Next Door Amani - Ground Zero - Founder uses SNS tool for in-the-Neighborhood urban organizing

City Center Milwaukee - Mary Glass, Founder of Next Door Amani - Ground Zero is taking the idea of  "urban strategic planning" at the census tract and neighborhood level and "neighborhood organizing" for a textbook tryout through the online SNS/social network site, Next Door.

L-R:  Sarah Leary and Nirav Tolia - Co-Founders
Network Social Network

Next Door is a neighborhood application company located in San Francisco, California.

The co-founded are Nirav Tolia and Sarah Leary.   Both are from the silicon and technical environment - Tolia from Epinions and Leary from Microsoft.  Tolia and Leary are of the "X" Generation and are in their early forties.

NEW level - "Solidarity for Upscalability".  

For over two months, Glass spoke with Next Door staff living in Milwaukee, reviewed the corporate website and reviewed opportunities for creating a strategy plan that would fit the infrastructure of the stakeholders in the Amani neighborhood in the city of Milwaukee.

One of the key factors for selecting Next Door was the fact that there was the flexibility of a "non-cookie-cutter" approach of Next Door Amani - Ground Zero.  In other words, Next Door Amani - Ground Zero could be constructed to fit the "needs" of the area stakeholders.

Amani

Amani is a densely populated, land-rich, culture-rich and multifaceted neighborhood

The drawn area has about 4,000 inhabitants to connect via residential and commercial property.

Amani has a severe housing stock issues (loss of homes - boarded homes) - they are durable for repairs and renovation, they are also "sore spots" and  potential properties of vandalism and fires.  Monitoring of the property stock - fires, vandalism, graffiti, razed and purchased homes, city inventory property is part of the Next Door Amani - Ground Zero customer care.

Amani stakeholders are guaranteed "due process" by our 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and subsequent privileges rights according to Wisconsin state statutes and local charter resolutions.  However, Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC has identified discrimination, exploitation and disenfranchisement are culprits responsible for the disparities that have befallen the population of Amani.  We add to that dilemma the lack of awareness in a continuous fashion that helps to impart ownership, leadership and stewardship.

At this time, MPA LLC has a 4-Month invoked Atonement in place to ensure that the people of Amani are aware of rights, privileges that have been breached; but, to call for All Hands on Deck, WE CAN actions to engage in bringing the land, people, resources and lifestyle on par with quality of life and economic upscalability.  A customized SNS can help make the difference, if implemented correctly and supported.

The engagement of the SNS network of Next Door is right on time and based on Glass's vetting process it has the framework and potential support for making it an excellent tool for Amani and other urban neighborhoods who may have a myriad of issues that calls for a collaborative unit with leadership to establish stability in key areas of quality of life and economic development - i.e., affordable and updated housing, gainful employment of heads of household, education and technology attainment, safety issues (in-neighborhood, law enforcement and incarceration), health care population issues that include mental illness and infant care, and so on.

The Amani - Ground Zero model is designed to engage the people located in the geographic boundaries.  It is to empower the Amani stakeholders - residential, commercial, school, neighborhood groups and churches. 

It was only after assurance of flexibility of Next Door model from liaisons of Next Door social network that Mary Glass, Chair/CEO, Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC focused on its use and have put in place the beginning components for successful use per the needs of the Amani neighborhood stakeholders.   We not only identify issues, we are about solving the issues that are depriving the stakeholders of quality of life and economic influence.  In other words, identifying a trouble spot is only as good as the process to remove and/or eliminate its beginning and help ensure that the issue does not go across the street, around the corner, in the neighborhood.

We are also working on getting impediments of Next Door framework in line with the "footprint" of the Amani Neighborhood implementation style and Code of Conduct; i.e., the role and responsibilities of the "Lead" in the format.  We do not need too many cooks in the kitchen with no idea of the menu, food chain and how to  prepare for those who will eat.

We have a number of opportunities of participation with names and responsibilities.  The positions that would cover "Leads" are Marketing Coordinator, VPs and senior Membership Coordinators.  

We also have asked Next Door about the lack of visibility of African Americans on their website and in urban areas such as Milwaukee to show that Next Door is sensitive to the neighborhood blueprint across American and part of their corporate social responsibility for due diligence.

Introduction of Next Door

On  May 17, 2014, the first formal introduction was presented to the neighborhood.  Christina Wright, Milwaukee Liaison was on hand to introduce and sign up interest stakeholders.  She is also schedule for the next 3 meetings of the Atonement assemblies.

We have scheduled Campaign Next Door Amani - Ground Zero, to  sign up Amani members from June 1, 2014 thru August 31, 2014.  One of our engagements is a Membership meeting of the Friendship Club on Saturday, June 14, 2014, 5:00pm.

Amani has a large population of middle age and senior adults that we will engage.  This will call for a lot of face-to-face engagements that will take time.  The majority of the population of Amani are without "at-will" use of the internet - lack personal PC, training, laptop and/or other apparatuses for internet access - a key of the growth and success of the SNS network.

CAMPAIGN NEXT DOOR AMANI - GROUND ZERO has taken into consideration the intricate details of the access, training and comfort of use in getting the Amanians to sign up.  We  know that we will have to "deputize" Born Frees/Millennials and those in Generation X to help from the Amani Neighborhood for on-patrol and sign up of our neighbors at their respective sites - front porch, neighborhood block party, church, school, day care, library, business and organizations.

The excitement is there, we will provide the level of  partnership to the neighborhood for transition to SNS as a form of neighborhood engagement, state-of-the art access to today's market place and the valuable fruit that can come from being linked to the SNS as a neighborhood member.

Guideposts

There are 10 guideposts for the model created by Mary Glass, Founder, to build hope, set in motion standards of operation, provide expectations-goal setting, transparency (sharing ideas), and best practices by all for a PRIDEFUL renewal of hope and TRUST.   They are: 

1. leadership
2. citizenship
3. fellowship
4. entrepreneurship
5. apprenticeship
6. scholarship
7. mentorship
8. ownership
9. partnership
10. stewardship

Stay tuned.