To Empower Teenagers in Flint is Very Simple.. Just Listen to Them.. Little Free Library in Mott Park- Flint MI for Teenagers

 

The new Mott Park Teenagers Little Free Library (Number- 2867)  is coming to 919 Frank St.

After observing that several of the teenagers in the neighborhood rarely used the FLL, a series of conversations conducted randomly during summer on Cadillac, Perry, Joliet, Norbert, Nolen and Frank and Dougherty brought to the attention that the FLL around MP do not have much books/magazines that are of interests of teenagers.

And so a group of teenagers decided to organize a FLL and started collecting magazines. If neighbors want to donate, the magazines could be dropped at 907 Frank.

List of Magazines Teenagers want to have in the FLL are:

Discovery Girls

Slam

Sport Illustrated

Baseball America

Teenagers’ graphic novels

Girl’s Life

Skateboarding

GamePro

Nintendo Power

Play station

Popular science

Popular Mechanics

Computer Gaming World

BMX Plus-

Comics- Batman, Spider Man, Wonder Woman, Captain America

Teen Graffiti

 

Thank you for helping this project!

Omid, Arezu, Erick, Nykoreyan

http://www.littlefreelibrary.org/

There is so many interesting pictures …take a pic at http://www.google.com/search?q=public+pictures&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=1RFmUOSJLIuCyAHPoYFw&ved=0CFYQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=600#hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=free+little+library&oq=free+little+l&gs_l=img.1.0.0j0i24l9.10966.15802.0.17479.17.13.2.2.2.0.177.1502.5j8.13.0…0.0…1c.1.OoqwdHfjYaw&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=fa0843734d2fc98e&biw=1366&bih=600

You See His Picture and You Think ….How Can We As a Society Produce Such Criminals…in Flint?

 

Is it the water? Is it the weather? Is it the Light? I know, I make no sense with these questions, but the reality is that cities like any place where human being live have certain concentric energies and attracts similar people for exchange of goods, and services. Cities attract people with money to do transactions in banks and law firms, and governmental offices, but also attract poor people to receive services, in public hospitals, and social services for housing and education.

So what does it make living in a city so  good for rich people but bad for poor children. How is that our city rejects poor children to the point that they kill themselves like rats? Why? Nobody stopped in their path and made them feel worthwhile that killing each other for honor or some inconsequential thing in lives deserve a death sentence? It seems to me that nobody cares in this city because the killing keeps coming …

Public schools do not seem to care much about the epidemic of violence for what I have seem is that  they build more metal detectors and more mistrust on the children that feel nobody is on their side.

There is no week that pass that I am thinking about Antonio. Could we as a society have intervened? I do not know. What I know is that more children are killing each other and the city of Flint seems only frustrated by that….because if this was a real epidemic that is affecting everybody and I mean everybody, we would have seen more urgency to change things around.

I do not know how, but I hope to help stop such epidemic… and soon…

Could you help me, please?

Thanks,

Marta

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2012/06/flint_police_have_identified

http://obits.mlive.com/obituaries/flint/obituary.aspx?n=antonio-l-bell&pid=158022143#fbLoggedOut

 

 

One day I am writing the application of the TED Prize and the next I am weeding the park

Writing the TED prize was a good mental exercise, and it took a painstaking amount of time to translate thoughts and images from my brain into clear American English, for as a dyslexic, I have clear concepts, images, an ideas, but not clear words.

 

Anyway, the writing is done (sent at the last minute 11.59 pm) and yesterday morning, I took my children to weed the playground…and think…yes think.

See, we have the Art in The park festival next Saturday and the park needs to look attractive…when people come to visit our park, I want them to be pleased and impress…and see themselves living in Mott Park.

See, the park is not in complete disrepair, but need so much help! When I collect the weeds, I see the people coming and using the park…and it seems to me that they do not have the urge to clean the park as I have..Why? Are they so used to decay in their lives that this is OK? Is it me that want the park to look like parks in Fenton? Is it me that has higher expectations?

The park has no flower, and yet because the time in which it  was designed for a Flint that was rich, very rich is a magnificent piece of urban design. I am amazed that has lasted so long..and yet, vandalism has paid it visit and some of the tennis course metal walls are broken..and the list goes on and on.

I analyzed and tried to find techniques to motivate a new kind of behavior because everything that I see is passive victimhood type of” well I live in Flint what do you expect,” to complete denial of running around the huge weeds on the stairs coming down the park ( which I removed this morning in my dog-morning walk), “well I am  here for the time being while things get better, or I’m moving to another college soon, or I am going to be famous writing and will be able forget that I come from Flint, bye” to the sick nostalgia “things were better then”…when in reality if you are like me and talk to the seniors…drinking and wife beaters have been in the park forever.. the difference is that churches, and pastors/fathers were doing more community visits to the homes in Mott Park…and the police did not have this detached macho cars to drive around..and there were no TV’s..only the park.

So, I have been thinking that I will do and experiment  to give permission to people to try a different attitude…I will attach signs around the park

Mott Park is In Need of a Lot of  Love

To increase the Mott Park’s Quotient of Love:

• You have to feel this park belongs to you because it is true.
• Come and pray and be thankful to have such wonderful place in the city.
• Come and meditate.
• Come and play.
• Come and laugh.
• Come and weed the gardens.
• Come and weed the play areas.
• Come and paint the walls of the tunnel.
• Come and plant flowers.
• Come and collect the litter.
• But most of all come with all your friends to visit the park often

 Because if you love the Park,

The Park will love you

Back

And like magic the Karma of the park will change

The park is waiting for you

With open arms

The Mott Park Lady

After I hang the papers, I will let you know how things turn out…in the meantime look at this jewel that is Mott Park.