WELCOME: Mark Your Calendar

Welcome to the summer edition of The Pulse, an e-newsletter created to help keep you in touch with the heartbeat of community! Since our first issue in March 2009, we have been working like busy bees, hosting opportunities where people get to know one another and work together on ideas that benefit the community as a whole. We hope you will find these stories, reflections, photos, tips and ideas inspirational and useful.

Seeds we plant today will make a positive difference for tomorrow!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
Intercultural Community Gathering
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Overlook Park

INVITATION: Cultural Sharing Conversations

“All cultures share human needs that bind us together. Because we share a common world, we share a common destiny to recognize ourselves in all people.”

How does culture enrich our lives? What family traditions and cultural customs do you hold dear? Bring photographs, an object or stories about your family traditions, cultural backgrounds or way of life. Listen to and learn from one another as we tell our own stories. Pick one of the dates and locations below to attend:

Thursday, June 11th 2009
6:00pm-9:00pm
Portland Baha’i Center
8720 N Ivanhoe Street
Portland, OR 97203

OR

Thursday, June 18th 2009
6:00pm-9:00pm
Sellwood Community Center
1436 SE Spokane Street
Portland, OR 97202

Please call 503.546.7499 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to RSVP. Free light meal provided.

TIPS & TOOLS: Charting Response

At all Community Outreach events, we chart the responses of the group. The visual display of ideas provides a running record of the flow of the discussion, marks the progress of the group, and honors everyone’s contributions. When charting the words of the group, it is important to accurately reflect their meaning. Record a shortened version of what was shared; the facilitator can ask probing questions if clarification is needed to understand the meaning. Participant’s responses may be illustrated by a visual artist, if one is available. Below are some other tips to consider when charting responses:

• Place wall or flip charts where all group members can see them.
• Use dark-colored marking pens and alternate colors for visibility and appeal.
• Don’t stress about spelling!
• Print legibly in letters big enough to see from the back of the room.
• Put headers or labels at the top of each set of ideas.
• Number the pages so that you can keep them in order as you hang them.
• Ask the group to correct you if you write something down inaccurately.
• If necessary, rewrite charts during a break to organize or make them more useful for the group process.
• When charting responses from a group conversation or dialogue, do not attach individual’s names to the comments.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: Community Building Tool Packets

Community Outreach is a catalyst for community building. We share the tools and strategies that we have learned over the last seven years. We created the Tools for Community Building Packets in hopes that they will build capacity for groups working to make a positive difference in their own communities. We give away the packets as a free community resource. Take from these tools whatever works best for achieving your own neighborhood or community goals. We offer:

• Survey and Canvassing Tools: extending an inclusive invitation to neighbors to share their input, ideas, hopes, and dreams for their neighborhood
• History Storytelling: a social gathering to learn about the history of a neighborhood told by the people who have lived and worked in it
• We Rock Wall: a visual display of the interests and assets of a neighborhood or community
• Community Conversations: an opportunity for neighbors to come together, discover their common interests, and develop their ideas that benefit the community as a whole
• Neighborhood Celebration: one way of showcasing the strengths, talents, and resources within a neighborhood
• Neighborhood Ice Cream Social: a replicable model where neighborhood businesses sponsor a free ice cream social to say thank you to neighbors.

View and use any of the Community Building Tool Packets on our website. 

WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR: Supportive Neighbor Checklist

6. Swap seeds with a neighbor.
7. Set up a BBQ in your front yard.
8. Listen to an elder’s stories.
9. Start a neighborhood phone tree.
10. Bring freshly baked cookies to a neighbor.

This is an ongoing checklist of suggestions from neighbors. For the whole list, click here. If you have ideas to add to this checklist, send them to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

SHARING INSPIRATIONAL STORIES: "A Good Egg"
Egg Hunt

“I had the opportunity to help out at an Egg Hunt that my apartment complex hosts every year. This is a chance for kids to be kids and for families to have time to bond together. I was inspired to help out because of a little boy that lives in my apartment complex. I see him pretty much every day going to and coming home from school. I stopped to talk to him one day and he was so excited because his mother got a flyer from the apartment staff saying there was going to be an Egg Hunt this Sunday. He couldn’t wait for Sunday to come when he could get candy and play at the park.

I saw him again a few days later and he didn’t look so happy. I asked him why he looked so sad and he explained to me he would not be able to attend the Egg Hunt because his mother had to do something. That is when I decided to help out. I got permission from his mother to bring him to the Egg Hunt. For that instant, I felt that I did something good and was a positive influence in his life. I have thought about how I can continue to give back to the community that I live in. After the Egg Hunt, I started helping the little boy with his school work and playing games after school. I feel that I am doing a great thing by helping one kid realize his potential in the world.” - A Portland Neighbor

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Feedback from Working Together Workshop Participant

“Thank you so much for offering this free workshop. I think it really helps folks know that their dreams are tangible and there are other like minded folks out there willing to help make it happen. Very positive and definitely needed. Keep up the great work!”