A Seward Neighborhood Group (SNG) priority is outreach to its immigrant community - focused on engaging newer residents and increasing immigrants' participation in neighborhood projects and activities. The heart of this work is SNG's resident facilitation services in the Seward Towers, where the majority of residents are now East African (Somali, Oromo, Ethiopian, and Eritrean).
SNG's organizer facilitates quarterly Residents' Discussion Groups and a range of programming, such as exercise classes, weekly Sewing Circles, and Somali finger weaving classes. SNG is also working with the Sibley Bike Library to loan bikes out to residents of the Seward Towers. And it will again host "Learn to Ride" classes at the newly opened SPOKES bike walk connect.
During the "Learn to Ride" classes in 2011, the group learned that it needed to host women only classes in a private setting, such as the inside of a warehouse. Building on these experiences, SNG continues to learn the most effective ways to include all members of immigrant communities in the biking community. It will also continue to hold neighborhood-wide meetings in the Towers to make the meetings more accessible to the immigrant community.
SNG is also building its capacity to provide youth programming in Seward. The Seward Longfellow Restorative Justice Partnership (SLRJP) facilitates ongoing monthly community circles for youth in Matthews Recreation Center. The circles are a structured storytelling process that help resolve conflict, prevent and reduce violence, and give participants a safe place to talk about concerns. SNG's Towers Organizer helps promote the circles. SNG supports SLRJP through subsidized rent and publicity at events, in the SNG website and e-newsletter, and in other communications.
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| LOCATION |
| Seward Towers and other neighborhood locations | |
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| PARTNERS |
Seward Neighborhood Group
SPOKES bike walk connect
Seward Longfellow Restorative Justice Partnership
Seward Towers | |
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List of All Neighborhood Stories
