Ward One Non-profits Seek Self-Help

Ward One nonprofit organizations gathered today on the first floor of the Columbia Heights Recreation Center to begin sharing resources and working together in order to survive stronger in these times of cutbacks and economic hardships.



The event was sponsored by the Shaw Columbia Heights Family Collaborative. It was called, "Strengthening Ward One Together" or SWOT. After a few supportive words from the Ward One council member, the organizing work began with Timothea Howard, who works at Centro Nia.




Everyone broke into smaller groups with an assignment of four relevant questions. 1 What are the current needs of the Ward 1 community? 2. What are the primary assets of the Ward I Community? 3. What could an organiztion of all of us be doing to better address the needs and strengthen the assets described? 4. How could you be involved in the future of the SWOT initiative?



















When the groups came back together to the whole gathering, each one had several suggestions for future actions. Creation of a blog and listserv to improve communication arose the most. Improved communications in Spanish and English and other languages as needed. See last image for a detailed list.