Terri, Danielle, Mallory, Tamaha, Rachel, Tracy, Atasha. These seven women, along with Johnny and Deon, the two Northside Wanda Fullmore youth interns with the City, have occupied the better part of my days and my thoughts for the last two months. They are the Northside’s new Neighborhood Navigators. You can learn more about all of them on page 6.

Compassionate, wise, strong, sensitive, always smart, sometimes sassy, often hilarious, these women and two young men have kept me on my toes.  I am supposed to be training and supporting them, but the reality is that they’re teaching me how to do this work better.

At a most basic level, they were hired to do outreach and build relationships for the Safe & Thriving Community initiative, a federally funded youth violence prevention program, and for the Northside Early Childhood Zone, a home visitation program for families with
preschool-age children. But the Navigators are already accomplishing so much more: they are a testament to the singular power of overcoming isolation.

We have asked them to dig deep into their own life experiences and use that empathy in their work with their neighbors. This is often personal work, asking each of us to dive into the private corners of our pain so we are prepared for the pain of others.

We are asking the Navigators to be prepared for everything and anything: Is this family facing homelessness? Or a new baby without the resources needed to provide for it? Does this mother need a job that pays well enough to afford childcare but lacks the transportation to get there every day? Does that little girl need protection from an abuser? Does this young man need a place to belong? Does this teenager need a boost to her self-esteem?

The Navigators are not expected to meet the needs they encounter, but they are the first point of contact for many of our most vulnerable residents.

I work with so many of you on the Northside, and these last two months have reinforced to me that there is no single experience of being a Northside resident. Neighbors lead dramatically lives from other neighbors just a few streets away. The only way to resolve this fragmented, often inequitable existence is to connect — connect with people who are different from us and slowly, sometimes awkwardly, learn from each other.

And what I have learned is this: we have tremendous power right here in our community, on every corner of the Northside. There is talent everywhere. Each person is a treasure trove of hard-earned knowledge, rich skill sets, untapped potential. Imagine what kind of community we could be if we could move all of that raw people power into action?  Let’s find out.