Lively, passionate, and engaged conversation

On Wednesday, January 21, the Jubilee Center held a community meeting for residents living in North Denver to discuss our past year of Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) work and to pose some reflecting questions to them about their own contributions to the neighborhood. Although we ended up meeting on a very snowy, cold night, about 40 community members joined in on the meal provided by Rosa Linda’s and Patsy’s Inn and the following conversation. We measure our success on this meeting by the lively, passionate, and engaged conversation that was generated and self-sustained by the people in attendance. Once we began sharing our story about our experience working on this project and being members of North Denver, others began sharing their thoughts and feelings about their time in North Denver too. As we have found time and again with this endeavor, simply asking questions about people’s experiences, hopes, and passions is a transformative process. The person who asked the question begins to see something they may have never thought of before, while the person answering can take a critical, but positive look at their life and the circumstances around them.

There was much preparation for this event by everyone in our office. We worked together to advertise the event, continue making connections in the community, complete catering orders, and put together the presentation. Every moment of our presentation did not go as planned; rather something better happened. The energy of the people in the meeting took over to create conversation on topics such as gentrification, making connections with new neighbors, appreciating arts and cultures of others, and finding ways to articulate thoughts and feelings. With the exceedingly fast array of changes in the neighborhood (architecturally, socio-economically, culturally, etc.), many residents are finding it hard to keep up with what’s happening with neighbors on their own streets. This meeting was said to be a strong first step for identifying some of the challenges facing all the people of North Denver right now, but also for showing all the strengths and resources that North Denver has had in the past and will continue to build on for generations to come.

Our next step in ABCD:

Through our ABCD work, we determined this community meeting was something residents desperately desired so they would have a welcoming venue for people to discuss their experiences in North Denver in a larger group setting. As mentioned in the meeting, it was the first step in creating new community connections and developing self-empowerment. One of our hoped for outcomes for the ABCD project is to learn how the Jubilee Center can be a better neighborhood and service provider to residents in the neighborhood. One way we hope to do this is by continuing positive, thoughtful community discussions. As of the end of January we will begin writing our final report of our ABCD work. We will always be listening to the voices in the neighborhood and do our best to contribute to the community as a respectful and caring neighbor.

Thank you to Rosa Linda’s, Patsy’s Inn, Menchie’s, and Rosales Bakery for contributing a delicious and hearty meal.

Thank you to Our Merciful Savior for hosting us in the church basement.

Thank you to Lelanda Lee for helping facilitate the conversation.

And thank you to everyone who attended the meeting and have supported the ABCD project.

Curiosity and judgement cannot live together in the same space

This past weekend the Jubilee Center presented at the 127th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado on Asset Based Community Development. The presentation was a way to share our story of implementing ABCD work in a community, including first steps, asset mapping, and continuing conversations. We met people from Episcopal churches across Colorado that were looking to begin community building initiatives in their church or out in their neighborhoods.

The Jubilee Center used this workshop as a way to begin organizing our own thoughts about ABCD and the work we have done. As a pilot project, we are responsible for completing a "how-to" manual to share our processes, including how we structured our project and what worked well for us in our neighborhood, which is in a state of constant change. The workshop had three different sections: an overview of ABCD, an appreciative inquiry exercise that led into preliminary asset mapping, and a description of how we are using ABCD in North Denver.

Attendees were active participants by conducting "one-to-one" interviews with partners to discover gifts and assets in their stories. They shared answers to one of the following questions: What is something you did to prepare to come to Convention? or What is something you left behind when you came to Convention? Participants observed that it was easy to begin connecting right away with their partners and found that their conversations began to delve deeper into more than simply answering the question. This allowed attendees to start thinking of the gifts both they and their partners have. Then participants began the mapping process of their gifts. This was an individual exercise in which attendees wrote their individuals gifts, associations they belong to, and institutions they are part of in their communities. They also wrote what they are most excited about for convention, which goes on what Aspen (our ABCD intern) calls the themes board, which helps to organize people by their passions and interests.

The attendees gave great responses to the mapping exercise and had many questions on how it works and how to implement it for themselves. We were very excited about their interest in the project and how we can continue to share our own story.

If you are interested in seeing our presentation slides or learning more about how we're using ABCD in North Denver, please contact the 32nd Avenue Jubilee Center at aspen.matthews@jubilee32.org.

We are North Denver!

by Guest Blogger Lelanda Lee

In the first week of May, North Denver residents were confronted by at least 20 signs posted on white paper on utility posts that spewed racist messages against Hispanics. [See ABC 7 news story here.] The neighborhood quickly responded with a Twitter campaign (#WeAreNorthDenver and #SomosNorthDenver) that also appeared in other social media such as Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/wearenorthdenver), Instagram, and a new Website (wearenorthdenver.com).

What is heartening is how residents, workers, and business owners in North Denver are standing up for our diverse neighborhood and counting the many blessings of our diversity. Our Hispanic, Italian, and other cultural roots go deep, and North Denver is an exciting, interesting, and caring place in which to live and work, because we reflect acceptance, shared community values, and innovation.

Here at the Jubilee Center, our mission is to break the cycle of poverty for those who have been marginalized by the changing demographics and economic face of North Denver. Change is always hardest on those at the bottom of the economic ladder, who are one paycheck or one illness away from food insecurity, a shortage of funds to pay their rent or mortgage, and homelessness. The 2006-2009 recession is one from which many families have not recovered. Our new North Denver businesses are adding some jobs, but we don’t know how many other jobs have been priced out of the neighborhood by rising rents and real estate prices.

If you walk around the neighborhood these days, you will notice many signs of the changing face of North Denver. I spent an afternoon this week on Central Street near the 20th Street pedestrian bridge, drinking coffee in the breezy sunlit afternoon, listening to the white noise of the I-25 traffic below my view and gazing at the downtown high rise Denver skyline behind the nearer LoDo lofts and businesses on the south side of the interstate. I was surrounded on every side by new apartment and loft dwellings, with amenities like lanais and small landscaped areas for residents to be outdoors. The age ranges of most of the people I saw were mid-twenties to late-forties with a few outliers, many with dogs and toddlers in strollers.

I had many questions, which I didn’t have a chance to ask, like asking the employees of the cafes and restaurants if they lived in the area and if they could afford to live in the area. The parking signs typically allow a 2-hour parking period during the hours that stretch from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM, and I wondered about where the residents parked their vehicles. I saw several city buses pass by, and I wondered if they offer enough convenience to wean residents and workers away from their vehicles. Being “on-the-ground,” so to speak, in the neighborhood, made me want to learn more from the local residents and workers about their individual stories, because #WeAreNorthDenver definitely has a story to tell. I think the Jubilee Center, and especially our ABCD (asset-based community development) project, can be part of that storytelling.

Guest blogger Lelanda Lee serves on the board of directors of the 32nd Avenue Jubilee Center and blogs at whatacupoftea.blogspot.com.

Unexpected Places

A couple of weeks ago, as we were driving around the Northwest Denver area, we noticed a very large, Victorian style home. Unsure of what it was, we got out one of our fancy, folded-with-love flyers and walked up to the home. Colorado is warming up for the summer, giving us beautiful, sunny days that are just perfect for sitting on a porch. When we walked up to the home, a few older gentlemen were sitting outside and told us that it was a home for veterans, called Heather Grove.

This home was an exciting find as we work to capture the entire picture of NW Denver and the people who make this place home. This past Thursday we got another gorgeous spring day that's just perfect for some front porch sitting and we went to talk to the gentlemen that reside in this beautiful home. We brought donuts to share and spent the afternoon listening to gossip, things the men enjoy doing, and little snapshots of their lives.

Asset Based Community Development Update

Last November, the 32nd Avenue Jubilee Center received a grant from the National Episcopal Church to complete a project called Asset Based Community Development.

Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) sounds complicated, but in practice, it's a simple technique to bring people together. We are using ABCD by identifying what is working well in the neighborhood we serve, Northwest Denver, as it rapidly changes. We hope to strengthen the current community as it goes through periods of transition, connect community leaders, and reflect on our own programs and services.

What was the first step?

For the past three months, our two interns Joe and Aspen have been interviewing residents of the community to understand the neighborhood: its rich history, the people who live and work here, and what lies in its future. They first interviewed board members and through connections, shared contacts, and simply "hitting the pavement", met with more than 20 individuals to discuss their strengths, associations in the community, and experience with NW Denver. We have been working diligently to connect with people from all walks of life, as the North Side is historically, and currently a great fusion of individuals and cultures.

Where do we go from here?

Joe and Aspen plan to continue individual interviews for the next month. If you are interested in being interviewed or know of someone that would be willing to share their story please email us to set up a time for conversation. Once we have completed the initial interviews, we will connect those that share the same interests, hopes, and passions to further the identification of assets within the community.

What happens if you've already been interviewed?

YOU have been an incredible launching pad to our process and we are so appreciative of your continued support in the project. We will continue to stay in touch with you as we identify common themes about what's happening in the neighborhood. You can always donate to or volunteer at the Jubilee Center and we encourage you to keep having dialogues about your experiences within your neighborhood.