This past fall Kay Carvajal Moran’s afterschool class at Waite House studied graffiti and its effects. They experimented using a commercial anti-graffiti coating on different surfaces and how different graffiti removers worked. They also painted this graffiti-covered fire hydrant with paint provided by the City.
Two members of our Board are leaving as their terms end in 2023. Melanie Majors served 2 terms on our Board and also served as chair and treasurer. Michelle Benson served 1 term on the Board and was also involved when the Ventura Village Neighborhood Association began more than 20 years ago. We want to thank them for their service to the neighborhood and the City of Minneapolis.
Help develop strategies to solve problems facing our neighborhood.
At September 28th’s Ventura Village committee meetings, it was decided to hold more frequent working meetings to develop strategies to address problems facing the neighborhood.
We are meeting the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 1:30 pm in the 2nd floor conference room at the ICCM Life Center. Many people already have this time in their schedules because it was the scheduled time for Council Member Osman’s community office hours. ICCM has said that we could take over this time slot since Osman will not be having community office hours until December.
We hope to add additional evening meeting times for those who cannot attend daytime meetings.
In any event, it is not necessary to be present to participate and contribute ideas. Please submit your ideas via email to villageventura@gmail.com
Attached is a working draft that hopefully will help structure our discussions.
The meetings focus on developing strategies to solve problems and the initial focus is on problems dealing with crime.
On May 20th, 12 volunteers from Ventura Village planted and watered the 60+ flower pots on Franklin Avenue. All summer long they are colorful and growing along with the residents of Ventura Village.
Though the recent late-winter snowfalls in the Twin Cities might suggest otherwise, spring is right around the corner, which means garden season is almost here! At Hope Community Inc., the Food, Land, and Community (FLC) team has been busy preparing for the upcoming season and dreaming about various programming, events, and activities to host this season. The mission of the FLC program is to bring community members together to grow and cook nutritious food, learn about local food systems, celebrate culture and traditions related to food and land, and take action on opportunities for systems change.
New FLC program organizers Jeremey Paulson and Caroline Hall are eager to build community power through the garden spaces this season. Hailing from North Minneapolis, Jeremey brings years of experience in youth work and wellness spaces, and he recently co-founded Wellness on the Block (WOB), a grassroots organization tailored to BIPOC individuals and their inclusion within wellness practices. WOB provides accessible, safe, and welcoming spaces for BIPOC to heal and network with other wellness professionals via donation-based classes and expos. He also teaches regular dance classes at the Northside Artspace Lofts.
Caroline grew up in Indiana and moved to Minnesota for college, where she studied environmental studies and music. She has worked on several farms, including Unity Gardens in her hometown of South Bend, IN, where she first learned about the intersection of community health, environmental justice, and growing food. Caroline is passionate about building community power and advancing food justice through communal gardening and she’s excited to grow alongside Phillips community members this season. She recently got her beekeeping certificate and hopes to start her own hive soon!
Last week, the FLC team hosted our first event of the year, a garden interest meeting intended to gather community members interested in being involved in programming this year. We shared a delicious meal and heard from community members about crops they want to grow, skills they want to share, and events they’d like to take part in. We are currently planning to grow in our three garden spaces near Hope Community (611 E. Franklin Ave.), including an individual plot-based garden. If you’re interested in getting involved in the gardens or having your own plot, please contact flc@hope-community.org.
Article and pictures provided by: By the FLC team at Hope Community