“Every man has two educations: that which is given to him, and the other that which he gives himself. Of the two kinds the latter is by far the more desirable. Indeed all that is most worthy in man he must work out and conquer for himself. It is that which constitutes our real and best nourishment. What we are merely taught seldom nourishes the mind like that which we teach ourselves.”
- Carter Godwin Woodson
That is by far one of the most influential quotes that I recant to myself almost daily.
One of the most vital elements of Urban Planning is the community organizing component. In essence, the organizing is contingent upon utilizing observations of a specific issue and critical mass to create avenues of informational outreach and then analyzing feedback to either continue on or rework the strategy for a really long-lasting solution. In other words, sustainable planning.
When I had first decided to become a student of this discipline, I read over the possible job descriptions and salaries. Community organizing was at the top of the list with a low salary than I would have liked to see.
“Me. Do community organizing?” I thought to myself. “That will never happen.”
Sure enough, as opportunities of employment and general internship experiences became limited for me, I came to the conclusion that I would have to seek out opportunities on my own. Or even just create them. So I did both.
Before I realized what was happening, I found myself not only using, but doing terms like ‘grassroot organizing’ and ‘community development’ in no time.
Additionally, relocating to Tampa, FL in the Fall of 2010 basically solidified the need for me to create avenues of learning for myself in any way I could. I visited the local library to read up on authors and theories and disciplines I could only brush over in my academic years. I wanted more depth and more time to study and understand thoroughly what it was I wanted to accomplish professionally.
But more than that, personally I wanted a dynamic experience that would inform my work in the near future. I wanted to surround myself with internal motivation and use outside influences like the city I lived in to encourage me to be more active. I wanted more than anything to learn firsthand from persons of influence and persons affected by those in positions of influence, to get my hands dirty with fieldwork, to collaborate with community members and leaders, to ask questions over again and rethink my way of learning, to analyze and research, and to find out the answers for myself by way of experience.
And so that is how Inspire Your Environment (IYE) came to be. It was a way for me to pinpoint a need in a particular community (the lack of eco-friendly outreach to communities that needed it most) and offering up what I had to contribute to that need (research, knowledge and planning).
The result? The result is that I have learned that it is a perpetual climb to new discoveries. It is an ongoing quest to find answers and solutions to old problems, new problems and strategize around what does not work and what could. It is has been a way for me to truly experience the type of education Carter G. Woodson spoke of: the education an individual gives himself/herself. It is experiential learning that will inform methodology for future projects and endeavors.
Of the myriad of lessons learned up until this point, one of the greatest is the most important: the human connection can never be replaced with an email. A smile can never be replaced with an emoticon through Facebook. A promise you give to one is your word and your bond. A face-to-face encounter is more influential than even a handwritten letter. It is asking questions and taking time to listen, listen, listen. Easier said than done. But problems can only be solved in real-time, in real world interaction and with real dedication.
Overall, the goal always remains to keep learning and give back the knowledge you have acquired along the way. That can always help even one person.
