Richmond Trails Foundation Seeks Graphic Designer

**VOLUNTEER ASSIGNED**

The Richmond Trails Foundation is an organization that is dedicated to planning, developing, and maintaining Richmond's trails and greenways with the belief that "a robust trail network has been proven to improve the economic vitality of an area as well as the the health and well-being of the community." They are stewards of both natural and paved trail in the Richmond region. The RTF  works with regional Parks and Rec Departments as well as other local organizations and hopes to fill in the gaps in support that these organizations need. 

They are looking for a new identity: something simple, powerful, that communicates a love for trails and the access to fun, relaxation, and adventure that they provide. The design should consider a range of applications from web, print, apparel, stickers, etc.

For those designers interested, Storefront asks for 2 to 6 hours of your time to dedicate to this identity project.  Help this trail stewardship organization develop a finalized design before May 2017!

Please contact Adele (adele@storefrontrichmond.org) with your interest.

mObjOb8 Round-Up

mObjOb8 ended on Friday with an exhibition, a bridge, and a poster from each of the six teams. The Middle of Broad students (mObians) each suited up for the evening after a long night of model-making. Solutions across the interstate included a hill and vaulted ceiling, housing to replace the housing demolished by the infrastructure, and an amphitheater complete with a goldfish.

mObjOb8

Get ready for mObjOb8 happening all next week !!!

Students are imagining and modeling bridge concepts that heal the geographic, socioeconomic, and racial injustice of Interstate-95 running through Jackson Ward.

More discussions, solutions, and models to come throughout next week. 6 teams of students will work on a unique spanning proposal, culminating in an awarding of the mOb cup and a grand opening on November 4th, November First Friday in the Arts District. 

Improving Tummy Time: Designers Needed!

Can you help make play time portable and parent friendly?

The VCU Department of Physical Therapy is working on developing an innovative rehabilitation device that could be used in the home, therapy clinics and even daycares, to encourage infants to work on their prone motor abilities. However, there is a need to re-design the center to be more family friendly and portable.

This project is so important because the development of gross motor skills is vital to an infants development. The Department of Physical Therapy's new design encourages infants to participate in tummy time longer than current market play centers.

If you are a designer that would like to engage in the re-design please contact us at hello@storefrontrichmond.org!

How do we justly enter communities?

My name is Jacqulyn Washington but most people call me Jackie. As a graduate student of social work, I am focusing on community engagement, revitalization and resilience. Here at Storefront for Community Design, I am researching  how to justly enter communities.  This topic is so relevant to us all because we all enter communities in some way. In just one day, I pass through 3 neighborhoods. Think about which communities you drive through on your way home.  Have you ever thought about what impact you have or don’t have in those communities? What about your own community? How does your job or school intersect with surrounding neighborhoods?

I am not only researching how to justly enter communities by reading peer-reviewed articles and textbooks but I am researching in a truly active way. I am learning though meeting, talking, partnering and participating in communities. Over the next 5 months, I will be sharing this journey with you through updates on Storefront’s blog. The thoughts posted here will be an expression of my academic, professional and personal knowledge relevant to community work. I invite you to use this blog series as an interactive way for us to have a community conversation on ways to justly enter communities. Each month a new question will be presented followed by weekly posts on related topics. These can be found below.

Please leave a comment below on what justly entering a community means to you!

What's Next:

1. How do we know it’s okay to come in?

An overview of things to be considered before entering and how to recognize the “nod of approval” from the community

2. What does trust have to do with it?

Building rapport and taking care of relationships

3.How important are the strengths? How important are the needs?

Understanding why recognizing resiliency is just as important as identifying the problems when assessing a community

4.What is an intervention without community engagement?

Examining why community engagement is the basis for an effective intervention

5.How do you know if it worked?

A summary of ways to evaluate community interventions and practice.

Jackson Ward Community Garden Seeks Assistance

A year and a half ago in her Jackson Ward apartment, Jourdan James began dreaming about how to access more green garden space in her neighborhood. Now she is applying for non-profit status and furthering her plans for turning the triangular plot of land at 620 Chamberlayne Parkway into a community garden and educational space. 

The plot is uniquely situated at a major gateway to the neighborhood, which sets it up to be a verdant usher into the neighborhood.

She is seeking assistance with a landscape plan of the 8,200 sq. ft. space, using approximately 4,000 sq. ft. for 12 raised bed gardens and the remaining space for storage, education, bee-keeping and leisure. The Jackson Ward Community Garden will be a space to learn about native flowers and vegetables as well as sustainable gardening practices. Some concerns she faces already include water access, fencing, and accessibility to all neighborhood residents. She also has plans for an updatable mural site for the dreary winter months.  

For those who are interested, the scope of this work requires about 2 to 6 hours of your time. The deliverables are a site-plan and elevation rendering due by the end of October to help this forming non-profit raise funds and share their ideas for community green space and sustainability education.