. Walking to the center of the bridge, we took our places and were handed a bunch of pins on green ribbon to place around the girls' necks. Group by group, girls would come and we would shake each other's left hand, hold up our GS 3's, and I'd congratulate them while pinning. It was fun to see girls of all ages and backgrounds together.
One minute, we're repeating I am light. The next minute, we're addressing neighborhood blight.
In May of 2017, I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful group of 3rd and 4th graders at Hays-Porter School in the West End. The West End is a neighborhood that is near to my hear and it the same place where I held the 2015 youth summit that I organized. This opportunity came to me about a month before because the school has an afterschool program that continues enrichment activities for students throughout the early summer months. I was given two time slots for a total of three days over the course of two weeks. Plenty of time to take over the world! I proposed facilitating kids yoga and an activity that I called "Mindful Communities." I din't know that I would have the same group of students for each our but it worked out perfectly. I usually have a general plan but I leave room for change based on who arrives and what the group dynamic is like. Because I had the kids back-to-back, I was able to implement my Heal 'N Build Method. This method consists of me doing a yoga and or mindfulness activity first and follow it up with more off the mat yoga, service to the community. They loved the yoga and I know their language... MOANA! They eat up the soundtrack like candy and I tell stories with poses to go along with each song.
This spring, I had the pleasure of being a featured story teller for Cincy Stories and Cincy Storytellers Project. Cincy Stories is a local non-profit here in Cincinnati that creates community through storytelling events. Cincy Storytellers Project is run my the Cincinnati Enquirer and is a part of the US News network. Before the end of 2016, I got an email from Shawn asking if I'd be interested in telling a story.. but it couldn't be one of starting a business or a project.
Listen to the recordings here! Cincy Stories Cincy Storytellers
We often ask ourselves questions regarding our built environment that never go beyond the moment they come up during our walk down the street or car rides. “Why is that stop sign there?” Who tore down the basketball courts” “They could turn that building into a grocery store.” We ask these “questions” all the time but these “questions” continue to remain as mere thoughts that only exist in our subconscious and don’t really solicit an answer. Who “They” Is seeks to tap into people’s innate curiosity and empower them to become “they” or at least know how to access “they.” By capturing questions from citizens around Cincinnati, particularly youth, I will explore what it is people would like to know and want to change but most importantly begin to understand where and how they feel powerless. Each time we say “they,” we give up our own power and take accountability off of ourselves. We are mere consumers and we say that “they” did this and that, expect for “they” to do something, or suggest that “they” should do something. This is the United States, a country that is regarded as democratic and free yet people are still oppressed and hindered by this idea of “Us vs. Them.” By saying “they” we immediately give up our right to question power and authority and be and informed and engaged citizen. Ever since I became aware of it, I am now more conscious about the language I use and ask myself whether or not I know who they are. The questions we have about “they” and the built environment range in complexity from elementary like we should learn the answers in grade school to advanced where only someone in a corner in City Hall would know the answer. It is my hope that I could analyze these questions based on who asks them to make a case for civics education reform. During my time in the West End, I became aware of a term that was frequently used and was accompanied by a gesture. The term is called SLIME and stands for Simply Living In My Environment. This phrase is the epitome of citizen disempowerment. Let’s get our power back. Hey y'all, Talk to me. I'm about to start calling downtown "Down Tha Way" again. Just like the old days. It was like other kids at school had so much pride in being from Over-the-Rhine and West End. There was the hit song and dance and I would see "DTW" everywhere. Although this was a time where a lot of neighborhood children had pride in their places, it was also a time where folks would get beat up for repping one place over the other. I have questions: 1) Do youth and adults still have this much pride? (I'm sure my perception was different as an adolescent) 2) If not, is there a way to replicate this and eliminate the violence and or foster healthy competition? 3) ???Your questions??? I'm just gonna murk(sp) out and do the Down Da Way. Enjoy the song! |
AuthorJasmine Humphries is a mid-twenties Cincinnati native trying to make sense of the world around her while taking action at the same time. Posts range from topics of wellness, finance, community development, design, policy, and things in-between. Archives
September 2017
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