seniors - attempt #2

we went back to Broadus Senior Center on April 23 to talk with folks during their lunch.
they also had kareoke during that lunch -- it seems like it happens a few scheduled days a week and most of the folks I spoke with had no use for the kareoke, it was mostly one guy doing the singing and it was his set-up!    anyway the sound system was not very good, but loud.  Xanthia and Juliette and Sigrid and I went to work after a quick announcement that we wanted to talk with folks about Pacoima.  Initially we worked in teams of two-- JC & Sig at a table and me & X at another table, after awhile though X & I split up.  Maybe J & S did too, I don't know.

Sigrid had some ideas of questions for folks before we went in.


It was a crazy and intense hour in how some folks wanted to talk a lot and others kept wanting to introduce a bunch of other folks who had knowledge so it was a bit awkward to try to listen well to people one at a time. 

Afterward, we had to just sit down outside in the shade and decompress.  Sigrid had gotten stuck spending too much time with one unpleasant (to say the least) man who dominated her time with racist opinions and "facts" and lots of generally bad energy.  But we also met some cool people and started to get a better sense of the history of the Black community in Pacoima.

Here are Sigrid's questions-- which, as is often the case, you don't get to much of-- and some summary notes about some of the conversations Xanthia & I had/people we met.

here are some questions for the seniors...
when & why did you come to pacoima?
three changes that you have experienced living here?
what is one landmark or place that is indicative of pacoima?
what are some of the characteristics, landmarks, things--good and bad that people say about following neighboring communities?
  (for example Silver Lake is known for having lots of artist.)
  Arleta
  Lakeview Terrace
  Sylmar
  San Fernando
  Panorama City
  Mission Hills
what do you want to see in a play about pacoima?
2 stereotypes. 2 truths. about pacoima

Table #1
African-American woman whose name I did not get
•    Moved from Berkley to Los Angeles then Lake View Terrace
•    Not much to say about anyplace but LVT and not much to say about LVT really
Salvador
•    Works in Sylmar, Lives in Burbank
•    Shared his opinion that boxing is always popular in low-income communities because athletes can make a living at it w/o a lot of resources
•    Also has the plan about being cremated and ashes
Linda
•    Landmarks:  Hansen Dam
•    Glenoaks wasn’t paved
•    Van Nuys Blvd as late as the 50s had strawberries and corn fields
•    Victory Outreach Pentecostal church on Bradford, works to end gangs
•    A lot of churches
•    Classic car show
•    Games—pool and cards

Table #2
Shirley Eddigs
•    Lived in Pacoima since 1958, on border with San Fernando
•    Hansen Dam park, police on horseback
•    Star of Bethlehem Parade
•    Garden of Angels
•    Calvary Baptist
•    Many churches and they would schedule their events on different days so each could support/participate in the others’
Louise Moten
•    Lived in Pacoima since 1963
•    Lots of orange and lemon trees
•    3rd black family in neighborhood
•    Guardian Angel Catholic Church on Leighigh, my kids went to Fenton Ave. School
•    No yard sales now or selling food
•    5 kids, 15 grandkids and great grandkids
•    South side of Van Nuys was white, North side was black
•    William Marshall-TV actor
•    John Amos, good times
•    Olive View=Olive Trees
•    Good neighborhood place, people look out for each other, neighbors watch out for her, invite her to quinsiñeras

Neighborhood Council Meeting #2

Juliette and Sigrid and I attended the Pacoima Neighborhood Council Meeting on April 21 – 6:30 – 8pm in the Community Room at the Community Center. At the beginning of the meeting there were about 9 people on the council and 6 “stakeholders” in attendance in addition to us from Cornerstone.

Here’s the Pacoima Neighborhood Council: Elizabeth W, Rebecca L, Richard M, Edward J, Ruben Garcia (Pres.), Ms. Pringle, R Rubio, Rosetta S, Alana L. (vice pres was absent.)

The council did not have quorum and so could not vote on any new business. Instead they began with announcements and public comments, which usually happen at the end of the meeting. I was late to the meeting so I was surprised but happy when I walked in to find that Juliette was addressing the board about our project. The board asked a lot of questions and expressed full support (though not voted and official support) of our project. We shared our flyers and newsletters with everyone. We expressed our need for rehearsal and performance venue though no one had specific suggestions. We told them that we are seeking more people to talk with to help inform the story. A number of board members said they would do an interview with Sigrid. Others were excited to audition for the play. We talked longer about the project with the council than I ever imaged we would! One board member commented that the board chair seemed to be auditioning right now.

Here’s who else was there: Mrs. Long, Councilmember Long’s mother who attends every meeting; 2 people from Pacoima Beautiful to share an announcement and invitation to an Earth Day event; Elena and Martin Lopez, who were present to get appointed and formally join the council; two newly elected council people—Grizelda O and Reggie K who is our contact person at United Methodist Church.

After the long discussion about Cornerstone’s community play and the Earth Day Event announcement, the council went through a complicated procedures to instate the 2 elected and 2 appointed new board members, and to elect new council positions of president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. There were two candidates for president and each got 5 votes so the outgoing president had to make the decision! Very exciting. He made his choice was based on meeting presence over the past year and the losing candidate was elected vice president. Ed Johnson is new President. Rosy is now Vice President. Grizelda is Treasurer. Robert is Secretary.

Another exciting element of this meeting was what was happening outside! In the courtyard a women’s dance for exercise class was going on but it sounded like raucous teenagers. Totally rockin and joyful and loud. Sig and Juliette met some of them & exchanged information. And on the other side of the community room a crowd was gathering for an NA meeting which swooped into the space as soon as the council meeting ended, and that was a really eclectic crowd!

Meetings are 3rd Wednesday of each month. Next one is May 16.

--pd

ESL Class Story Circle #1

Sigrid and I had a story circle of sorts with an adult ESL class at Pacoima Skills Center. The teacher, Arlene Simmons, met us at the community center "fair" last month. She contacted me again and we arranged to spend two class periods with her advanced ESL class. The school, at the Skills Center, is part of LAUSD's Adult Education program.

We joined the class at 6:30 and stayed until 9p. There were 33 people in the class! And the room was full of lots of tables and chairs and not really made for any on-our-feet activities. But the students and Arlene were all very warm and receptive to us. As is usual, we threw out a bunch of our plan over the course of our time there, but that was fine.

We introduced our company and our project and ourselves and our goals for the evening. The goals were for us to learn from them about their lives and viewpoints in this community and to open up some creative ideas for them to explore with us next Monday in a second visit and with Arlene in future classes.

We spent about 15-20 minutes on a series of I-Statements. I had planned it then axed it from the curriculum but brought it along just in case. The list was a little unfocused but it was a great exercise for getting us started. We didn't get to the conversation questions.

We did a check-in around the room-- basic introductions. This was great for us -- and the students were all very patient with each other-- to at least hear names and get a tiny sense of people. People referred to how long they'd been here and sometimes it meant taking ESL classes at the Skills Center and sometimes it meant in this country. A lot of the students have jobs. Everyone is working to improve their English to advance the quality and experience of their life with better work opportunities and for some, to teach their kids English, too.

We did 3 rounds of Cultural Mapping. We worked on writing 5 Senses. I was very glad to have realized that this was a great occasion to use a fill in the blank worksheet for this. Everyone began writing and it took them longer than it does with many groups. But they were really working on it and not only struggling with vocabulary and such. It was also fascinating how different people interpreted the 5 senses and how they translated ideas into English. There are many poets in the class.

Everyone in the class was very generous in how they listened and responded to each other, often helping each other out with translating certain words or ideas. A lot of people shared what they wrote. Sigrid has their written work.

We did a one-word (not) check-out. I gave them the homework assignment of thinking about the 5 senses experience of Pacoima over the next week: look around and notice what stories are happening all around them. And to think of a Pacoima song or music style.

Next Monday we'll spend one more class period with them and it will include some performative exercise, even in the cramped room.

The students all seem very willing to jump into things. I think some of them are interested in the play and maybe auditioning. Also, we are visiting them while they are in a period of working Financial language, ideas and vocabulary. Which might add to their extra creative energy.

In any case, they were very appreciative of the class and what we did together. My favorite check out was one guy who said, "I am happy," (a common check-out choice for this group along with "comfortable") "but I am also thinking about Pacoima a lot. There is a lot to think about."

The very enthusiastic 17 yr old boy-- miguel lopez, 11 months in United States-- is part of the Unusual Suspects project I am going to see tomorrow night at SFHS.

--pd

Seniors try #1...

Hey Ladies,

So seniors attempt # 1 was a bit of a bust.

Treva and I had agreed that I'd call her the day before to confirm us coming to talk during lunch and I called her yesterday and left a message.

She never called me back (and has never actually called me at all...) so I figured we had a 70/30 chance of stopping by and having it be totally cool.

Sigrid and I arrived at 11 and Treva was there, and told us that it wasn't a good day for us to talk to the seniors- her daughters are sick and she was leaving early, and that Monday would be a much better day.

So we booked Monday April 26th at 11:00am. It's official, it is on the front desk's calendar, and will actually happen.

So the bad of this was that we didn't get to talk to any seniors today (and that Juliette drove out to the center at noon and no one was there! )

But, the good was that we got face time with Treva and have an official booking for the 26th.

Whew!

love, X

--

Xanthia Angel Walker

Institute Associate

Discovery, pt 4

I met with Discovery Charter Prep today! While there are a lot of complicated elements to this partnership, I feel positive about our prospects for living at this campus this summer.

I will not recap all the various steps over many months except to say that in person communication is valuable and there hasn’t been enough. It was so fantastic to meet principal Dr. K Smith today. And the two assistant principals were there too-- Kristi M and Arie N—along with Sheryl S, the financial person for the school.

Dr. Smith repeatedly wondered at the church’s interest and support in our project when they seem not to care at all about the school except for their financial relationship. (“They don’t even let us use the kitchen!”)

I said that I think the church was interested in being heard and included in the project as representative of their community. Arie pointed out that this is a direct benefit to the church that they don’t get from the school relationship. (There is some potential to positively impact the relationship between the school and church.)

Discovery Prep is a major partner with Youth Speak Collective. I knew they were partners but was unaware of how integral that relationship is—Youth Speak is a key part of funding the school. YSC has a summer program- 9th Grade Academy-- at Discovery Prep campus. About 50 students for no more than 4 weeks and they are not on campus a lot of that time—they go on field trips a lot.

The school would like to do summer tutoring for 30 to 60 of their own students. It’s not a structured “summer school.”

They believe that we can share the campus—we would use 9 classrooms, the dining room and kitchen and set up our showers in the back left grassy yard. This is one classroom less than the ideal number. I estimated we would have 25-27 people living on the campus.

They are confident we would not need to go through the (costly and annoying) fingerprinting process.

I offered the alternative schedule for the residency-- July 1 through August 1, rather than July 8 through August 8. It's possible that ending on August 1 will be better for their facilities maintenance.

They are really interested in involving their students in the play. They used to have arts programs but they’ve been cut like crazy. They even have musical instruments they purchased awhile back that are collecting dust somewhere. Dr. Smith offered a space at a sister school in Burbank as a possible venue.

I mentioned more than once our desire for the students’ parents families to be involved as well.

Two people—Kristi and a facilities guy—expressed concerns about safety and security. The school has a number of connections with the Foothill Police Station and Dr. Smith thinks we should notify them and they will keep an eye on us.

The school’s biggest concern is cost. They are in a financial pinch as it is.

It’s possible that some non-money exchange can include

1- Us doing some stuff with students at the school this June, and

2- Doing a project or workshop(s) with the students in the following school year.

Dr. Smith says that we have good karma and that she things good things will come of our project and she wants her school and students to be a part of it. They all got caught up in thinking about possible venues, the most interesting suggestion being the unfinished and empty Children’s Museum at Hansen Dam park.

At any rate, Dr. Smith says she needs to get approval from the Discovery Prep board. Kenn Phillips their board chair is the person who enthusiastically started this relationship so I feel optimistic about that, though the timing is dependent upon the financial discussion with the church.

Next steps:

See the campus to confirm that we can make do with 9 rooms plus kitchen and dining room. (Also check in about restrooms & sharing!)

Sheryl/Reggie conversation about cost/payments between them and between CTC and one or the other of them.

Determine which residency dates are best for the overlap with the school.

Come up with an idea for community engagement element to do with Discovery students in June.

Wait for news of for approval from Discovery Prep board.