YEP at work!

June 18th, Father’s Day, will kick off the 9th year of CATCH Camp, the summer day camp in McLaughlin Neighborhood. Summer camp is about more than fun-packed weeks of adventure trips, kickball games, and character lessons.  It’s more than forming life-long friendships.  It’s more than strengthening character and self-esteem.  It’s all of this, to be sure.  But it’s about something more.

Summer camp is also about building leadership.  It is the time when young people (our YEPs!) who have been maturing socially and spiritually over the past year(s) get the opportunity to exercise their leadership before younger watchful eyes.  Nothing builds one's confidence like having others follow your example and aspire to be like you.

One of the greatest joys in neighborhood development work is seeing young leaders growing up to take positions of influence and responsibility in the community.  This summer a growing number of our emerging leaders will be thrust into positions of significant responsibility that will further stretch their abilities and test their faith.  They will work as farmers and mentors with McLaughlin Grows Farm, as camp leaders with CATCH Camp, as crew leaders with Royal Edge (our new and improved lawn care social enterprise!), and with our Home Rehab and Construction program at our newest home redemption project.  By the summer's end, they will be exhausted.  And significantly matured.

We need your help.  We have the work for the kids.  We have the staff to train and supervise them.  What we need is the money to pay the kids for their work.  Our goal is to hire 30 kids throughout the summer, awarding them $650 upon completion of a summer of job training!

Can you help us reach our goal?  

"I am a leader"

Our YEPs just got back from Washington D.C. This was made possible due to the generosity of our neighbors who helped the YEP's raise the money needed to make this trip. The YEPs visited many D.C. attractions, including the newly opened National Museum of African American History & Culture, Georgetown University, and Howard University.

YEP Keyvon Carpenter reflects on what he learned on the trip:

"Although I’ve been in a big city such as Washington D.C., this trip still helped me to have a better outlook on the world. It allowed me to see what it was like to be in a state, where people’s lifestyle is different. It also helped me to better myself in regards to working with others, experiencing other lifestyles, and even maturity.

Georgetown University gave me life. The campus and the people are beautiful. The history behind it is amazing and the environment itself incredible. The fact that I’m going into my senior year, these college tours were one step closer to preparing me for the real world. Washington D.C, as well as Virginia, are gorgeous states. I’ve always said that I belong in the big cities and these two really made me feel like home. I love how it’s busy and everything is going at a fast pace; how people walk, ride their bikes, and taking the subway is so cool to me. This trip taught me many things in only four days. Both good and bad. Some bad things were the traffic and how rude some people were. But like Ms. Charlotte (YEP Director) said, “Focus on the positive.” That didn’t stop my joyness, not one bit.

Some good things were the attractions such as the Washington Monument, African American Museum, and even walking through the city. But most importantly, the people I came with. I love these people so much and I look at everyone as family. The love, the care, the laughter, the arguments, the happiness… I can go on and on, only shows how close we are. I am grateful for not only these people, not only YEP, but Ms. Charlotte, and the strong young man that she is helping my mom mold me into. I loved everything about this trip and it’s one of the many reasons why I never left.

I am a leader. I’m ambitious and I’m inspiring because of YEP. I will remain that way.

Thank you."

On behalf of Keyvon and all of the YEP's we would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who was involved in this trip, you have truly helped to make an impact on these young leaders lives.

McLaughlin Grows’ “Community Supported Agriculture“ (CSA) For All Ages

Buying a CSA from McLaughlin Grows, your neighborhood urban farm, goes much deeper than just eating the freshest food available. There is the most obvious aspect of CSA membership:

The farm’s produce is grown clean, using organic practices and no harmful chemicals. We fertilize with locally produced compost (much from our own compost bins) and treat for pests with either soapy water, natural oils, natural predators, or by hand picking pests. Weeds are pulled by hand or hoe. No pesticides, herbicides or growth enhancers will ever be used at McLaughlin Grows Urban Farm, so your family receives the safest produce available.

But there is so much more that you support by participating in McLaughlin Grows CSA program:

McLaughlin Grows employs local youth throughout the growing season. High-school students participating in the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) have the option of working on the farm, learning leadership skills, cooperation, patience, and earning practical work experience. By working on the farm, these youth learn the very basics of self-sufficiency…how to grow their own food.

McLaughlin Grows employs college-aged students as interns. They not only hone existing skills, but learn management and organizational techniques too,  as they work with every aspect of farm operations.

The farm also helps middle school students in summer school who are in danger of not passing to the next grade level. Through “Growing Goods,” middle-schoolers learn about eating healthy, gain knowledge about growing their own food and build self-confidence and self-esteem. They also learn first-hand that they can make amazing things happen when working together as a team.

We are growing educational programs at McLaughlin Grows too! Preschoolers, elementary school-aged students, middle-schoolers, and high-schoolers come to the farm on field trips and for community service projects to learn about what it takes to put food on their tables. Programs are being developed so that teachers can find farm-based lessons in a variety of subjects such as math, history, language arts, art, and the sciences that help teach their classes about farming and growing food using these different venues. It is a wonderful way to bring students onto the farm and the farm into the classroom!

Special needs students come to the farm regularly to learn practical life skills, how to grow food, and to gain hands-on work experience through everyday activities. These young adults are given the opportunity to grow and stretch their abilities beyond what can be done inside the four walls of a classroom. We are also developing programs to bring senior citizens and youth together. Having multi-generational activities where those with experience guide their young neighbors through the steps of sowing seed, growing and caring for plants creates bridges of understanding and fosters a greater sense of responsibility for each other.

All of these things and more are what purchasing a CSA share through McLaughlin Grows Urban Farm supports. Neighbors coming together, children learning where food comes from, elders passing skills on to their littlest neighbors, people learning to eat and live healthier and happier, and so much more! We are one community…growing healthier, growing stronger, and growing together!

McLaughlin Grows Urban Farm is currently hiring interns. If you want to get involved in community farming check out the oportunities HERE

Stay up to date on all the farm activities on FACEBOOK

Project Sawubona (“I See You”) by Najeah Tornes

On March 17, 2017, the YEP’s (Youth Empowerment Project) hosted “Project Sawubona,” inspired by a Zulu word meaning, “I see you.”  As YEPs, we invited students from other Muskegon school districts to come out and support the community of Muskegon.

We had planned to clean up two areas of the Muskegon community, cleaning up garbage and tidying up public spaces, but due to the weather (there was a blizzard that morning!)  we had a change in plans. Instead, we helped Kids Food Basket program, a program where volunteers make sack lunches for the students of Nelson and the Heights elementary schools to send home with students from struggling families so they can have an evening meal. They put a cool twist on it with colors and designs on every bag, so each and every student can have something positive every day.

Thankfully, a lot of our peers came and supported us from all different schools and areas such as Oakridge, MCEC, Muskegon, Western Michigan Christian, Orchard View, Muskegon Covenant Academy and Muskegon Heights. First, we all had breakfast and designed the lunch bags and had positive bonding time with our peers. We also had an activity where we had a discussion about the positive and negative going on in our community and ways we could make it better.

After both of those activities, we went to Muskegon Heights High School and had a rally where outstanding talents and amazing acts of courage were shown. Keyvon (a YEP) danced boldly and amazingly, and Ms. Charlotte (YEP Director) sang gracefully.  Wonderful things happened that day, but the most courageous was this: three boys from Muskegon Heights High School came up on the stage in front of everyone and shared what their school and city meant to them. Then, they asked for help from us, to get other people to see the Heights the way they do.

This was my first community project with YEP,  and I was inspired by all of my peers. It was refreshing to know that other people felt the same or had similar feelings and thoughts as me regarding my community. After this experience, for the first time in my life, I believed that we can actually change the community we live in and maybe even the world.

Najeah Tornes is a member of our Youth Empowerment Program, which provides neighborhood youth with leadership skills, volunteer experience, and college/work readiness.

Keep up to date on all the amazing things the YEP's do on FACEBOOK

The YEP's are going to Washington D.C!

Because of YOUR GENEROSITY we raised $5,029 and are now able to send the YEP's to Washington D.C!

The YEP's will get to visit different colleges and museums, as well as experience a large multicultural city and the center of governance of this nation.

They are just a little excited.

Why not read the YEP's thoughts on this amazing opportunity...

Youth-Led Race Relations Discussion

As a nation, we are becoming increasingly more aware of different ethnic groups within our communities. Within the next 20 years, the US will demographically shift from a predominantly white society to a predominantly minority society, but this awareness often comes hand in hand with very negative reporting. Unarmed black men threaten a predominantly white police force. Middle eastern immigrants are often referred to as extremists or even terrorists. The Latino community is continually referred to as “illegal” and job stealers. These narratives are routinely told and reacted to, despite being over-simplifications of extremely complex situations.

Due to the rise of social media, it is almost impossible for youth in the United States to ignore these narratives. Even if they live in a predominantly white, middle-class area. The need to be aware of racism in the US and how it manifests differently in different communities has become an important topic of conversation, but one that is often brushed under the carpet.
    The youth group of 1st Lutheran church in North Muskegon, however, has taken a different approach. The group of predominantly white teenagers, in a city that is 94% white, decided that if they were to progress in the world, they needed to broaden their horizons. The youth group decided to connect with our Youth Empowerment Program (YEP), to start the important conversation of race relations and to learn from the experiences of those who encounter racism in their daily lives.  “As a young woman going into the professional world, it is important for me to realize that the world that I see isn't the same world that other people see,” says Madi from 1st Lutheran.         

The workshops involve exercises that develop on the theme of inequality.

The YEPs jumped on the idea, eager to share their experiences as Latinx, Black and White youth living and learning together in Downtown Muskegon, an area that is over 50% non-White. YEP Miranda reflected on racism at a recent workshop: “It's really prevalent in our society and it’s relevant to what's going on in my life and the lives of people I care about.”
    It’s inspiring to see teenagers from different social and ethnic backgrounds walk through the maze of race relations together. “I am learning to look at all aspects of racism--not just what I have experienced. When I hear about racism I always thought it was a ‘black vs white’ thing, but I am learning there are other people who are being discriminated against, like Hispanics and Arabs too,” YEP Keyvon explained. “We all have something to learn and share here.”

At Community enCompass we are inspired by these youth leaders who are challenging all of us to engage more deeply in hard conversations towards healing and reconciliation.

"I Am Neighbor" - Yvette

As I sat talking to Yvette in the living room of her Bethany Housing apartment I was struck by just how clean everything was. In her kitchen the white tiled floor was sparkling, dazzlingly white, a shock to the eyes after the dull gray morning sky outside. Here in the living room, the beige carpet was fuzzy, spotless. Her apartment was clean, almost too clean, at least, cleaner than you would expect from a 21-year-old living on their own for the first time.

    It came as no surprise to find out that Yvette was a janitor at a local school. She gets paid to clean, so the spotlessness of her apartment made a little more sense. Yvette moved into her Bethany Housing apartment in May 2015, after being on the waiting list for a few months. She was excited to finally live independently. “It was a blessing because of everything I went through. Most young adults aren’t ready to be adults, but I was ready--physically ready, mentally ready.”
    Yvette has been through a lot. She was adopted at a young age “My parents gave my siblings and I up for adoption because they want me to be better than them”, she tells me, “It was to help  me, my sisters and brothers out.” Yvette’s adoptive mother then died when Yvette was 8 years old, and so she was taken in by an aunt. She has struggled with feelings of resentment towards her birth parents, but has recently reconnected with them. “Now I look back and think I could've been in jail, in the grave, or something like that but instead look where I am today! Look at how I was raised and brought up. I have no kids, I have my own place, have gone to college, have a full-time job, and now I look on the positive side of it. No negativity.”
    Yvette bounced around a few different schools but finally settled at Muskegon High School and connected to Community enCompass through its Youth Empowerment Project (YEP). The program  aims to equip young people with the tools and encouragement to become leaders within their communities. YEP opened Yvette up to opportunities like mentoring younger children through  an after school program and CATCH Camp, a summer day camp for children.  As a YEP, Yvette also worked with a team of 4 other young YEP women on the rehab of a residential home  Community enCompass rehabbed to sell, learning  skills in construction and rehabbing. “That project taught me how we can bring a community together and build something great. I really liked that.”

Yvette in her Bethany Housing Program apartment.

The YEP program also helped to Yvette become college-ready. Although she has put her formal education on hiatus, she is close to completing a degree in Early Education with Criminal Justice, and she also recently enrolled in a local cosmetology school. Ultimately, Yvette wants to work within the prison system, as she sees it as a way to be able to give back to the community. However for Yvette, just like most young adults, being able to finish school, and be financially independent is close to impossible.

Yvette doesn't want to take out a loan. “It will get you in the long run,” she says referring to the high-interest rates on monthly payments. So, she studies and works. In the past, she has worked two jobs while also going to  classes. Her current 2nd shift janitorial job allows her to cover her bills and live comfortably, but it also conflicts with the times the majority of college classes are  taking place. She sums up the predicament many youth face today,  “College can't pay your {immediate} bills. I wanna go back, but right now I can’t.”

Yvette is being wise: working hard, paying her bills, and staying away from debt and loans. She’s even saving a little money, but this hasn't always been of benefit. A lack of loans, car payments, credit card payments can lead to bad credit. Landlords often won’t  rent to those with bad credit, so despite working hard, saving money and making wise decisions, she struggled to find a place to call her own until she contacted Community enCompass.  Our Bethany Housing Program helps provide units to people who have low  credit scores or can't find a reliable cosigner, instead looking at proof of income and rental history to gauge suitability for the program. For the last year and a half, Yvette has been a model tenant and neighbor.

    Yvette is a strong, independent, fearless young African American woman, with a bright future ahead of her. We are so glad to call her neighbor!

This Christmas, consider the gift of dignity

For eight years, a group of our neighbors have sought to provide high quality, new toys, and gifts for hard-working families in the core city Muskegon neighborhoods at an affordable price. We believe there is dignity for families in purchasing their own Christmas gifts for their children and family. At the Christmas store, parents can purchase gifts or volunteer to earn credit to shop for their children at the Downtown Christmas store at greatly reduced prices.

Every gift donated to the Downtown Christmas Store turns into three gifts for our neighbors: A toy for a child, pride and dignity for their parents, and jobs for neighborhood youth during the summer work experience. All proceeds from the Christmas Store this year will support jobs for youth in the summer. You can donate funds, new toys or teen gift items.

The neighborhood Christmas store makes the impossible, possible.  Because of your donation, everyone can say, “We have done it together.”

CLICK HERE for a full list of what is needed before December 10th. To make a donation or join us this Christmas season, email us at hnp@communityencompass.org.

Check out the Christmas Store's Facebook page!

Back Pack Bash!

Going back to school is a hectic time for parents and kids, with getting school supplies, haircuts, and new shoes not to mention the emotions of suspense, excitement and nervousness that all come with a new year.

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Girls and Boys Backpacks ready to be packed with YOUR donations.

As a way of welcoming our neighborhood children back to school and relieving some of that parental tension, Community enCompass and our neighborhood partners will be throwing a Back-Pack-Bash on Monday, August 29th at Muskegon Covenant Academy from 6-8pm. The event will offer free dental check-ups and haircuts (possibly even some manicures!), as well as carnival games, bounce houses, and the Muskegon Fire Department Truck.  

Back-to-School Bash is a grassroots neighborhood initiative, which allows you the opportunity to positively affect a child’s life and educational experience. We take no grant money and so are fully dependent on YOUR donations of pencils, pens, notebooks, color pencil, backpacks, crayons erasers, calculators, filler paper and volunteers!

If you can volunteer on the 29th and for information on the event, contact Charlotte Johnson at hnp@communityencompass.org.  Drop off your donations to Community enCompass located at 19 Hartford, 49442.

Thanks to these organizations for partnering with the 2016 Back-to-School Bash: 

Journey Church, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Solutions Learning Center, New Life Christian Center, Molina Health Care, Adam Automotive, Greater Muskegon Optimist Club, Muskegon Covenant Academy, Pepsi, Muskegon Family Care, Waters Edge Boutique, COGIC Community Center

1191 Sanford St: What's really in the history of a house?

Check out the story of a completed rehab, from the perspective of the home itself.

McLaughlin Grows Urban Farm Announces Internship Positions

McLaughlin Grows Urban Farm is announcing it has two internship positions available in the coming year. 

Fore more general info about McLaughlin Grows Urban Farm, click here. 

A brief description of the farm site internship: 

Farm work will be done under the direction of the Farm Manager. Workdays may involve traveling to multiple sites and repetitive tasks. An ideal candidate will come to work well-prepared, and be interested in actively engaging with our team, farm sites, and greater city around us. We are looking for farm interns that will aid in all aspects of everyday farm field operation, including: hoop house work, planting and' transplanting, weeding, harvesting, watering, preparing for markets, CSA distribution, attending the city farmer’s market, pest control, mulch and compost application, and a variety of other tasks as the season progresses. We are excited by the prospect of working with someone who has interest in shaping the long term direction of our farm.

For more information about the farm site internship, and to learn how to apply, click here.

A brief description of farm education coordinator internship:

We are looking for interns that will aid in all aspects of the farm’s educational programs. McLaughlin Grows Urban Farm partners with Muskegon Public Schools on various programs intended to expose youth of all ages to gardening skills. The farm also hosts special needs students from Pioneer Resources’ “Food for Thoughts” program. During the summer, youth groups of all ages and from multiple organizations will attend the farm during their individual programs. Assistance with these opportunities will be a part of the intern’s responsibilities, as well as assisting the farm education coordinator in the office and at education sites as needed. Additional duties may include assisting with the Muskegon Farmer’s Market and CSA program on the farm, as needed. We are excited by the prospect of working with someone who has interest in shaping the long term direction of our farm.

For more information about the farm education coordinator internship, and to learn how to apply, click here.