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Hello hello! We’re back with another monthly update from the Riverside fam. There’s big news to share, so let’s jump in:
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We got a Kellogg grant!!!
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Over the past two+ years, we’ve been carefully developing Riverside with deep intention. We let our principles and community be our guide, and hoped that this commitment to values and people would eventually translate to greater resources. It’s with huge pride and gratitude that we can now announce our relationship-driven approach (in addition to Vilas’ substantial grant-writing efforts) has gotten us our first grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation! The amount is relatively modest and we have a lot of growth left to achieve, but the significance of this achievement as a symbol of how far we’ve come and, thanks to this grant, how much further we can go is immeasurable.
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We want to share a big thank you to our Program Officer Paula Sammons and to our good friends Noel Didla and Alex Lawson. Your commitment to moving this application process along (with all the last minute meetings, early morning and late night calls, and so much more), your guidance to help our krewe of young people craft a strong and sustainable proposal, and your trust in us to remain principled and relational in this work has meant the world. Y’all are real ones.
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To get everyone pumped (and to keep us accountable), here’s a peek at how we plan to distribute these resources this year:
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Stipends for students - First and foremost, this money is going to this year’s upcoming student cohort. Young people deserve to be compensated for their time, labor, and care. Beyond that, we believe sustainable economic development requires us to invest directly in people. So that’s what we’re doing.
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Supplies and equipment for our center - Our beautiful South Jackson building has great bones, but so far not a lot going on inside or outside. These funds will allow us to purchase essential supplies (e.g. tables, chairs, decoration) and equipment (e.g. coffee machine) to materially move towards the inviting community hub South Jackson deserves.
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Training, facilitation, and capacity-building for co-stewards - A small portion of funds will be used to cultivate the Riverside co-steward team and give us the tools we need to show up as ethical leaders in this work.
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Storytelling and media - We plan to use some funds to document and share our community’s stories over the course of the year. Because young people’s stories matter, South Jackson’s stories matter, and we are in the privileged position of being able to tell them. So we will.
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That’s all for now. Thank you to everyone who’s helped us get to this major milestone, and to everyone who will help us get to the next one. We did it–woohoo!!!!
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Okay that was a lot, so we’ll keep these next few updates quick.
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Participatory mural project - Our three-part after-school series of mural planning sessions have concluded, and now the Riverside co-stewards, Mural Mentor Justin Ransberg, and our cohort of students and parents are getting ready to unveil a draft mural to a panel of South Jackson community members for broader input. Updates to come!
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Strategic planning - It’s been a few years since we started this project, and we’re ready to get more organized and strategic. Treshika has been hard at work drafting a strategic planning process to set us up right in this new chapter for our organization. We can’t wait to get started and report back on where we land!
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Aaaand that’s all for now. See you next month!
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