Ramping it up

This weekend, a small group of volunteers constructed a ramp for an ice cream and coffee shop by the Village Theater. This shop will operate as a source of funding for the theater's youth programs. ESLARP was able to obtain donations from three central Illinois Home Depot stores, with the bulk of the donations coming from the Collinsville Home Depot, whose store manager was very excited to be able to contribute to a local project! The weekend ran smoothly despite the 95 degree weather, and we were able to complete the ramp by Sunday afternoon. Thanks to the volunteers who made it happen--Mike Andrejasich, Paul Herring, Noah Lenstra, Andy Harmon and Abby Harmon.

Flat, not boring

Winnipeg definitely proved to be not boring. Elizabeth Andrejasich, Abby Harmon, and I, along with a fellow UIUC graduate student, Chuck Allen, made the 15 hour drive up north to the midwest of Canada to attend the annual Planners Network Conference July 18-20. We met up with ESLARP community liaison, Billie Turner, and ESLARP community partner, Martha Watts of Eagle's Nest, early Friday morning just in time for walking tours of Winnipeg focused around issues like homelessness, gentrification, arts, and sprawl. It was clear that Winnipegians were not afraid to address these challenging issues in their communities as the tours were led by many local activists organizing around these issues.

The entrance of Art City, a local community art center for kids and adults
that was on both the gentrification and arts tour.

Saturday morning Elizabeth, Abby, Billie, Martha, and I conducted a workshop on the use of storytelling within planning. Billie and Martha shared stories about East St. Louis and Eagle's Nest, and through video-taped interviews we were also able to share stories of other community partners from East St. Louis. See our workshop agenda and resources list here. Attendees shared their own stories and the ways in which some of them have been able to incorporate storytelling into their research or organizations. The conference ended with a big bash at a local community center, with locally produced food (delicious tacos with fresh produce!) and musicians. Although it was an action packed two days, we met some amazing educators, practitioners, and activists trying to address social justice issues in their own communities. Who knows, maybe we'll see a Planners Network Conference in Champaign or East St. Louis in a few years...

The poster for the big bash Saturday night.