ACTION in Mart

The community garden group actually participated in part of the the Action portion of the CRAFT model, sadly, without me.  I was sick the day the group was scheduled to meet with the schools and I was not able to partake in that experience.  I have been told it was a very positive experience and that we have continued to only be met with appreciation and support from the schools toward this project. 
I was surprised when the group reported back all the interest they had from students regarding the community commons project.  I am very excited to see so many young people who are interested in helping impact their community in this way.  I feel that this support foreshadows exciting things for Mart if even this younger population is interested in bringing the town closer together through this project. 
Other forms of Action we have taken as a group are to actually meet with school principals before going to the schools.  This was an incredibly positive experience and I was very impressed with their openness in allowing us to present this project to their students.  These forms of Action and Research actually merged together from these 2 aspects of the CRAFT model. 
I am very excited to see the continued Action steps which will be taken for this project.  I know our group will continue to do everything we can and then hand off this exciting project to next semester's class to continue to the Action, Feedback, & Teaching portions of the CRAFT model. 

RESEARCH in Mart

Learning about the people of Mart and the ideas they have for this commons space has been the most interesting aspect of this project for me.  I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting with the community members and learning about their ideas for their town and what they are willing to do to see their ideas take shape. 
The majority of the community members I have met with who are interested in a community garden space are members of the older population.  However, I have been very impressed with their forward thinking.  They are not only aware of the divide in the community, but they are actively working toward shrinking this divide and are passionate about taking these steps to bring the community together. 
Gathering information for our project has not been difficult.  We have not been met with any resistance as to learning about the town or the population we are working with.  The schools and the members of the community who are choosing to meet with us have been very helpful with sharing their knowledge of their town with us.  The Research aspect of the CRAFT model has been an interesting experience in regards to meeting with and growing relationships with the people of Mart. 

CONTACT in Mart

Meeting members of the Mart community who are interested in a community garden has been a great experience.  I am very excited that there are members of the community who are interested in this project which would bring various populations of the community together.  In fact, this aspect of bringing the community together has been a main theme in all the meetings I have attended at Mart.  It is very exciting to know the community is willing to take steps to bring this divided town together. 
The stresses our group in having in regards to establishing a site for the garden, I think, are the least of our concerns.  We have met with members of the community who have said they want this community space and I am very impressed with their ideas and thoughts on the project thus far.  We are meeting some resistance, but none to the actual idea of community commons space, just to the site of this space. 
I feel that as our class continues working with this community and as the next semester takes over our efforts this project will surely be born and will hopefully be a place which continues in the effort to bring this community even closer to it's goal of unity across the town of Mart. 

blog assignment 1

1.      I feel the proposed benefits of historic site restoration in Mart, TX are to boost the morale of the city.  When a “ghost town” like Mart gets to the point that it is, it can be easy for the community to feel they are like the architecture of the town.  I feel it is important for people to live in beauty because what we see everyday effects the way we feel.  I feel if the current state of Mart’s architecture would be restored it would have a positive effect on the state of social, cultural, and economic development of the town, as long as the Mart community plays the leading role in the restorations.   

2.      I feel this concept of community gardens applies to a poverty-stricken, racially-divided southern, rural location such as Mart, TX in that it is possible for these gardens to be spaces which people of different races can successfully integrate and benefit from their structures.  One way this can be accomplished specifically in Mart was a suggestion from one of the community garden committee members; he said he would like to see the garden space be a space where the community could come together for festivals or community gatherings.  An example of this was another member said they would love to see the space be the location of yearly pre-school graduation celebration.  These types of gathers are not specific to any racial group and could be used equally by members of the community. 

3.      The global agent in shaping women’s ideas of beauty and presents the particular interpersonal and socioeconomic consequences for the young African American girls in Mart could be barrier to our work there, but I feel it does not have to be.  There is an intra-country need for discourse on this topic when discussing the Mart community because our projects there offer us a great opportunity to educate the present community and offer education for further generations.  I admit I do not have a thorough knowledge on this subject, but that is what this question brings up for me. 

4.      Through the new Co-Op and Mapping Project in the Mart community it could definitely redefine the town from a “ghost town” to something of a charming small art community.  From the small interaction I have had personally with the Mart community, it seems they are eager for this re-defining of their community to take place.  It seems the community is very excited about the on-going projects in Mart it seems they are ready for this change.  

5.      It seems we, as a UT presence, are trying to promote effectiveness and efficiency in Mart by helping them with the starting steps of redefining their community.  It was made very clear to my team at the garden project meeting that this would have to be a project with low sustainability.  I appreciated this disclosure from the committee that the project would be more successful if the vast majority of the work was accomplished with our help and that the maintenance should be low to assure the garden would continue to a success after our presence is no longer in Mart.