Adopt a Community Program

A few years ago TRUE Skool attended E*Vision, a Youth Sustainability Conference, in Santa Fe, NM. We discussed what role Hip Hop plays in the community when it comes to sustainability. TRUE Skool conducted a workshop two years in a row at this conference on Hip Hop as a Social Movement and worked with New Mexican teens to create action plans for change. For more info on the annual conference visit www.earthcare.org. This inspired us to become more environmentally aware and to inspire change in our communities here in Milwaukee.

As an organization, it is important for us to understand and infuse environmental education, sustainability,organic urban farming, community gardens and environmental awareness into our programs and services. Instead of always relying on dwindling community and government resources, we need to learn how to be self sufficient. We are learning how to grow our own food, create our own jobs and resources, beautify through public art and community clean-ups, and engage with and respect other cultures. "It takes a Viilage to Raise a Child" and we must work together to build and maintain our villages.With that said, join us for our 2010 Adopt a Community Program in the Walker's Point Neighborhood!

Program Details
TRUE Skool takes a unique approach to strengthen and beautify communities through neighborhood-based environmental, social, and artistic initiatives. The Adopt a Community pilot project consists of a three pronged approach; community clean-ups/illegal graffiti removal, community gardens/yard beautification, public art/community murals.

Our goal is to provide neighborhood restoration and community transformation by adopting a community from July-September. Expected outcomes are to beautify the community, create new green space and safer pedestrian walkways, determine if public art will successfully deter illegal graffiti and vandalism and to provide productive community service opportunities to ex-offenders and volunteers to give back to the community.

INTERESTED IN HAVING US "ADOPT" YOUR COMMUNITY?
INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING OR SPONSORING OUR ADOPT A COMMUNITY PROGRAM?
CONTACT US!

Also, visit our COMMUNITY MURAL page and our COMMUNITY SERVICE page to learn more about the Adopt a Community Program components.

Summer 2010

This summer TRUE Skool has partnered with the Walker's Point Association to adopt the Walker's Point Neighborhood from July to September 2010. We will begin our Adopt a Community Kick-Off event Saturday July 17th from 10am-12noon with a community clean-up in the Walker's Point Neighborhood, followed by TRUE Skool's 5th Annual Block Party from 12noon-9pm.

2010 ADOPT-A-COMMUNITY BI-WEEKLY CLEAN UPS
Join TRUE Skool every other Wednesday starting Wednesday July 28th from 1-3:00pm in the Walker;s Point Neighborhood to remove illegal graffiti, clean up the neighborhood and paint the mural on 3rd & Bruce.

TO REGISTER FOR THE CLEAN-UPS: EMAIL US with your contact info.

2010 Adopt a Community Mural Project
We will post revisions of the sketches after we receive feedback from the community in the surrounding mural location. To view sketches of the proposed mural and provide feedback via email click here.

1st Draft Sketch

Summer 2009
In the summer of 2009, TRUE Skool piloted a new initiative called the Adopt a Community Program.We adopted S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive from National Ave to Greenfield Ave and two blocks east and west as our pilot area from July - September 2009. We hope to adopt a new section of Milwaukee each summer and continue to partner with past adopted areas as well.

2009 Adopt a Community ReCap page 1
2009 Adopt a Community ReCap page 2

Mural before and now ...S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive & W. Washington Street 18ft high x 92ft wide

Click here to see the 1st draft of the mural sketch

Click here to see the 2nd draft of the mural sketch

Click here to see the FINAL SKETCH

Current pics of the mural as of 8.11.09

FINAL MURAL- south Cesar Chavez Drive & west Washington Street-Milwaukee, WI

MEDIA COVERAGE
PRESS RELEASE
View the Interview from TMJ4's Positively Milwaukee with Carole Meekins...
Crickettoes blog
DCD E-News
milwaukeetalkee.com

   
Mural Painting & Garbage Clean-up

      
Illegal Graffiti Removal

 
Storm Drain Marking (for Friends of Milwaukee Rivers)

Community Partners, Milwaukee Violence Free Zone & Milwaukee Police Department

We used Google Mapping to track and record data for our Adopt a Community project acitvities.

View Adopt a Community 2009 in a larger map  

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS & PARTNERS!

SAFE ALTERNATIVES FOR YOUTH GRANT 2009
Milwaukee County/Milwaukee Urban League/Dr. Joan Prince-UWM Vice-Chancellor

GREATER MILWAUKEE FOUNDATION
Youth-In-Service Fund Grant 2009

CESAR E. CHAVEZ BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
Tri-City National Bank, McDonald's, National Muffler & Repair, Dental Associates, El Rey

Clarke Square Weed & Seed, Latino Community Center, Glaceau VitaminWater, Urban Underground, South Division Summer CLC, Milwaukee Violence Free Zones, Safe & Sound/Community Partners

© 2010 TRUE SKOOL, INC.