I recently met up with community activist Ahmad Nieves, who is involved with a number of urban betterment efforts, in association with such pursuits as real estate and grassroots incubators. After discussing a number of Nieves’ pursuits, he mentioned that he was starting an organization called Buffalo Information Sharing Collective (BISC). Nieves described the collective, comprised of individuals who are sufficiently knowledgable in various fields, as a collaborative that encourages members to share information with others who are in need of information.
Take, for example, someone who has spent years in the real estate business, and is versed in how to work with City Hall, contractors, architects, etc. Having access to someone like that, within the collective, could prove to be invaluable. As far as Nieves is concerned, there are countless people who have valuable information that they would like to share, but might not have the right vehicle to do so.
“I have so many people who come up to me and ask me all sorts of questions on a variety of topics,” said Nieves. “I don’t have all the answers, but I usually know the people who have the answers to their questions. We all know someone who knows something intimately. Information is so important, and information sharing is even more important. Information is how we better ourselves and better our lives. I want to share all that I know, and I want others to share all that they know.”
As the collective grows, Nieves hopes that individuals help each other by making their knowledge and experience available to others. This could happen by one-on-one meetups, or by a member making a presentation to the group, or to the public. There would be no charge to be a member of the group. The operational aspects of the group will be determined upon the size of the group. At this point, the collective is still very nimble, but as more members are added, the way that the collective operates might be subjected to change. Currently, everything is new to all members. Nieves is looking to attract people from all business/trades sectors, who are looking to share information with others.
Nieves already has a number of people who have expressed an interest in being a part of the information collective. He says that, as the group grows, sponsorships would help to offset any costs that are incurred by hosting the workshops, which would keep the collective as a free asset to members. Nieves plans on launching social media sites in the near future, once the group reaches a certain core membership.
The contact for anyone who wants to join is Ahmad Nieves at 716-819-6662 or aanieves23@gmail.com
Lead image: dantada