Bayview community

Giovanna Galfione, one of the external expert and me

Last week we went to Eastern Shore of Virginia to visit Afro-American community in Bayview.  Virginia Organizing was working there at the beginning of 2000s.  Community had originally about 50 houses, many houses without running water, toilet. Unemployment was high, poverty and illiteracy huge.

Some of the houses have been falling apart and people lived there, they had no choice. Virginia Organizing and Cathy, their community organizer, were asked by university professor to help them organize in this community. The professor got money to build something that would be beneficial to the community but the community must define what it is.
VO organized a series of meetings and planning sessions, they managed to create a model community, as local people wish to have. They established a local group and later managed to build new houses, to rebuild an old house to be the new child center, they managed to build “a barn” as their community center, the laundry etc. Many people have moved from old to new houses.
Currently there are more than 80 houses, mostly new, and the worst old ones were demolished. Local people have started their own organization; they have elected committee to manage their future activities, such as management of several acres of land, where some people can grow vegetables and sell it in the community. So some people could get a job and others could get cheaper vegetables. When everything was built, the professor, Cathy and others left it to local leaders. Now, after years professor got additional money and they went back to the community. They found out that children's center is already two years without a roof, which burned after a lightning strike it and nobody even bothered cover the roof, the Board is not meeting, nothing was done in the last a couple of months, there are no plans, actions for the future and the field is barren and desolate.

Meetings

Associate Professor Maurice Cox and his presentation

Local leaders

We did one-to-one interviews with people very active in past to find out what they think about the situation. We have been told that everything was dropped when they failed to set up plan for future: what they want to do, who is responsible for different tasks, what is the timeframe for each task.

We also had 2-hour long joint meeting to agree what they can do. Professor had nice presentation, reflection on what and how was done in the past; Cathy told them about how wonderful they worked together just few years ago. They agreed on further tasks, a guy taking pictures will send them to all participants, everybody will tell their neighbors about meeting and will invite them for next meeting, young people should talk to young people and try to tighten them to the next meeting, ….easy tasks, but the professor wrote the names of people who promise something to check them later if they fulfill their promises.
Tasks distribution was not about what “should be done”, but what "I am going to do"

Eating after the meeting

Community center and barbecue

Eating was wonderful. Women prepared salads and cakes, men grilled outside
the hamburgers and hot dogs in 106 degrees heat, kids served cold drinks. We stayed at party for two hours and local leaders stayed much longer….

French toast

Ako je vidieť z mojich anglicky písaných blogov, moja angličtina má ďaleko do dokonalej. Po anglicky som začal hovoriť v roku 1996, keď som začal pracovať s Američanom. Takže viem hovoriť, čítať, komunikovať, ale gramatika je slabšia. A samozrejme nie všetky slovíčka a výrazy sú mi známe a jasné.

V sobotu večer sa spýtala Kristín (bývam u manželského páru Kristín a Joe), či si dáme na večeru „french toast“. Viem čo je „french“, viem čo je „toast“, ale čo je „french toast, tak to teda neviem. Pomyslel som OK, opekaný chlieb ako opekaný chlieb.  „Frech“ asi nejaká špecialita čo si Kristín priniesla z ročného pobytu vo Francúzku.  

Že či si dám toast z celozrnného chlebu alebo škoricového. Mam rád takéto otázky, keď neviem, čo má byť výsledok a ja sa mam rozhodnúť čo majú byť tie správne ingrediencie. Škoricový. Kristín si tiež vybrala škoricový, Joe celozrnný.

„Urobím k tomu aj vegiburger“ (placka podobná hamburgeru, ale vyrobená zo zeleniny), dodala Kristín.  Škoricový chlieb a vegiburger?!?! Toto bol prvý menší kultúrny šok toho večera.

O chvíľu v miske rozmiešala vajíčka a začala v tom namáčať chlieb a opekať. Normálny chlieb vo vajíčku a že „french toast“ – ale ta hrôza, že to robí zo škoricového chlebu, v podstate z vianočky alebo niečoho podobného.  Druhy kultúrny šok večera.

Keďže toto nie je môj prvý pobyt v USA a Američanov poznám už dlhšiu dobu, tak si hovorím fajn, ten chlieb aj tak nebude cítiť vo vajíčku plus vegiburger, tak z toho bude večera na slano.

Sadáme si k stolu, každý máme par kúskov „french toast“ , pár kúskov vegiburgerov, domácim nalievam vodu, ja si dávam pomarančový džús. Dobrú chuť.

Tretí kultúrny šok večera – domáci si na tie ich chlebíky vo vajíčku dávajú sladký javorový sirup! ...tak si to dám aj ja, ale nevydržím a hovorím im o mojich kultúrnych šokoch z večere, keď miešajú sladké a slané. Joe a Kristín sa len usmejú a povedia, že počas ich ročného pobytu v Maďarsku si všimli, že my Stredoeurópania sme upätí v pravidlách čo a ako jesť.

Potom sa Joe začal usmievať a povedal, že oni pijú pomarančový džús len pri raňajkách a nikdy nie pri večeri. Takže aj oni mali jeden menší kultúrny šok.

White House Forum

Once again with great support and help of my American teacher and wonderful companion for long car rides – Dave Beckwith, I was invited to White House Forum on First Suburbs, Sustainability, Inclusion and Economic Growth.

“At this event, organized by Building One America, prominent members of the administration –

such as Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood and Counselor to the President Pete Rouse – joined with national experts, local elected officials and other leaders from 22 metropolitan regions in the United States for a half day forum.

The purpose of the meeting was to identify the strengths and assets as well as the significant social and fiscal pressures facing older suburbs and small towns across the country – including diminishing tax bases, escalating property taxes, declining school and municipal services, and deteriorating infrastructure. The forum focused on how the federal government’s housing, urban development, education, environmental, and transportation agencies can target our limited tax dollars to stabilize these vital but at risk communities”. So, Big event.

Myself with Dave Beckwith and Cris Doby

I already visited White House twice through official White House Tours, so all security measures did not surprised me. I send organizers all date they needed time ahead, we came to White House hour prior scheduled beginning of Forum. We passed security control and took a couple of pictures. When we entered building, my American friends received green tag, I received pink one…and I had to let them go and stay wait for “escort”.  What they mean? Heavily armed policemen? Special agents with a weapon discreetly concealed under the jacket? May I look around or should I keep my eyes down? They will stay with me all the time? Even at restroom?

When I worked I Chechnya after Russian – Chechen wars I had bodyguard, so I learned to be accompanied by armed person, but I was his boss. But those tough guys at WH are probably more strict, without sense of fun and I have to follow all they orders.

Ten minutes of waiting and then uniformed policeman said “hey, they are coming” ...so they are coming….. Young, smiling, nice lady appeared. “Hi, welcome. I am ...(I forgot her name), I will show you way to meeting room.” And she went with me to the meeting room and then she left.

Without escort I was free to enjoy be in building where important decisions are made, thinking how many walls is between me and president Obama, how many of people I met on corridor actually met president, how it should be to work in Administration, and what will my mom say to her friends about my White House visit.    

Slovak man in US

In last two years European Community Organizing Network (ECON) and Central and Eastern Europe Citizens Network (CEE CN) brought a couple of community organizers from US to do trainings and consultation in CEE region for citizen’s engagement / citizen’s participation groups.

http://econdave.blogspot.com/

One of US trainers and consultants – Joe Szakos from Virginia Organizing offered to host Europeans in his organization to learn more about community organizing, leadership development, capacity building, building of network, campaign and strategy planning…

At the beginning of May I put together e-mail with some ideas what I want to learn, how I can use learned back in Europe…few weeks of waiting …..and finally July 2^nd I arrived to US.

First days have been full of tastes of America. American breakfast, American lunch, American dinner…. and spirits of America - Independence Day party with reading from Independence Declaration, party games like “horseshoes“ , baseball game in Lansing with “baseball meal” – hot dogs, coke, chips.

To have a flag on house in Slovakia is a sigh of strong nationalism, but see our flag on house in US was nice  

I should not eat salty chips, but I loved those big party packages

Independence Day is really big deal for Americans. Going home from baseball game I have seen people sitting outside in parks, on streets, in front of their houses to enjoyed fireworks together with neighbors. White people, Afro-Americans, people with Asia background, all together. One America.

Weekend and Independence Day is over, time to start my internship. I will stay till end of the September in organization call Virginia Organizing based in Charlottesville, Virginia. City with 42 000 inhabitants located in the middle of Virginia with nice landscape around. City has lovely, tiny downtown Main Street, with cafes and restaurants.      

Virginia Organizing is a statewide non-partisan organization that encourages people to learn democratic skills and become active in their community. I would like to use opportunity being with them for a couple of months to explore various methods of community organizing that should enhance my work with European Community Organizing Network when I return to Slovakia. 

I will be shadowing community organizers on Virginia Organizing staff, attending community meetings and workshops, visiting other organizations.

While I am in Charlottesville, I am staying with wonderful Szakos family. Joe with his wife Kristin and two daughters stayed in mid 90´ in Hungary so they know “our” European culture, central European society and plus we have a couple of mutual friends.

Tréning komunitného organizovania

Pred rokom som sprevádzal viac ako týždeň po Poľsku chlapíka menom Dave Beckwith s jeho manželkou. Dave pricestoval do Európy na pozvanie European Community Organizing Network (ECON), neformálnej siete komunitných organizácii z asi 10 európskych krajín. Dohodli sme sa, že Dave urobí poldňový seminár aj vo Zvolene, odkiaľ sme potom cestovali do Katowic, kde sme sa stretli s aktvistom miestnej "watchdog" organizácie - organizácia, ktorá sa snaží presadiť väčšiu transparentnosť miestnej samosprávy. Grzegorz nám nielen predstavil svoju organizáciu, ale zobral nás aj do štvrte, kam sa väčšina návštevníkov Katowic asi nedostane, do Nikiszowca. Nikoszowiec je robotnícka štvrť, malé mestečko, postavené pre baníkov začiatkom 2o. storočia. A stále tak vyzerá.

Minulý rok sme v Poľsku stihli urobiť ešte 2-dňové tréningy vo Varšave, Štetíne a Szklarzkej Porebe, malom mestečku na rozhraní Jizerských hôr a Krkonoš. Väčšinu tréningu robil Dave, ja som väčšinou uvádzal európske príklady k jeho americkej teórii a americkým príkladom. 

Dave sa stal veľkým podporovateľom toho, o čo sa ako ECON snažíme dosiahnuť. Aj preto prijal naše pozvanie, aby aj tento rok prišiel do Štetína a viedol medzinárodný tréning pre komunitných organizátorov z 9 krajín. Dave súhlasil, ale mal podmienku. Musím byť jeho spolu-tréner. Zaskočený a poctený som súhlasil. Nejdem opisovať obsah jednotlivých časti tréningu, ani niektoré zaujímavé techniky, ktoré boli zaujímavé pre účastníkov.  

Asi 2/3 jednotlivých blokov tréningu bolo "doing"  a tretina "reflection". Keď začala "reflection" časť, účastníci sa museli otočiť o 180° na druhu stranu miestnosti, aby si aj takýmto spôsobom uvedomili, že po každej akcii, aktivite, je potrebné nájsť si čas a dostatok času na zhodnotenie - čo bolo dobré, čo by mohlo byť lepšie, ako využiť to čo vidíme, počujeme v našej práci. 

Prvé bloky, prvé reflexie boli rozpačité, ale ako tréning pokračoval, mali sme viac a viac problém ukončiť "reflection" v stanovenom čase a urobiť si prestávku. 

Dave je perfektný tréner a spoločník.