Get Your Activism On

Cool Newell. For one, hold monthly Activism & Eggs breakfasts, to which volunteers and non-profits that seek volunteers can come. Support the breakfasts with social media: listserve, etc. Consistency, information-sharing and commitment goes a long way in getting something like this going.

Get these "kids" some hammers, nails and paint brushes and send them over to the East Side to start work on dilapidated buildings.

I did a presentation and lecture series for this group in the Washington DC area last year. I'd love to see us pick-up something similar in Buffalo.

http://www.hotsalsa.org/

Why not have them join an existing organization (like Preservation Buffalo Niagara) and breathe new life into it?

As for the question "where does a student go who just wants to join in on progressive projects" I would have to ask in return "what's keeping them from jumping into the already vibrant non-profit and activism scene?" If I were a UB Urban Planning student interested in housing issues, I would be clamoring to help out with PUSH. If interested in gardens and greenspace, we have everything from Grassroots Gardens to Olmsted to MAP or the Queen City Farm. Transportation? Buffalo Blue Bike. All it takes is the willingness to devote time.

My other thought is that I have heard of Planning departments starting classrooms in city downtowns to allow others to brainstorm with them. I don't see why UB wouldn't be interested in setting up a program like that.

I think I understand what the students are getting at. Being a UB student, I notice the disconnection between students (most of whom live in Amherst) and the city. I would love to see a volunteer fair of sorts at North Campus in the Student Union. It would be a nice way to showcase our efforts to revive the city. You have to remember that to people from Buffalo, UB north campus is a bubble world, its own municipality. But for people from out of town, north campus is Buffalo. People don't understand the great work people do in the city because they don't realize they aren't "in" the city.

The other idea I've discussed with friends at UB who are involved in volunteer work is the addition of a volunteer requirement for college graduation where a coordinator matches students with organizations.

An education in Buffalo should be about volunteerism and selflessness. It is the essence of being a Buffalonian. The idea of helping to shovel your neighbor's driveway.

Warren Buffet and Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey and several other billionaire job creators are liberal. On the flip side we see the many right wing bankers who have caused massive job losses in this country. With that in mind I don't really understand your comment.

As one of "these kids" (We're all graduate MUP candidates) I'd like to say that a majority of us are actively engaged in our communities and spend what little free time we have working towards the causes we believe in. I think this question stems more from students who see a disconnect between the work/volunteering that they are doing and the change that needs to occur. When a group of us volunteered a few weekends ago with Habitat for Humanity on the East Side we kept asking ourselves questions like "Why are we building new homes on a street where half the houses are burnt out shells and the other half are in serious disrepair?" "Why is there no comprehensive plan among the city's housing agencies to focus this kind of investment in targeted areas where it'll have the most impact?" and "Why are we putting subsidized new builds onto an already over-saturated residential market, which just caused further vacancy and community destabilization?"

And thank you for the invite Travelrrr, you're too too kind :)

The option for the students really boils down to working with an existing organization in order to reach common goals or to take the initiative and think creatively on new and exciting ways to approach the questions that Urban Planners seek to answer. Questions on Sustainability, Development, Transportation etc, etc. Many of these questions are addressed at a conversational level either here at BRO or at town hall but few take the initiative needed to thoroughly research these topics statistically.

connecting students with internships isn't rocket science. lots of ub departments maintain a registry of internships, volunteer opportunities, practicums, whatever you want to call them, but a little digging suggests that the planning school isn't one of them.

all they have to do is develop a form for any community organization to submit an internship or volunteer opportunity and have an online directory of said positions for students to browse.

Why doesn't Warren give some of his money to the people he under-payed or laid off over the years? He squeezed everything he could from his employees.

ps Americorp is a pretty great organization (Politics aside) to be mentioned with PUSH, Habitat, etc working together with these and many other nonprofits.

A story about community activism denigrates into a conservative-liberal argument. Just another day on Buffalo Rising. Not much different than how things generally go in Buffalo. Way to get it started, 'Why'.

As another MUP student who attended today, I think part of the problem, especially for people from out of town like me, is that it takes some time to adjust to the new surroundings in order to build the knowledge and capacity to actively participate.

I decided to attend UB not only because it is an excellent planning school, but also because I believe that the people of Buffalo are at the forefront of reshaping the American city into an urban community that is equitable, sustainable, and vibrant.

Buffalo is a fantastic city with friendly people, inspiring energy, outstanding urban landscapes, and world-class cultural amenities that are enough to astound anyone from any walk of life, not just a planner. The bold innovation of dedicated Buffalonians breathes new life every day into a city that has struggled from decades of hardship many cities touted as 'successful' have simply never known.

There are many challenges that lie ahead for the city of Buffalo, and it is our duty as planners to help our community achieve solutions. So don't worry, you'll be seeing us around town soon enough, if you haven't already.

i like it. but there still ought to be an easy online mechanism for community organizations to solicit planning interns.