One might say that my journey into community development began in 2013 but I'm pretty sure it began in 2006. In spring of 2006, I helped start the Avondale Youth Council which was started by Ozie Davis III who is now the Executive Director of Avondale Comprehensive Development Corp. He instilled in me the importance of returning home by saying things like "We need you. The neighborhood needs you." I went on to pursue other interests in Chemistry and later Business Analytics only to come full circle and end up exactly where my community wanted me to be.
2016I'm taking the world on! I have committed to sharing my yoga practice more and things have fallen into place since then. In March, I led two workshops on youth engagement at the 2016 Cincinnati Neighborhood Summit. I currently teach yoga twice a week at Hirsch Recreation Center for both youth and adults. I've even been told that I have "magic" mats!
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20152015 was the best year ever. VIBE was created, we ran a successful pilot summer program, and continued with programs during the school. I was a panelist at the 2015 Cincinnati Neighborhood Summit for a conversation on Urban Vibrancy. I got amazing work experience at LISC learning about the ins-and outs of community development. At the end of the year, I used what I learned from working at LISC about community plans and my experience working with youth on VIBE and I planned and directed the Inaugural West End Youth Summit. I was sent to the West End neighborhood to assist with their community vision plan and I noticed that most residents felt that they wanted to see more for the youth. I changed my assignment and decided to plan a summit that would engage youth and provide feedback to help guide their community vision.
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2013 |
It all began in the Spring semester of 2013. I had the opportunity to be a PACE Leader at the Lindner College of Business. I was in charge of leading 15 freshman business students on a service project called Project Impact in partnership with United Way. My team was partnered up with Gabriel's Place, a local non-profit located in Avondale that provides affordable and sustainable food for residents. Students assisted GP with marketing and were able to condense handouts into one easy-to-read one pager. We later attempted to conduct marketing research for their weekly market. A lightbulb went off! I was studying Economics and Business Analytics at the time and thought about how these tools could be used to help small organizations like Gabriel's Place to use limited resources more efficiently. I knew that organizations worked together so I would be able to make the larger community more efficient. THAT was my first encounter with what I grew to know as "community development."
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