We wrapped our last day in Detroit working with Congress of Communities and having a group discussion with the Boggs Center. In the morning we went to Congress of Communities new headquarters to prepare for the grand opening this Saturday. We did different tasks including garden beautification, building some of the basement game center, and helping with the front garden. This gave us an opportunity to reflect on our first meeting with Congress of Communities a few days ago and what we have been learning from the community partners we have met this week.
At the Boggs center we engaged in a critical discussion on the evolution and development of social movements. Emphasizing how in creating a strategy for new social movements, we must examine the internal contradictions within our ideologies. Leaving us with the difficult question, how can we find balance and create space for both?
In our reflection this evening we discussed how beautification relates to themes we have been learning about in our immersion experience and how might we bring these ideals back to Portland. In summary, collectively we appreciated how the needs and the wants of the community were reflected in the development of the community center, creating a “third space” for community engagement.
– Betelhem Kefle and Mackenzie Thomas-Graves
