YELLS is a place for community empowerment and action, and our Community Conversations event provided an intentional forum for youth, parents, neighbors, business leaders, City and County representatives, and stakeholders to unite to uplift our shared community. As our special project in celebration of the National PAL (Police Athletic and Activities League) Day of Service, we brought these voices together and offered a seat at the table to share what matters to them within their community. It was powerful for youth and parents to raise their voices and for community leaders and local partners to hear what residents feel are the greatest needs of their family and Franklin Gateway community right now.
Our incredible YELLS Mentoring Program Bigs and Community Action Café Teens were the hosts for the day, welcoming guests and encouraging conversations at each of the table rotations. Groups of youth, parents, and community leaders and stakeholders rotated to engage in meaningful discussions led by local experts. The following topics were chosen based on issues that community members had expressed as important to them:
Access to Parks & Green Space on Franklin Gateway (Rich Deckman, City of Marietta Parks & Recreation Deputy Director)
Affordable Housing/Rent (Kelsey Thompson, City of Marietta Community Development Manager and Monica DeLancy, We Thrive on Riverside Renters Association Executive Director)
FRCA & the Power of an Active & Connected Community (Antoinette Reed, FRCA President)
Embracing Neighbors of Various Cultures & Languages (Lorena Beltran, YELLS Board Member)
How to Engage Your Elected Officials & Have a Voice in Your Community (Leroy Tre’ Hutchins, Cobb County Schools Board Member)
Franklin Fair Community Block Party: What You’d Like to See & What You’ll Bring (Kevin Keefe, YELLS Board Member)
What Else? What are the Other Needs of Franklin Gateway Families Right Now? (Melanie Kagan, The Center for Family Resources CEO)
Design Your Ideal Franklin Gateway (Caroline Whaley, Gateway Marietta CID Executive Director)
Police & Community Relationships (Officer Chris Cannon, Marietta Police Department)
We’re so grateful to each of our amazing table facilitators who made this event possible. Check out this feature news article in Fresh Take Georgia that captures the highlights of this exciting day! The event even made it into Chairwoman Cupid’s newsletter!
The day was filled with passionate conversations, new perspectives, deeper understanding, and inspiration for each of us to do our part in shaping our Franklin Gateway neighborhood together. It served as the perfect catalyst as our youth and parents begin to dream about how they want to use their skills and passions to shape their Franklin Gateway neighborhood. This productive day was just the first step in mobilizing community to come together to discuss the tough issues and develop ideas on how we can activate the strengths of our community to make positive change for all. It will take hard work and collaboration, but that’s why we’re here, and we’re looking forward to continuing to mobilize our community to take action on the issues that matter to them.
