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Posted: May 30th, 2012 Brant Aycock

Mobilize.org will be investing $25,000 in projects led by Millennials (defined as individuals born between 1976-1996) that increase civic engagement, community participation, and voter awareness around the country between now and this year's election.
 
Mobilize.org doesn’t want America to have to look too far to find an example of a young person who is tackling the challenges that they face, and working to increase civic engagement, community participation and voter awareness. To this end, they are excited to announce the first ever election Summit, Millennial Civic Engagement (MCE): Our Generation, Our Communities.
 
Using the GOOD Maker platform, Mobilize.org will invest in hyperlocal, Millennial-led projects that will work to increase civic engagement, community participation, and voter awareness. Millennials in North Carolina, Florida, California, Pennsylvania and Michigan will be eligible to submit their ideas online, and build communities around their projects.

From May 15th to June 11th, North Carolina Millennials can submit their ideas online by clicking HERE.  Approved submissions will be put to a public vote June 11^th to June 29^th. The Millennial with the top-voted idea in each state with receive an all-expense paid trip to the summit and a $500 starter fund to support their idea. 

In addition to the winners of the online competition, Mobilize.org will invite additional outstanding applicants to the summit.  They will convene in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 24 – 26th, 2012.  At the summit, Mobilize.org representatives will host a live competition where they will distribute awards totaling $25,000 to support the implementation of these amazing examples of community-based, Millennial problem solving.

For more information on the competition, please visit http://mobilize.org/MCESummit.

Posted: May 29th, 2012 Liz Bertrand

When the Bailey Concert Band, a drum corps of nine from the United House of Prayer, made their dramatic entrance at the Graham Heights Spring Festival Block Party, they struck the right beat for the day: perfect synchronization. The group captivated the 150 or so neighbors lining Ennis Avenue, just north of Charlotte's center city, and illustrated the residents' own coordinated efforts to create a successful community event.

The gathering, which was partially funded by a Crossroads Charlotte “Achieving Community Today” (A.C.T.) award, was made possible by the efforts of dozens of volunteers. These volunteers recruited sponsors like Food Lion and other area grocery chains to defray food expenses, set up the borrowed tables and chairs, prepared and served the food, and organized a raffle for gift cards worth up to $725 apiece from Lowe's South End to be used toward purchasing Energy Star Appliances. Even a Charlotte-Mecklenburg policeman stopped by to drop off a box full of coloring books, crayons, bookmarks and Junior Officer stickers for kids. Most important, volunteers spread the word and got the neighborhood to come together.

“It's a close-knit community,” said 54 year-old Ruby Williams, who has lived in Graham Heights since she was 16. She attended the event with her daughter, three granddaughters, and extended family. As the kids decorated the street with colorful chalk drawings and munched on burgers, Williams nodded with approval: “Since they started the neighborhood association, it's improved a whole lot.”

Getting families like Williams' out of their homes to spend time with neighbors of all ages was one of the primary goals of the block party, according to Joe Howarth, a graduate student at UNC-Charlotte, who has been working with the neighborhood since last August. While the Graham Heights Community Association's monthly meetings are well-attended, they generally draw older residents. He hoped the day's gathering would help the association “connect with younger generations.”

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Posted: May 25th, 2012 Ana Brown

Incoming CMS Superintendent Heath Morrison held a media briefing this morning at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center. Dr. Morrison unveiled his entry plan, which establishes a framework for his first few months on the job. He officially begins his new duties on July 2, but has been visiting Mecklenburg County regularly since being appointed in April. To see Dr. Morrison’s entry plan in full, please visit the CMS website.

Posted: May 23rd, 2012 Brant Aycock

Division.  Action.  REALITY. 

These were some of the words residents and staff of Hope Haven used to describe the four Crossroads Charlotte Scenarios when they viewed the films and heard the stories read aloud on May 19^th.  Hope Haven provides residential recovery services for more than 300 homeless, chemically dependant adults and families in Charlotte-Mecklenburg as they work their way towards independence.  Crossroads Charlotte’s tagline of “Imagine Our Tomorrow, Act Today” was especially meaningful to this community – where they know firsthand how the choices one makes can lead to positive OR negative outcomes.

“Hope Haven is a diverse community within greater Charlotte Mecklenburg,” says Hope Haven Vice President of Human Resources Nancy Harville.  “We provide hope to the homeless through a structured recovering environment, with the goal of returning to the Charlotte community as a productive citizen.  This event with Crossroads Charlotte allows our Residents to gain an insight into just what the greater Charlotte community is or can be.  Our Residents are able to internalize the understanding that they can make a difference.”  

Facilitators Dianne English and Annetta Foard had individuals read the written scenarios (Fortress Charlotte, Class Act, The Beat Goes On, and Eye to Eye) and then the group watched the corresponding film version.  Afterwards, they broke into small groups to discuss what they had seen and what it meant to them.

One resident (NOTE:  to protect the privacy of those in residence at Hope Haven, no names will be given), who identified with a single working mother in the films, remarked how sometimes a person can get so involved in their own circumstances that it blinds them to what others are going through. 

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