April Goals

April is here!

Goals for this month:

1. Have a superbly wonderful Team Service Project. We at Bridgeport
Beautifies are running workshops for murals, stone sculptures, seed
starting, seed bombing, and city clean up!

2. Map out the garden! I'm having a party in the beginning of May to
transplant the seedlings and start new ones out in the containers and
raised bed in the yard.

3. Lose five pounds. Time to take off the winter weight!

4. Two sewing projects! An awesome kitchen apron, and I haven't
decided what the second project will be yet... I'm thinking either
curtains for the kitchen or a laptop sleeve.

5. Finish up all the legal paperwork for my new business. Yep! You heard that right. 

I am starting my own online shop. Can't wait to show you all!

McGivney Mural

This week hailed the start of mural workshops for us Public Allies in Bridgeport. I and my "mural pod" partner Shon facilitated workshops with lead artist Sergio Escobar.

The McGivney Community Center caters to a slew of kids in an after school program that helps them with their homework and exposes them to new experiences and opportunities to build skills. On the side of the building hangs a mural painted on plywood. It's been there for about 8 or 9 years, and somewhere in the duration of its existence, got tagged.

This week, the kids named themes for a mural, talked about community, engaged in team building games, and came up with their own drawings for design ideas. Next week the paint meets the plywood!

Bridgeport Beautifies

I'm highlighting my new favorite blog: Bridgeport Beautifies!

Learn all about seed bombing and moss graffiti:

http://bridgeportbeautifies.blogspot.com

Weekly Wrap-Up, Mar 7

The gears have been turning in my head...which doesn't always translate to action. I have a lot going on, so I am motivating myself to step it up! The Public Allies Team Service Project is kicking into high gear - March and April are it!!! GBAPP is having its City Kidz Got Skillz event in late May - and I am the lead organizer. Also, the GBAPP website is getting revamped, and I am responsible for the content. I am looking for summer employment, as GBAPP has asked me to come back for a second year in the Public Allies program - woot! But, this means figuring out income for the time between June and September. Also, I have plans for opening an online store. And gardening season is arriving! Yikes!

1. In other news, yesterday was Otter the Quadrapus' first birthday. It was a wonderful excuse for Lover and I to indulge in ice cream sandwiches. 
2. I finished designing the invitation for the "Bridgeport Beautifies" kick-off! The event is for our partners and our volunteers. I am super excited!
3. I worked on revamping my resume and writing a cover letter for a potential summer job position. It's kind of agonizing.
4. I had carnivorous plant seeds germinating in the fridge for six weeks, and I finally switched them over to a pot in the windowsill. I'm not sure this is going to work, but I am willing to try.
5. I face painted at the CT NOFA Winter Conference in Manchester! What a great conference filled with workshops and superb vendors. I met a beekeeper and spent some time discussing his self-built hive and way of keeping bees. Can't wait to try it for myself!

 In lesser news, I finished reading the StrengthsFinder book assigned to us in Public Allies. It read like a large infomercial for the StrengthsFinder test, but the test results are fun, as they often are. My highlighted strengths were:

• Maximizer (someone who focuses on assets and pushes ahead even in the light of mistakes or failure), 
• Positivity (someone who encourages others and helps to keep the situation in a positive light), 
• Input (someone who researches and organizes information),
• Intellecter (a person who enjoys reading theory, philosophy, and intellectual discussions) and 
• Learner (a person who absorbs new information and enjoys learning and applying new skills). 

That pretty much sums me up when it comes to work.

How was your week?

Boom! Bridgeport Beautifies

I want to share something that is very near and dear to my heart.

I and nine other Public Allies in the Bridgeport area have created a team service project that is just amazing. We created a blog today to help inform would-be volunteers and collaborators about further details, and how they can be a part of the movement even when we have reached full capacity on what we can manage.

It's bare bones right now, but it will get updated soon with info on seed bombing, moss graffiti, and street clean up.

Even if you don't live in Bridgeport, you can have your own beautification project in your neighborhood. Coordinate a clean up, or get involved in a local community garden. There are even funds and organizations out there that can help you design and create a neighborhood mural. Get creative, start networking, and tap into whatever resources you can - it will be well worth it in the end.