YELLS prides itself on being a community hub where Franklin Gateway residents can come together to engage with city representatives, community leaders, and their fellow neighbors to discuss the needs and expectations of their community. Together we can accomplish more, and on August 25th we hosted our first YELLS Parent Engagement event of the school year!
The purpose of this event was to establish community connections between YELLS parents, teens, and staff as a first step towards being the change we wish to see on Franklin Gateway. Community connections are strengthened through the sharing of ideas and mutual needs, and this event was a first opportunity for our YELLS Family to come together, get to know one another, and build on the networks that already exist within YELLS. After a brief introduction from our staff, we quickly transitioned to a viewing of the #WeLoveFranklinGateway documentary, which served as a starting point for our community discussions:
This documentary tells the amazing story of how our Community Action Café teens took it upon themselves back in 2016 to galvanize their community after plans were in place to change the name of the street from Franklin Road to Gateway Boulevard. Despite the odds, they rallied together and made it clear to community leaders at the time that this community matters and is paying attention. Ultimately, our teens’ voices were acknowledged and the street retained ‘Franklin’ in its name.
Among other things, this documentary shows us that there is real power in the collective voices of Franklin Gateway. It was also meant to prompt all of us to think about how our community has changed since that video was produced 6 years ago. Community members then broke into small groups of three, mostly consisting of one parent, one staff or board member, and one YELLS teen, and together they discussed the needs and issues facing Franklin Gateway residents as a result of those changes.
Community Needs
Many residents have seen a sharp increase in rent throughout the community, forcing some to consider moving away from Franklin Gateway in search of more affordable housing. This is partly due to the increasing gentrification of Franklin Gateway; residents shared their stories of how familiar mom-and-pop stores were bought out or torn down in favor of large scale development projects like the Atlanta United training complex or a new Ikea, which has sat as an empty concrete lot since Ikea purchased the property in December of 2017. Additionally, lack of rental assistance in the area further complicates things for residents who have likely not seen an increase in their wages as prices have skyrocketed.
Other neighbors expressed a strong desire for more community spaces for their children to go instead of hanging out in the streets, and lamented that community leaders didn’t take neighbor’s opinions into consideration when deciding the fate of those empty lots. Increased access to existing community spaces like the Franklin Gateway Sports Complex was also brought up from this discussion. Some residents expressed frustration in being unable to use those fields for their own recreation unless they reserved and paid for them, despite the fields being promised to the community as an accessible public good when talks first started to develop the area.
Alumni Bring Voice To FG
We were also honored to invite back two of our YELLS alumni in Destinee Day and YaDeijha Butler! Destinee was our Teen CEO when she was a member of the Community Action Cafe, while YaDeijha was a part of both our YELLS Community Action Cafe and Mentoring Programs, and they spoke to the audience about their experiences growing up on Franklin Gateway at a time when the community was drastically changing. Their stories about how YELLS helped empower them to enact their own meaningful change on Franklin Gateway was inspiring for all of us in attendance, and it pushed community members to think about new ways that they themselves can engage with each other to advocate for the Franklin Gateway community.
Call To Action
All in all, this event was a brilliant way to connect with neighbors and community members, and it really felt like people walked away from the discussions having learned something new about Franklin Gateway. With this first parent engagement event behind us, YELLS is now looking ahead to our next big event on September 17 called Community Conversations!
This event is open to the entire Franklin Gateway and beyond, and will be a powerful opportunity for all stakeholders to come together to engage in meaningful discussions around shaping our shared Franklin Gateway neighborhood. We’ll discuss community needs, strengths, concerns, and what’s needed from each of us to build the community we desire. YELLS wants all voices to be heard and knows that we need to mobilize everyone in advocating for our community, and this is your chance to join us at the table. We need YOU!
Be sure to join us on Saturday, September 17 at YELLS for this important community event!
