First step to learning your community: Joining the Community Board
About Three years ago, my mentor asked: what is it that you want to do?
I replied: "I want to be apart of the decision making body which decides how the community looks. Do we get another liquor store, pharmacy or another checkers?"
Well, you should go to your community board meetings and consider joining. Each neighborhood in NYC is divide into one of the 59 Community Boards. The Community Board is the first decision making body where residents learn about new development in the community. The squeaky, wheel gets the most oil."
"what do you mean?, I asked
Their will be a variety of presenters at the board. Don't be afraid to network. Talk to people and get the most out of it. What you ask for, you will get. More importantly, listen, learn and share that information with others. They will support you when you want to promote new changes or stop toxic development.
I found it very empowering to attend the committee meetings. Separated by topic: Youth, health, parks, housing, law enforcement, transportation and more. Each meeting hearing the plans, listening to the debates - I was CHARGED.The following year, when the opportunity came I joined.
"Well, how do you like the community board?"
"It takes more work than attend the meeting. Something is missing."
One thing, that I decided earlier on was that I never wanted to say I was on the board for 10, 15 years and have no good to show of my time there. I see the presents but why does my neighborhood still lack resources? What is good development? I wonder how different community board leaders feel about the changes in our community.
I replied: "I want to be apart of the decision making body which decides how the community looks. Do we get another liquor store, pharmacy or another checkers?"
Well, you should go to your community board meetings and consider joining. Each neighborhood in NYC is divide into one of the 59 Community Boards. The Community Board is the first decision making body where residents learn about new development in the community. The squeaky, wheel gets the most oil."
"what do you mean?, I asked
Their will be a variety of presenters at the board. Don't be afraid to network. Talk to people and get the most out of it. What you ask for, you will get. More importantly, listen, learn and share that information with others. They will support you when you want to promote new changes or stop toxic development.
I found it very empowering to attend the committee meetings. Separated by topic: Youth, health, parks, housing, law enforcement, transportation and more. Each meeting hearing the plans, listening to the debates - I was CHARGED.The following year, when the opportunity came I joined.
"Well, how do you like the community board?"
"It takes more work than attend the meeting. Something is missing."
One thing, that I decided earlier on was that I never wanted to say I was on the board for 10, 15 years and have no good to show of my time there. I see the presents but why does my neighborhood still lack resources? What is good development? I wonder how different community board leaders feel about the changes in our community.
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