AROUND THE BLOCK
A COMMUNITY SAYS GOOD-BYE > SEE FAREWELL TO SHANNON CAMPBELL PAGE 4 ISSUE 4, APRIL 2009 sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com PLEASE TAKE ME I’M FREE
Issue # 4
Community Schools Saved
by Juanita Black
by Nancy Savoie
I am happy to tell our readers, six months into production, that we are now printing 7000 copies of Around the Block. Many are hand delivered while others are placed in strategic locations around the city, free of charge. After three issues I thought you might like to know how many residents are contributing to Around the Block. There have been 70 stories written by 67 contributors from our priority neighbourhoods. They have also offered 67 pictures for the newspaper. Our community partners have offered 62 articles or Public Service Announcements, with 53 agencies contributing. Below you will see quotes from many of the volunteers on what Around the Block has meant to them. The Caledon Institute of Social Policy in Ottawa, Ontario has a story about our newspaper in their latest newsletter. You can read it at www.caledoninst.org. We welcome Alma Beck as the new Neighbourhood Community Developer; she will work with all the Neighbourhood Assistants to make sure they have everything they need to work in the communities. Brad Snodgrass will be the youth representative from the Teen Resource Centre (TRC) and will write a story for every issue. Vibrant Communities has two French co-op students from Samuel De Champlain until the end of June and they will be writing a story in French for the April and June issues. Thank you to all who attended the first writing workshop with journalism instructor Mark Leger. The second workshop will be on April 15th at 10:00 am at the Community Health Centre. The theme for this workshop will be interviews. We had an amazing turnout for the photojournalism workshop. Students were paired with excited volunteers who had many questions about their cameras. They were then broken down into five teams with a representative from each community to crisscross the city, taking pictures for future issues of Around the Block. I am proud of all of our volunteers and if you want to join the excitement of this growing newspaper and feel you have a story to write, a picture to submit, or time to volunteer, just email us at sjcommunitynewspaper@gmail.com or phone 693-0904. It’s a great way to experience networking, communities, and partners working together.
We’re the Cat’s Meow! by Newspaper Volunteers and Community Partners
Photo Courtesy of Allan Rouse Team Old North End
In May 2008, concerned parents in Crescent Valley set up a meeting to talk about the school closure issues. People advocated in different ways: by having Patty Joe and Amy do up the questions for the survey, Rosie and I went door to door with petitions and the surveys, etc. Quotes from parents were used when presenting to the District Education Council.
We invited Scott Crawford to a meeting to help us with a press release and the community members were very appreciative. We had a press release on September 23rd at noon where Rita Tyler, Rose Mears and Shannon Campbell spoke to the press and raised important issues. Mayor Ivan Court invited the residents from Crescent Valley and the Old North End to a press conference where Honorable Ed Doherty asked me to write a little note to Mr. Lamrock and said he would pass it along, I wrote “Minister Lamrock, I would like to personally thank you for choosing to keep the schools open. If you were here right now I’d give you a big hug. Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It meant a lot, Nancy Savoie.” To all of those who participated at all the meetings, I thank you!!!!! Never give up because this is an example that our VOICES get heard. Photo Courtesy of Allan Rouse WE DID IT! WE WON!!!!!!!!!! Team Crescent Valley Here is what our volunteers and partners have had to say about volunteering on Around the Block: “It’s putting your community out there in the forefront, expanding and letting other neighbourhoods know what’s coming along.” ~ Jennifer “The thing I apprecaite about the paper is the (5) unique voices it gives to the priority communities.” ~ Andrew “I am involved with quite a few groups within the community and I always value most groups like this one, where I can actually see concrete results taking place and people being empowered and gaining valuable skills in the process.” ~ Danny “It is a wonderful way to get to know the other neighbourhoods, especially since it is put together by the people who live in them.” ~ Mary Lou “One thing that Around the Block has meant to the teens is a chance to write about things that are important to them.” ~ Kate “For me personally and professionally your publication has allowed me the opportunity to really become involved in my school community beyond the four walls of the school. I apprecaite how you’ve engaged the youth of our community in the paper, both as authors and contributors.” ~ Jennifer “I’m proud to say that I was involved with the project and I remember my favourite parts very clearly, when we did Issue 1 and I was meeting with groups or persons from the community, it was exciting to see how they viewed their pages as “theirs” and seeing them decide on how each page was going to look.” ~ Joseph