Last Updated September 5, 2008Staff Blogs

hurricane awareness

Just like so many people along the East Coast, we're keeping an eye on the hurricane. We had planned a Neighborhood Bash for this Saturday, but are postponing it because of the weather. Our Bash is going to celebrate the different cultures in our neighborhood and have games and food and other activities in the site of our future park. Instead, we're all planning to stay inside tomorrow as the rain moves through!

June happenings

This June (coming in just a few short days) will be an exciting time in Boston. Our summer staff is heading in starting this weekend with the arrival of 2 program directors for our Summer Missions Program and ending a week later with the arrival of a dozen more staff! We're finalizing the preparations and details to welcome this group to Boston and gear up for the summer ahead.

transitions

Today was the first day that, as we walked to work, we were able to go without coats! The transition from winter to spring has finally come around, and we're in full planning mode for our summer programming. With the warmer weather, more people are out on our local streets, and it's fun to return to more active outdoor events. Yesterday Katie and the little kids were out in our future park playing with the parachute! We're excited for all the spring and summer will bring.

Missing Spring Break

I have to admit, I miss having a spring break! Although we thankfully still get a taste of spring break because over the weeks of March 10 and 17, we host about 75-80 college students for week-long trips. The groups have been busy moving furniture, going to different community-based organizations and volunteering with children & youth programs (including our own). Thanks to students from Calvin, Crichton, Georgia Southern, and Boston University!

Also, this past Saturday was busy, as everyone on our staff was engaged with different volunteers or groups- Katie and Paul with a church group, Liz with a local college team, me with Boston Trinity students and adults and adults from Park Street's Crosswalk, and the rest of our staff welcoming students from Georgia Southern. Stay tuned for pictures!

hanging out with teenagers

Today we took a trip to the Trust for Public Land downtown with our Park Patrol interns. We were able to learn about how TPL works, and the best ways for us to help fundraise for parks. We also met the staff and learned about their jobs in the organization. As we left, we toured the Holocaust Memorial and thought about the role of memorials in public space. Each youth wrote down a word on an index card to describe their experience at the memorial: Emotional, Amazing, Mind Capturing, Sad, Courageous. It was fun to have this experience and also to get to a part of the city we don't always go to with our kids.

quote on environmental justice

Park Patrol begins today. On the topic of environmental justice:

In response to mounting ecological crises, the United States is going through its most important economic transformation since the New Deal. Unfortunately, the vital process of change along more eco-friendly lines is moving ahead with practically zero participation from people of color...

First of all, too often we have said: “We are overwhelmed with violence, bad housing, failing schools, excessive incarceration, poor healthcare and joblessness. We can’t afford to worry about spotted owls, redwood trees and polar bears.” But Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath taught us that the coming ecological disasters will hit the poor first and worst. More of us are beginning to see that there can be no separation between our concern for vulnerable people and our concern for a vulnerable planet.

-Van Jones

Happy New Year!

We're all back at The Boston Project for the New Year! Catrina LaBrie, who was on this staff this summer, has also joined us. We're so excited to have her.

Also... Spackle. Sand. Sleep. These are the main activities I’ve been a part of since Tuesday. (I mean this in a good way!) We’ve been building an office at Global Ministries for our Service-Learning team. This involved building walls, spackling, sanding, priming and painting. I got to use a jigsaw.

We also at this opportune time have chosen to begin bathroom renovations at one of our community houses. We have a hot pink bathroom counter (it was already there) so we painted an ‘asparagus’ colored wall behind the counter as an accent. The rest of the room is beige/tan and we did the molding and door brown. We're almost done except for some touch up work.

Fun news- we’re hosting a Campus Crusade group today to (1) help us finish painting our new offices and (2) do surveys with throughout our neighborhood. The surveys are evangelistic tools and also get at the heart of what needs our neighbors might have. I am SO excited because it’s the outreach day for the students at their winter conference, and I was involved in Crusade in college.

PS: We were .2 inches away from setting an all-time record this year for most snow in December.

Simplicity, Part I

Liz posted earlier on simplicity, and I thought I would throw some thoughts in the mix as well since it is an unofficial theme for The Boston Project staff as we move into '08: Simplicity and Generosity.

I've been thinking more about simplicity because I agree with Liz- I think we can get caught up in the outward manifestation of simplicity, which has the potential to be dangerous. Richard Foster's book, Freedom of Simplicity talks about this idea. He said, "Simplicity is the most outward of all the spiritual disciplines, and hence the most susceptible to corruption. How could I be specific [in making simplicity practical] without being rigid? How could I call people from greed without introducing a new pharasaism?"

The reason I like this book is because it recognizes the importance of a simplicity that is an inward reality that can be seen in an outward lifestyle:

The outer expression of simplicity must flow from the inner resources. It is learning to walk in the Spirit that builds the life of purity, unity and grace. There is an inwardness that is central to our task; without it all is lost. We delude ourselves, however, if we think we can possess the inner reality of simplicity without its having a profound effect upon the way we live. The tension must be maintained.

Some practical tips from the book thus far (I'm still reading!) have been centered on the simplicity of holy obedience to God, simplicity in our speech, incorporating the discipline of silence and solitude in our lives, refusal to live beyond our means financially or emotionally (one example would be decreasing stress in our lives from overwork), and joyful giving that views God's provision to us as something that belongs not solely to us but also to our communities. More thoughts to follow as I finish reading!

Snapshot of Six Days

This holiday season has been a fun and busy time at The Boston Project. Something that I have enjoyed in this particular season is the variety of tasks that fill my day. Sometimes it’s hard to describe to people what I do, because I do a little bit of everything! I’d love to give you a glimpse into one week in my November:

Monday: Thankful Day. I learn that 10-12 year-olds are pretty good at helping set up a banquet-style meal, and that youth from Maine and youth from Dorchester can have a blast working side-by-side.
Tuesday: Graduation Day. I finish a class on best practices in urban youth work specifically geared towards Boston-area youth. We get diplomas!
Wednesday: Parks Day. Our Parks Action Team gets another step closer as we discuss what needs to happen to break ground for the new children’s park on our street.
Thursday/Friday: Grants Day. I research grants that match with the work of The Boston Project to help support our programs. I also meet with Amy Malkemes (another social worker, who happens to be Paul’s sister) who gives me feedback.
Saturday: Turkey Day. Whew! It’s been a full week. I lead a service day for church volunteers who help us put together and deliver overflowing Thanksgiving baskets to families who need them. My team of volunteers performs the invaluable job of ‘quality control’ on the out-going baskets!

Thanks for checking out a sample week in my life... I appreciate all your prayers and support.

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