Excerpt from latest article on my adventures in neighborhood connecting (aka HoodRoving). Full article is linked below. Enjoy and share your thoughts please!!!
~ April
HoodRoving News: I am not alone!
I value citizenship—the ability we each have to make a difference through our actions around something we care about, in the company of others.
Yet, from over at least a decade of witnessing people trying to make the world a better place in one form or another, I find the thing that seems to plague most “do-ers” is that ugly phenomenon called “burnout”: A person who’s passionate about something takes on more and more responsibility, becoming isolated in and consumed by that responsibility. Eventually, they give up, heartbroken and alone in a new form—mourning the quit venture. I also know people who have witnessed burn-out in others and choose not to pursue an inspiration for the sake of their own protection or sanity.
“Burned Out” by Derek Hess.
Perhaps the best inoculation against burn-out is to find good friends who share your passion and will walk with you down the path of action. This is a story of how I found friends to walk beside along a path of “reweaving” the fabric of our neighborhood, Gillespie Park. It’s also the story of how great ideas can incubate for what seems like ages, only to spring into action when the conditions are right. Finally, it’s a story about connection and neighbors discovering abundance in the place where they live.
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It all began with an email from Allison Pinto of the local civic engagement organization SCOPE. Allison coordinates SCOPE’s Neighborhoods Initiative, which has produced some exciting innovations in the last several years. In her email, Allison invited me to host a table representing Gillespie Park at their upcoming “Neighborhood Expo” on September 13.
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