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How do you engage youth in their communities, building character by connecting them to their area’s “roots”? It’s a challenge faced by all neighborhoods, and the Troy Rehabilitation & Improvement Progam (TRIP) has found a successful way to do it by partnering with two other community “anchors”: the local historical society and elementary school. And it was developed by the residents themselves, a team sent by TRIP to NeighborWorks’ Community Leadership Institute.
TRIP serves a densely populated, nine-block neighborhood called Hillside North in Troy, New York, that long has struggled to overcome its reputation for drug use, high poverty and crime. While these indeed are challenges, the neighborhood has a rich history and the older residents have a pride it’s important to pass on to the younger generations.
“During the manufacturing heyday,” says Davia Collington, TRIP’s resident team coordinator, “Troy was a wealthy city. Many grand architectural gems were built then, including the firehouse and Oakwood Presbyterian Church in our neighborhood. We’re on the historical registry as a result and residents are proud of that.”
The city and neighborhood also have a colorful history of which to boast. For example, the neighborhood was home to Kate Mullane, an Irish immigrant who started the first women’s labor union in 1864. Troy was known as “collar city” for manufacturing detachable collars. And Mullane led the fight to win a 25 percent increase in hourly wages and better working conditions.
The challenge was how to keep this heritage alive and “real” for today’s youth. TRIP found a perfect partner in one of the neighborhood’s elementary schools. Collington already had started to bring school staff to CLI meetings, and brainstorming happened naturally.
“At my school, we have a program called Project Promise, which is designed to bring students, parents and the broader community together, while fostering resilience, motivation, innovation and empowerment,” explains Lakime Meadows, assistant principal at Troy’s “School 2.” “Through this program, we’ve developed a group of ‘Promise Leaders’ who are in fourth and fifth grades, and the CLI team decided to focus on them as ‘youth ambassadors.’”
The final partner that came to the table was the local historical society. The society developed some mini vignettes based on Mullane’s feisty life and accomplishments, and nine of the Promise Leaders acted them out on stage. More than 30 residents attended the first production at the historical society.
“Many of the younger and newer residents know nothing about Kate Mullane’s life and her connection to Troy. We hope to offer this play in a lot of locations,” adds resident Kim Mazor.
Mazor stayed in Troy after coming to the city for graduate school and fell in love with the architecture, the nearby Hudson River, the Old New England feel and even its “grittiness.” She went from renting an apartment to buying her building. And that’s what TRIP and its partners want – residents proud enough to stay.
TRIP serves a densely populated, nine-block neighborhood called Hillside North in Troy, New York, that long has struggled to overcome its reputation for drug use, high poverty and crime. While these indeed are challenges, the neighborhood has a rich history and the older residents have a pride it’s important to pass on to the younger generations.
“During the manufacturing heyday,” says Davia Collington, TRIP’s resident team coordinator, “Troy was a wealthy city. Many grand architectural gems were built then, including the firehouse and Oakwood Presbyterian Church in our neighborhood. We’re on the historical registry as a result and residents are proud of that.”
The city and neighborhood also have a colorful history of which to boast. For example, the neighborhood was home to Kate Mullane, an Irish immigrant who started the first women’s labor union in 1864. Troy was known as “collar city” for manufacturing detachable collars. And Mullane led the fight to win a 25 percent increase in hourly wages and better working conditions.
The challenge was how to keep this heritage alive and “real” for today’s youth. TRIP found a perfect partner in one of the neighborhood’s elementary schools. Collington already had started to bring school staff to CLI meetings, and brainstorming happened naturally.
“At my school, we have a program called Project Promise, which is designed to bring students, parents and the broader community together, while fostering resilience, motivation, innovation and empowerment,” explains Lakime Meadows, assistant principal at Troy’s “School 2.” “Through this program, we’ve developed a group of ‘Promise Leaders’ who are in fourth and fifth grades, and the CLI team decided to focus on them as ‘youth ambassadors.’”
The final partner that came to the table was the local historical society. The society developed some mini vignettes based on Mullane’s feisty life and accomplishments, and nine of the Promise Leaders acted them out on stage. More than 30 residents attended the first production at the historical society.
“Many of the younger and newer residents know nothing about Kate Mullane’s life and her connection to Troy. We hope to offer this play in a lot of locations,” adds resident Kim Mazor.
Mazor stayed in Troy after coming to the city for graduate school and fell in love with the architecture, the nearby Hudson River, the Old New England feel and even its “grittiness.” She went from renting an apartment to buying her building. And that’s what TRIP and its partners want – residents proud enough to stay.
