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Sharing Ideas December 2009

Grassroots Projects Started by Neighbors

Sharing Ideas is a panel presentation and discussion that showcases the grassroots efforts of neighbors throughout the Portland metro-area.  All of the projects are volunteer or non-profit driven, have a community benefit, and could be replicated in other neighborhoods.  Our hope is that these events inspire people to initiate similar projects in their own neighborhood.  Panelists share the spark that ignited their idea, the tools and strategies they used to turn it into action and their hopes and dreams for their project into the future.

December, 2009 Panelists

Boise Voices: Apricot Irving launched an oral history project where 3rd grade students interview neighborhood elders.  “It was really beautiful…where they really profoundly connected with each other,” shared Apricot.  Boise Voices has a website, a CD, and is being “used as a teaching tool in the third grade classroom coming up this spring.”

Sellwood Connection: Carol Placer posted an event at her house to bring people together and “after two meetings, I had a core group of people who actually wanted very much to develop a sense of community and connection.”  The number on common interest was “learning how to grown their own food.” Carol shared, “I think people are actually starved for connection. I think that is what we want more than anything else in the world.”

Buckman Community Composting Project: Nancy Oberschmidt got involved in a sustainability committee in her neighborhood.  She offered up space in her front yard for a new cooperative composting project.  “So we started this and the stuff is coming from everywhere. People come on bicycles and bring things by, people walk with it and dump it in,” said Nancy.  The compost is free to people who contribute.  “It’s been a lot of fun…I think we are more of a community.”

Café Au Play—Tabor Commons: Paul Leistner and Kristin Heying formed a partnership to transform a run-down building across from their neighborhood school.  “We had a number of community sessions to try and figure out what community members wanted there. They wanted some sort of community gathering space like a coffee shop.” Kristin wanted to create a space for parents to “develop support systems and exchange resources…to have a multigenerational community come together to give each other different kinds of support.”

We’ve Got Time to Help: Seth Ream and Michelle King started talking about the 1000’s of people that have been laid off from their jobs” and what would happen if all of those people could “volunteer their time for whatever their service, their specialty is, we can start helping our neighborhoods out.”  Michelle shared their guiding principle: “Every single person has a skill that can help somebody else.” 

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