Providing programming support to a public elementary school in Hollis, Queens.
I worked as a project assistant for Street Lab, which works with the NYC DOT to activate and program the City’s Open Streets. My work involves research, community organizing, placemaking, and programming. I tried to create long term relationships with community partners in neighborhoods lacking open space who can steward, love, take care of, and maintain open spaces over time and create a true community resource. I’ve partnered with groups like Jahajee Sisters, No North BK Pipeline / Sane Energy Project, Mayday Space, Queens DSA, and more to create resource tables with information about community fridges, voter registration, zine workshops, and activities for children. We also went to a school in Hollis, Queens, bringing activities to their open street with tons of Queens DSA volunteers talking to teachers about a Green New Deal.
My favorite open street to activate was actually a plaza - in Ozone Park between Foch Boulevard and Rockaway Boulevard. We activated the plaza on a few Fridays in September and brought along the Jahajee Sisters and Queens DSA to canvass about an Indo-Carribean gender justice organizing retreat and the Green New Deal for Public Schools campaign (respectively). We talked to residents about what they want in their open spaces (water fountains, public restrooms, bird feeders, dance groups, slides, vocational training, street trees, monkey bars, butterfly gardens…), and brought typewriters, pens and paper, letters to mail, and books.
