We sat down with Joan Carson, of Esmeralda Slide, to learn how she mobilized her neighborhood around a small but beloved local park. To find out more about how she advocated for her park and made a change in her community, read on!
“When I originally moved into my house, right next to the corner of the park, my husband and I decided to renovate it ourselves. During that time, someone told us that we were responsible for the part of the park that we lived next to.
When we finished renovating, we decided to take on the park. Pretty early on, we found out that we weren’t technically responsible for the land, but it planted the seed of: well, maybe we should be.
We started by terracing a small area of the park. There was a neighbor who saw what I was doing and happened to be really good at landscaping, so they offered to help.
For the next few years, we spent hundreds of hours working and planting in the park. I wanted to make the area next to my house beautiful and welcoming for people to pass through, but I realized that we likely needed public funds to do so. I met with another neighbor and we decided to contact our District Supervisor.”
“It also all starts with leadership. Something as simple as clearing out garbage or weeding – that creates the vision, and from there, the impact increases with action.”
“Our Supervisor helped us engage with the City, and because of the work that we had already done in the park, the City saw that we had the gumption to continue maintaining the space.
We held our first community meeting, followed by our first official volunteer day, in August of 2015. We got a list of nearly 100 people who wanted to be involved! The City told me that it was the largest volunteer day they ever had that was led by community members themselves.
Since then, we’ve continued to take care of the park. I think that people feel safer here because of it. The space is really kid friendly – it’s used often, and it’s even written up in The New York Times. And, of course, there’s the beloved concrete slide. People come from all over the City to visit!
To those looking to start their own community improvement project: if there’s something in your area that you think is a gem that could benefit others, take it on. It’s important to not assume that the City will take care of every public space. Community members need to step in and take the initiative.
It also all starts with leadership. Something as simple as clearing out garbage or weeding – that creates the vision, and from there, the impact increases with action.”