Onyx Creative ’s Post

A heartfelt update on our Skate Space project. Our mission is simple: revitalise the old chapel on the Trodez site into a vibrant community space for our youth. We thought we'd be up and running by now. However, we've faced delays from the Planning department, showcasing challenges that need to be highlighted, as they could make other community-led projects feel unachievable. Currently, the Trodez site houses two cottages, and a small congregation of about 20 people, who meet there on a Sunday. They support our proposal to repurpose the vacant chapel. We all believe in the importance of providing youth with spaces to gather and flourish, and we hope this project can be a catalyst and inspiration for other positive change on the island. The attached image encapsulates the exasperation we're feeling, as we await news from the Planning department... On a positive note, the overwhelming support from our community, and potential sponsors who share our vision, has been an absolute beacon of hope! Assurances from the Planning department indicate a response this week. Fingers crossed for positive news to propel this initiative forward! The plans cost circa £14,000 and took 18 months to put together, relying on a huge amount of community goodwill. I share these stats to highlight the tenacity needed as a result our current island 'red tape situation', even for such a simple project as this. Our community is yearning for change, aspiring to create a better environment for our children, and we hope for future Government support to expedite these kinds of essential community projects. The obesity and mental health crisis we face is an emergency, time is of the essence, and one winter of inactivity means a lot in a child’s life. There is much work to do. Carpe diem! Thank you to everyone who has given us time, unwavering support, understanding, and dedication to our shared goal of making our community a better place. Please stay tuned for what we hope will be some positive news! #SkateSpaceProject #CommunityRevitalization #YouthEmpowerment #PositiveChange #CommunityBuilding #PlanningProcess #CommunityInitiative #CarpeDiem #YouthSpaces #CommunityDevelopment 9X5 Architects Planning.je

What happens when children lead? Plans for an offgrid community centre, Hwb Cymunedol Gwalchmai, have been approved by local planners. Comprised of repurposed shipping containers the Hwb concept has been developed by a group of volunteers who aimed to help make the village “safer and arrange events and sessions for all ages to keep the community together”. And the idea was led by children from the village. Utopias Bach started working in Gwalchmai with children at Ysgol y Ffridd in summer 2021. "We wanted to explore the possibility of a child-led community engagement process for thinking about possible futures for the community" What happens when young people are free to freely explore their ideas for a better life? Do they open up more radical possibilities than the adults might? How does this kind of activity impact the children’s health and wellbeing? How can we create a way for adults to take their suggestions seriously? How can we encourage inter-generational conversations, bringing in past, present and future? https://lnkd.in/eN7inyhy

The Community Development Department kicked off 2024 with a mini-retreat and set goals for the year ahead. One of these goals is to overhaul our Department website, improving its organization and functionality to better disseminate information to the public. We will be rolling out these changes in digestible pieces over the next several months, starting with our home page. Stay tuned for updates! #CommunityDevelopment #WebsiteOverhaul #PublicInformation #DepartmentGoals #imabloggernow

New from the blog! Did you know... ...NYC's Open Streets program started as a COVID-19 measure, but has since become permanent legislation? ...the New York City Department of Transportation manages roughly 6,000 miles of streets, which essentially makes them the city’s biggest landlord? ...applications open for new Open Streets next month? Read the full blog post to learn more about Open Streets, and don't miss tonight's virtual program "Stopping Traffic: What Open Streets Mean for Neighborhoods" at 7:30pm ET! https://lnkd.in/gAQ6WeQ9 #virtualprogram #openstreets #nyc #urbanplanning #education #DOT #TheHort #openplans #community #neighborhoods #growth #NPC #neighborhoodpreservation #outdoordining #spaces #places #placemaking #nonprofits #communityspaces #preservation #zoom #education

An innovative project tackling the public housing crisis and investment in public spaces. gotta love the American innovative mindset, why not double your library and make all those great support services more accessible to families that really need them by adding 7 stories of affordable housing ontop of the new library. This is the third such project I read about in the USA, and I'm sure there are probably more. it's an interesting industry trend. 🤔 I'd love to live at the Library, who wouldn't 😆 #publiclibraries #innovation #accessibility #affordablehousing #housingcrisis

CONSTRUCTION SUPER CHALLENGE CHAMPION Dawn M. Miller and The Paving Lady and Women Empowering Women In Development Woman of the Year 2022-2024 Rebuilding Together Broward County Everyone deserves to live in a safe home and community. In partnership with the community, our primary goal is to eliminate unsafe and deplorable living conditions for low-income homeowners who are elderly, veterans, and/or have disabilities. Our impact extends beyond the individuals who served to revitalize and stabilize vulnerable neighborhoods and communities across the county. Rebuilding Together works to make a sustainable impact in our community by addressing quality of life issues through the provision of critical home repairs and improvements at no cost to the homeowner. Rebuilding Together’s activities have a direct impact on: (1) retention of low-income home ownership and improvement of affordable housing stock, (2) health, safety and independence of vulnerable populations, and (3) community and neighborhood revitalization. #dawn #thepavinglady You are the Champion(s) that makes ReBuilding Together possible and proof that humanity is one of the strongest tools in the challenge. 

Closing out the week, I am finally getting a chance to reflect on the amazing AIA MN Conference on Architecture held in Minneapolis at The Milwaukee Depot earlier this week. The building and the neighborhood felt more like a community - connected, walkable, and safe. The things that left the greatest impression on me were: 1. AI is Provocation - There is a tremendous response to the technology and automation that we all need to pay attention to. Those that understand how to use AI will be in the driver seat. 2. We would all benefit from anonymous centralized data to improve design and the build environment as a whole - along with a whole bunch of other things if other industries did this. 3. Accessibility is a great design. Karen L. Braitmayer, FAIA, shared amazing examples of accessibility hidden within beautiful and engaging designs. 3. Homeless Camp IMPROVEMENT Plans - Oleg Kozlovskii has spent time immersed in the problems and solutions for homelessness, amongst other informal design. He is posed the question, why not improve the homeless camps instead of tear them down? The annual costs to tear down homeless camps are more than it would cost to house each individual for a year. Check out his work here and decide for yourself:

Educational outreach can be a great opportunity to build awareness of what paths are possible and to have this awareness early in order to inform decisions. I used my volunteering day to deliver a talk on careers in construction at a local school in Kent, after having been invited by a connection, but it did mean being well-prepared in advance to persuade a room full of 13-14 year old boys… Of course it was a bit nerve-wracking, but all I could ask for was that there was enthusiastic engagement in the end, especially when tasked to ‘build a tower’ and assume typical project roles. Some great ideas and thinking came to light. The bonus was the chance to break the stigma in a thought-provoking and respectful way that the industry does not and will not only consist of people exactly like them. Prime example with yours truly that women and others are making a mark too. The more we define that a lot of industries welcome diverse thinking and opportunities, the perception will change. Thank you for having me 🙏🏽 Note: The school, not named, gave me permission to share this photo and I obviously have strategically covered any pupil faces. All views above are purely my own. #construction #careers #education #outreach #volunteering #community #presentation #builtenvironment #projectmanagement #architecture

Homeowners Associations (HOAs) play an important role in building and nurturing strong communities. In addition to managing neighborhood affairs, HOAs can actively participate in various organizations and affiliated events that promote community development and provide valuable resources. By engaging with these organizations, HOAs can enhance their knowledge, network with industry professionals, and contribute to the overall well-being of their neighborhoods. Learn more about the organizations and events (Community Associations Institute, National Association of Home Builders, American Planning Association, National Recreation and Park Association, American Society of Landscape Architects, etc.) HOAs can partner with to foster compassion in their community in this article written for helpall social in partnership with Skeleton Krew Agency. #freelancewriter #blogwriting #contentwriting #contentmarketing #skeletonkrewagency #helpall #homeownersassociation #community #compassion

“Let’s come together to share in the joy, blessings, and camaraderie that this auspicious occasion brings.” #communitybuilding #community #opulencespaces #opulence #coworkingspace #managedofficespace #rentedofficespace #officespace #bestplacetowork #newofficespace