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Visions of a Promise Neighborhood
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Maria Isabel Carbajal appreciates
being a part of her children’s
education (shown here with son
Christopher). |
Maria Isabel Carbajal has a clear picture of the pivotal roles that she and other Gulfton/Sharpstown residents will play in the success of the Promise Neighborhood initiative aimed at their community. "I know that I can truly be a part of changing things for the better," she said.
Carbajal was among the 140 community members who gathered at Baker-Ripley Center on Feb. 3 for a fact-gathering Promise Neighborhood Visioning session. The session was the first in a planned series of forums where Gulfton/Sharpstown neighbors will share ideas, hopes and dreams about making "education" a key pillar of their community.
Visioning sessions are key building blocks in the Promise Neighborhood Planning Grant that the U.S. Department of Education awarded to Neighborhood Centers Inc. in 2010. More than 400 groups applied for the grants, which are designed to help revitalize communities through initiatives to educate children from cradle to college.
Carbajal leads the Parent Teacher Organization at the Baker-Ripley Community School – and she is convinced that "education" is a perfect avenue to help effect change in the Gulfton/Sharpstown area. During the Visioning session, she and other participants brainstormed in small groups to identify the best ways to promote educational success for children in the community.
After the session, Carbajal said she believes parents can be a critical link in helping the community achieve its educational goals – especially if Neighborhood Centers Inc. can help point them in the proper directions. "We must educate ourselves before we can educate our children – and parents must serve as examples so children see the importance of education," she said.
During the Visioning session, participants in her group shared their most significant educational experiences and tried to identify occasions when "learning became alive" for them. Information collected during these and other Promise Neighborhood community forums  will aid Neighborhood Centers Inc. in developing a comprehensive plan to help the Gulfton/Sharpstown area realize its ambitions.
"Parent and community engagement is necessary for true educational success," said Oriana Garcia of Neighborhood Centers Inc. "Our planning sessions will help point us toward the best ways to meet the community goals that have been articulated during the visioning, planning and implementation process."
Carbajal and other parents report they are enthused to be a part of this process – and noted they are both proud and grateful that their voices are being heard. "The most exciting thing is that I can be a part of it," she said.
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