ROGUE: Emerging Neighborhoods Project

Realizing Opportunities for Growth, Unity and Equity (ROGUE) is officially launching its Emerging Neighborhoods Project 2.22.18.  Three neighborhoods are participating:  La Capilla (S. Tucson), ParkView and Barrio Anita.  All three will be doing asset-mapping with the updated Walkabout Talkabout Book, developed by The Maverick Institute (1988)/Community Renaissance (2017).  The Walkabout Talkabout Book has been translated into Spanish in an abbreviated version. 

The Emerging Neighborhoods Project is a 6 week, focused effort to assist community-based positive changes in local neighborhoods.  Besides Tucson and South Tucson, the city of St. Louis, Missouri is also part of this ROGUE effort and a guest speaker from St. Louis will be attending the March 24th GeoSpatial Summit at Joel D. Valdez Downtown/Main Library, 10 a.m.- 3p.m., public invited. 

Also at the March 24th Summit, Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild will be reading the Proclamation for Tucson's 4th International Days of Happiness and giving certificates of community kinship to ROGUE's neighborhood leadership.

Community Renaissance is happy to be a member of ROGUE and its current and future community efforts are/will be in collaboration with ROGUE, a soon-to-be national nonprofit organization.

For more information contact:  anitafonte@gmail.com or iris@geospatialcollaborative.com

Tucson's 4th International Days of Happiness

Starting in the fall of 2013, Community Renaissance has been working with collaborative community partners to improve personal and community happiness in Tucson and Beyond.  http://communityrenaissance.webstarts.com

We have convened Community Conversations with the Pima County Public Library, danced in Jacome Plaza with Dancing in the Streets Tucson, created happy walls with LIVE HAPPY magazine and local hosts, made Happy Bags at Kellond School and with a group of Girl Scouts, and helped to make the "dream" of a well-being walking park a reality with Limberlost Family Park and City of Tucson Parks and Recreation and Ward 3.

We've had fun (mostly) and now it's time to celebrate again--and let go of our convening role after this year's events.  It's up to others to keep the ball rolling and we hope you will.

Starting in mid-February through mid-March, it is the Hebrew month of Adar with a focus on joy.  The Tucson J is offering several activities to enhance personal and community happiness and well-being.  You can find out which activities in their magazine with the emoji ☺.  Go to http://www.tucsonjcc.org

So far, for the week of the official March 20th date, we have these activities/events and partners with more to come:

3/20: GLOBAL/OFFICIAL International Day of Happiness--  The Reliance Group is sponsoring up to 10 adoptions at The Humane Society of Southern Arizona; The Profit Project is convening a workshop on "wellness in the workplace" at La Cocina; Bentley's Cafe is branding their breakfast menu as "Smile with Us" all day; Cafe 54 will have our DHT table and giveaways; Tuesday Laughter Yoga is dedicating their session to #dohappytoday and will be wearing their DHT t-shirts.

3/24:  ROGUE (Realizing Opportunities for Growth, Unity and Equity) will be convening a GeoSpatial Summit 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Joel D. Valdez Main Library, featuring Mayor Rothschild at 11:30 and the City's Proclamation for Tucson's 4th International Days of Happiness.  BuildUP Tucson, Limberlost Neighborhood Association and others will be facilitating action steps for ROGUE's Emerging Neighborhoods Project. http://www.geospatialcollaborative.com

3/25:  Limberlost Family Park, 2-4 p.m. Tai Chi, Toddlers' Little Olympics, Plein Air Painting and more are part of recelebrating Tucson's First FengShui Wellness Walking Park.

We welcome others to come up with/share your activities that enhance happiness, health and well-being in our region and yours.  This is how we BuildUP^ Tucson & Beyond, making our communities Better for Us and Better for Everyone.

Walkabout Talkabout Your Neighborhoods 2017 revised version

Now available to download for free at www.facebook.com/ROGUEcommunities

Note that the Walkabout Talkabout booklet is no longer available at www.communityrenaissance.biz which has been discontinued.  Community Renaissance's current website is www.communityrenaissance.webstarts.com

You can contact Community Renaissance through www.facebook.com/communityrenaissance or 520.331.5582

Collaborations Continue

We will have new info soon on continuing and expanded community collaborations as we continue to BuildUP^ Tucson & Beyond and create thriving communities.

UA Geo Spatial Planning Project, a collaboration with BuildUP^ Tucson & Beyond

While the TENWEST Festival was wrapping up the UA Collaboration Leadership Summit on Poverty was taking place.  It's impossible to be in both places--which is why it's so important to connect through social media resources.  And that's what Iris Patten and Anita Fonte have been doing since the first BuildUP^ Tucson & Beyond gathering in April.  Through the summer BuildUP^ gatherings face-to-face, the first UA GeoSpatial Project meeting in July, Facebook pages, and yes, the occasional phone calls, the trajectory of the UA's effort has been generating next steps.

Last week, through site visits to two neighborhoods (Barrio Anita and Barrio Blue Moon), 10/27-28 Summit sessions on how to measure project outcomes and how to impact local policies, how to frame the project with authentic community-based language, the effort is designing these actions:

• With the two, and possibly other engaged neighborhoods, conduct an "energy challenge" which measures concrete "energy" elements (water use, electricity, etc.) as well as the less concrete element of neighborhood activities/social capital. January 7-March, 20, 2017 
• Note:  The conclusion of the initial challenge will coincide with 3rd International Day of Happiness 
• Develop a partnership with Tucson Electric Power and other energy corporations.
• Apply for seed money 
• Create a University of Arizona "Planners in Residence" Program with graduate students embedded in the participating neighborhoods 2017 and into the future.

For more information on how to get involved in this effort, contact Iris Patten at ipatten@email.arizona.edu

One of several groups at UA GeoSpatial Summit, photo by Iris Patten

More highlights from the TENWEST Festival  www.tenwestfestival.com Field Notes by Anita, will be coming in the days ahead.

Photo by Anita C. Fonte

The Partnership for Equity and Civic Engagement

Ten years ago, the consulting business www.communityrenaissance.biz/index.html introduced the Partnership for Equity and Civic Engagement (PECE, pronounced "peace").  PECE is Community Renaissance's organizational branch that offers pro bono programs and services.

Within PECE, a group of us started Just Communities Inc. (JCI) which is now conceptually housed at the Southwest Fair Housing Council www.swfhc.com.  Also as PECE programs, we initiated Do Happy Today in 2014, followed by BuildUP^ Tucson & Beyond in April, 2016.

As we update and redesign our website, we are also revisiting what programs PECE will continue and which ones will be changing.  We hope you share ideas with us about how to continue to serve our communities in Southern Arizona and beyond.

Please send your suggestions to info@communityrenaissance.biz   Thanks!!

A reality check for the FREE ebook BetterforUs

It's been several months since I took serious steps for the ebook and I will tell you why:  life gets in the way...other tasks, particularly with the post International Day of Happiness events (March 20th) and beginning of an offshoot from that effort: BuildUP^ Tucson and Beyond (April 20th).

This gathering at Startup Tucson led to establishing a BuildUP^ Tucson google group and generating a social networking group that meets monthly at La Cocina Restaurant.

From those action steps, Community Renaissance is setting up a new website www.communityrenaissance.biz/index.html and preparing a Summer Newsletter for the the 300 folks now part of  our email network.  Attention to planning for a second TENWEST event (October) in Tucson is taking quite a bit of effort and we're doing this because the TENWEST Connected Communities track will feature Do Happy Today-related sessions on happiness and well-being  www.tenwest.co. 

I did try out some ebook software (didn't like it) and sent a request to fivrr (no response) for assistance with cover design for the ebook, so those elements are stuck for now. There are many other resources to check out for ebooks, but most of them are for publishers and authors who want to sell ebooks.  That's not the case with BetterforUs...it's a "give away".  

So, the new Community Renaissance website will have a PDF of the book when it is finished for readers to download at no cost, i.e. it will be a FREE ebook.

If you are interested, contact info@communityrenaissance.biz and we will add you to the list to receive the book.  

In the meantime, we invite you to connect with us to our activities via Facebook page: www.facebook.com/communityrenaissance 

Two plus one events from Spring 2016 show how a community becomes Better for Us and Better for All

March 20, 2016 International Day of Happiness Tucson, convened by Do Happy Today at Limberlost Family Park, 75+ people participating

Also, March 20, 2016 at Valley of the Moon: more happiness, 150 people participating

A month later, Do Happy Today/Community Renaissance convene BuildUP^ Tucson and Beyond, hosted by Startup Tucson, 40 people participating

with special guest, Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, background image by Life is Good

Stay in touch with BuildUp^ and join our social media group on Facebook.