Seattle ABCD Training

Seattle is an awesome city! In-fact Seattle is such a great place, someone should shutdown I-5 that bi-sects it...this so people are forced to get off the "beaten path" so they can see and experience the richness of Seattle neighborhoods.

Okay DOT...sorry I'm only joking.

The good people of Seattle have forged much through hard work and effort, now seeing a network of neighborhoods that are vibrant full of community. Someone once told me that Jim Diers had something to do about this...what would that be I wonder? Perhaps kind of "people bumping into people" sort of thing. Yeah Jim, the best definition of community building around!

Anyway, I experienced another joy by facilitating a 2-day training on ABCD in the Greenwood Neighborhood. Meeting in the upstairs of The Upper Crust (what hospitality!). We had 30 people representing 16 different citizen or faith-based groups.

I have to tell you, during the first day, as the participants were gathered in their small groups, the buzz of conversation, the level of volume, the full participation and heightened anticipation was such that it almost brought me to tears. I mentioned this to the group as they got back together.

What I observed were people coming from very different backgrounds...etc., who really wanted to have meaningful conversations, learn, co-learn, and get out there and "do" this thing called ABCD! No intellectual boring deal that day!

That type of response continues to greatly inform me, inspire me.

Even with all the national and state political polarities, when you get right down to it, down to the local level, block by block, people really do care enough to act. People do want to make a difference, a positive difference!

We just need to realize this and not get deflected or discouraged by the curmudgeonly class that so run astray from our collective best interests. Hope is in our neighbor. It is not in our elected.

I count it a joy and honor to have been part of the greater Greenwood community in Seattle this past February 2-3, 2010 by leading in the training in Asset-Based Community Development. I love this work so, so much!