On Friday, October 21, OC Human Relations staff members Norma Lopez and Joyce Sanchez, along with Virginia Clara of the Oak View Renewal Partnership, brought together participants from two Community Building Initiative (CBI) sites. Residents of the Alameda-Brownwood-Catalina (ABC) neighborhood in West Anaheim visited their peers in the Oak View neighborhood in Huntington Beach. The purpose of the visit was to encourage the residents to share their knowledge and experiences between residents and to develop a network among CBI resident leaders across Orange County
The 12 participants were provided with breakfast and child-care before they took a walking tour of Oak View. Following the tour the 12 engaged in a guided dialogue. Among other valuable pieces of information, ABC residents learned of the popularity of the Zumba classes offered in Oak View. As a result, the possibility of connecting current Oak View Zumba instructors to ABC events and perhaps even training ABC residents to lead their own community classes will be explored.
The visit and discussion resulted in the following key outcomes:
- Residents were able to connect with each other and realize that they face similar challenges.
- Perseverance & sense of responsibility were identified as the key to success.
- The realization that fear of retaliation was a commonality between both site residents.
- Both sites expressed interest in cross-community collaborative opportunities.
OC Human Relations looks forward to further productive visits of this nature.
