This project quarter, Ariez has been working on getting the word out about the “Breathing Through It” videos that were featured in our previous update.
Breathing Through It is an initiative created “by and for Near West residents” with the goal of helping lower stress levels through deep breathing and muscle relaxation exercises in a video format. Ariez has created a door hanger version of the “Breathing Through it” flyer, which you can see below.
Having door hangers is a great way for residents in the Near West to have a physical copy of the Breathing Through It information, with a QR code they can scan to go immediately to the videos.
Ariez also created a callout flyer looking for volunteers to pass these out. Volunteers will receive a small gift card after passing out the flyers. If you or someone you know would like to help, please let us know.
Additionally, Ariez and DIP-IN Eskenazi Community Health Worker, Shay Zapata, participated in tabling at the Haughville Library for a Community Day hosted by the organization, Step Up. The DIP-IN team was able to hand out “Breathing Through It” flyers, Eskenazi material, and DIP-IN information.
Finally, on Saturday, April 22, Belmont Beach held its opening day for the season. Games and music were played, smores were eaten, and ideas for the park were recorded. The mayor attended as well. This event was the start of all the events that occur weekly until October at Belmont Beach. Come join!
Over the last few months, The DIP-IN team onboarded Northeast project manager, Natalie Freehan. Natalie has been focused on learning about DIP-IN, getting oriented with the Northeast community, meeting with steering committee members, and learning more about the goals of the steering committee. In addition to this, Natalie has started to meet with community organizations to see what kinds of partnerships can be created.
In the community, there has been movement and excitement towards having in-person DIP-IN steering committee meetings rather than online only. The DIP-IN steering committee has met in person once and will continue to do so at the Avondale Meadows YMCA.
Neighborhood association meetings have also picked back up in the Northeast and begun offering in-person meetings again as well. This is a great thing for the community as it brings people back together to focus on the needs of their neighborhoods. This has also brought the opportunity for neighborhood leaders to meet with city affiliated individuals to discuss the changes needed for a thriving community.
The recent months of work in the Near Northwest have proven to be the time for reignition! With free, DIP-IN-sponsored fitness classes already running for community members to participate in, our NNW resident steering committee members met for an April retreat to get reenergized and reunited with the overall purpose of why we are even at the table.
Armed with new data about our community’s awareness of how they see themselves in relation to fitness, our team created new ways to get more involved in the programs, institute productive ways to have synergy amongst those programs, and realign budgets to support those decisions.
The April retreat brought the imaginations and innovations from the residents that gave power to their development as true leaders of their own destiny. Because of this, residents that were normally comfortable in the background stepped up to take on leadership to make our goals even more achievable.
Since fitness is not the only way to improve quality of life, the April retreat also brought out the NNW Equitable Food Access Initiative (EFAI) representative from Flanner House, Candace Boyd, who oversees food justice as well as the operations of Cleo’s Bodega, the only market in the NNW.
Using Cleo’s as a key space in the community, we found ways to integrate both food and fitness by rethinking Cleo’s advertising strategies as well as implementing an electronic “community board” inside the café.
This reinforces the message that although diet is key and we can help residents to navigate those hurdles of food insecurity and food knowledge, we can also couple that with information on the community board that will highlight resources in the community residents may not have known about. This can help bridge the gaps in addressing the Social Drivers of Health.
