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Metanoia Celebrates Mentors' Efforts

Mentors for our after-school program students were invited to celebrate the impact they’ve had on young lives this past year.  Jamilla Harper, Volunteer Coordinator at Metanoia, organized the banquet, which featured a barbeque dinner donated by The Barbeque Joint, cake, and certificates of appreciation from both Metanoia and North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey. 

Metanoia CEO Bill Stanfield opened by saying a few words on the meaningful impact that mentors have on our young students.  Mentors not only help our afterschool students through tutoring, but also engage them in meaningful relationships.  Barbara Kingsbury, Director of Be a Mentor, also commented on how successful Metanoia’s mentor program has been in actively pairing our students with adult friends who are ready to contribute to their education and social lives.

Charmaine Townsend, our Young Leaders Program Director, read aloud one Young Leader’s letter to his mentor, which expressed the gratitude, respect, and love he had for his mentor.  David Hutchinson and Stacy Brown, co-Directors of the Civic Leaders Program, also addressed the crowd and spoke about the importance for many of our afterschool students to have such positive role models in their lives.  Mentors give only an hour or two a week, but that time goes a long way in developing our students’ character.  A ‘Mentor of the Year’ award was presented to Amy Kovach of MeadWestvaco for her devotion to her mentee.  Amy and her husband Chris were also awarded as Metanoia’s Private Donors of the Year at our Christmas Jubilee banquet. 

Interested in becoming a mentor?  Contact Metanoia’s volunteer coordinator – Jamilla Harper (jamilla@pushingforward.org).

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Chicora/Cherokee Residents Raise Concerns, Solutions at Annual Town Hall Meeting

Metanoia sought to remain faithful to its core value of being “community based” by hosting its annual town hall meeting this February.  Chicora/Cherokee residents met at Chicora Elementary School to participate in the annual Town Hall Meeting.  The meeting, which took place the night of the 22nd, gave community members the chance to identify concerns they have for our neighborhood, but to also identify several neighborhood assets and possible solutions for those concerns.  Metanoia uses this raw information to determine our field of focus for the upcoming year because we believe that people living in a community can best diagnose their own problems.

After pizza and desert, attendees spent the first half of the meeting visiting different tables, each led by a facilitator.  Each facilitator presented a particular topic, and would ask residents to identify the negatives, positives, and possible solutions that they attribute to that area.  The topics that facilitators represented were crime/policing, housing, youth, community stability, shopping, jobs, health, and education. 

When everyone had visited each station, the facilitators then presented the main ideas that most residents touched upon.  For housing, the biggest problems identified were low homeownership rates, and neglect of upkeep by landlords.  The most common asset was the presence of Metanoia, and that community members often look out for each other and each others’ property.  The change that residents most wanted to see was greater rates of homeownership, more responsible landlords, and more affordable housing.

For youth, the largest concern was a lack of supervision, not enough afterschool programs, and too few positive adult role models outside of school.  Assets included the Metanoia and Wings afterschool programs.  Changes that residents would like to witness were more community involvement in looking out for their youth, and more afterschool programs.

The biggest negatives for health were a lack of healthcare facilities in the community, folks not getting enough healthcare, and drug and alcohol use.  The largest asset was the Riverfront Park in the Navy Yard, where many residents go for exercise and the fact that many of our residents walk as a part of their daily transportation needs.  A change that community members wanted to see take place was the arrival of more healthcare facilities.

For shopping, the main concern was a lack of a conveniently located grocery store.  More negatives included too many liquor stores and pawn shops, a lack of local ownership of neighborhood stores, and that the few convenience stores that are in close proximity are often too expensive and offer low quality goods.  The main positive identified was that there is an initiative being taken by the City of North Charleston to get a grocery store in the community.  Folks wanted to see was to get a new grocery soon.

The main negatives associated with crime and police were some occasions of police harassment as well as drug related crime.  A positive is that, while some police harassment still exists, many officers have developed healthy relationships with community members and often involve themselves in community events.  A change that residents would like to see take place would be for police to continue establishing a joint effort with the community by leaning residents’ names and being careful not to typecast everyone as a criminal. 

Major concerns for employment included the need for more jobs in the area, the lack of quality full time jobs with benefits, the fact that education is still not seen by many residents as a bridge to successful employment, and the futility that ex-offenders feel about their chances of reentering the work force.  Assets were few, but included the rehabilitated Navy Yard and the jobs that it has brought.  Changes that residents would like to see include a new grocery store, which would bring new jobs, redevelopment of the Reynolds Avenue corridor, more education for employment training, and more criminal reentry programs.

Negatives that went along with community stability were the high rate of neighborhood turnover, as well as a lack of participation in community functions.  Positives were that although there was low participation in community activities, there are plenty of these activities to attend.  Also included as assets were the role Metanoia has played as well as improved communication lines among residents.  Folks said that they’d like to see the development of a community center to unite the neighborhood.

Problems associated with education included a lack of parental involvement and concern, under educated parents, and the need for more programs sponsored by community institutions like the public library.  Assets were Metanoia work and advocacy around education and dedicated community leaders.  Changes that need to occur in education were parents giving positive reinforcements academically and behaviorally, more overall parental involvement, and more community outreach.

The main points that facilitators presented were written on poster board and attendees were then asked to place stickers next to the concerns, assets, and solutions which they felt deserved the most attention.  After the all the stickers had been placed, it was clear that community’s greatest interest lied with the arrival of a convenient grocery store.  City Council members Kurt Taylor and Michael Brown were in attendance and shared the city’s plans to purchase the old Pinehaven shopping center in an effort to lure a grocery store to our community.  Both attributed attendance at these meetings over the years as a reason for their willingness to pursue this bold initiative.

Metanoia will continue holding this annual meeting because we really do believe that people who live in a neighborhood are the experts on their own problems.  We will use the feedback gained at this year’s meeting to determine our work for the year ahead.