We want to give a Hope Scope shout out to our amazing Co-Director: Janina Turner for 1+ year of work! Firstly, Congratulations! What was your start date? Thank you! November 7th, 2022. What was the most rewarding thing from this past year? It was really exciting to join my long-time friend Elizabeth on the HOPE Collaborative team this past year. It’s been really great getting to explore the different organizations and individuals working to create a better Oakland for the residents. Oakland is such a vibrant city full of kind, resilient, hard working people. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to hear from many different community members on their visions for their neighborhoods and I look forward to helping make those ideas come to fruition through HOPE programming. What struggles did you have to overcome? This year has been an interesting transition for me. I recently moved to Oakland and am engaging in a different side of the environmental justice world by focusing on air pollution and its health impacts. It’s so astonishing to learn about the disproportionate impacts pollution has on the community here. It’s been a journey in learning and listening directly from the community about this issue but it’s so important to focus our work from the first-hand needs of the residents here. What do you hope to gain in this next year? In this next year I hope to connect to more community members and organizations in efforts to collaborate and further the important work we are all engaged in. I’m really looking forward to expanding our environmental justice work within the flatlands of Oakland. One reason you've chosen to stay with HOPE and/or your favorite role you play @ HOPE. It’s been great being the EJ Co-director at HOPE this past year. I’ve enjoyed learning from the community but also learning and working with our youth members in our Youth Action Board and Young Adult Leaders. The multigenerational focus of the work is so important since people of all ages have experiences we can learn from. I look forward to another year of community building and programs. .... Without Janina’s work and dedication we would surely lose hope! Let's honor her and prepare to honor others in the next following weeks. Until Next Time! Stay Hopeful :)
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Here at HOPE we aim to achieve outreach on a multitude of levels; with the goal of meeting each individual in their preferred method of social change. So… we proudly introduce one of our Young Adult Leaders: Dorielle Ard and our Program’s amazing new Storytelling Branch! Hello All! My name is Dorielle Ard, I’m super excited to be a part of the Young Adult Leadership Program & this blog will be an amazing fresh start. I was born and raised in Oakland, and I am a product of Oakland Unified School District. I am a Psychology enthusiast interested in maintaining transformative spaces for youth & adults, especially in urban environments. My artist name is Doritellastory aka Prof.ėT (Professor Extraterrestrial.) My role with HOPE is to do exactly that: capture the stories of the HOPE Collaborative. With every post I hope to paint a picture of outreach, wellness, encouragement, evolution, and positive perspective as we seek to change the world with the work we do in the Bay Area. Why do I want to portray HOPE in a positive light? From the first time I met the co-director, Elizabeth, I knew that the HOPE Collaborative was serious about wanting to make an impact: clean air and clean food. (Not to mention clean city planning and youth engagement.) We all need to live, breathe, and eat ethically. So I appreciate that HOPE is trying to take a holistic approach to community engagement: mind and body. I knew that my eye for storytelling would be helpful because when you’re doing the work you often don’t have time to record, document, or talk about everything. This idea of ‘positive journalism’ stuck out to me as I meditated on the question: “why work with HOPE?” it seemed the better question was: why not? With so much fake news, drama, disasters, war, and pain, it would be a lovely change of tone to write about people doing the right thing(s) for the right reasons. What can you expect from the blog? I can’t share everything! (Who doesn’t love a little suspense?) But one of my favorite posts will be: community highlights. HOPE partners with many people in the community that deliver hope from their small businesses, kitchens, workshops, community gardens, planning teams, etc. I want those individuals and groups to have a place where they can show their loved ones that HOPE sees them, recognizes their value, and loves their efforts. Stay tuned for some magical shout outs! |
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