Moving Forward: Seeing the Finish Line!

Surveying at several locations around Watts throughout the summer.

Today concludes the survey administration phase of the Watts Community Studio (WCS) project!  Survey administrators walked throughout Watts within Council District 15 boundaries asking residents about community needs, assets, and conditions. Several Watts-area organizations also hosted survey administration days and provided support to the WCS team.  Throughout the summer, the Los Angeles Police Department and City of LA’s Summer Night Lights program collaborated in survey administration and bolstered community support.  Additionally, local churches informed their congregation about the project and as a result of all these great efforts, the WCS received endless support.  LA Department of Water and Power (DWP) donated light bulbs, coloring books, bags, and stress balls for a surveys administration day.  Additionally, local residents hosted a dinner for the tireless work of the WCS team during hot and long days of survey administration.

Images from around Watts where surveyors often spent time talking to residents.

Our survey administrators were composed of youth born and/or raised in Watts employed by the City of LA’s Summer Youth Employment Program. These youth drove the success of the WCS survey administration phase. Watching them use their observational skills and knowledge about Watts in order to identify the challenges and struggles in the community, as well as assets, has been a great experience. Their skills for community engagement and knowledge of their own neighborhood grew. Today our WCS survey team can tell us where all the service planning areas of Watts are and what differences there are between them – do you know your neighborhood that well?  They can also identify local organizations, programs, parks, and businesses that are actively engaging in the future of Watts.

The WCS survey team gets treated to a home cooked meal made by Maria Gonzalez. Maria and Javier Gonzalez are also the proud parents of WCS staff member Cynthia Gonzalez. Cynthia and her family live in Watts. This was a lovely impromptu treat.

The WCS is committed to a collective community engagement approach.  The survey administration phase has definitely demonstrated the commitment of local community-based organizations, city agencies, youth, and residents.  WCS is thankful for this collective effort.  The next phase of the project includes asset mapping, data entry and analysis, focus groups, and the writing of the 5-year plan.

Watts is resiliency and commitment!

Community Coming Together: Civic Engagement and Organizational Support in Watts

The Watts Community Studio wants to make sure that all the different areas of Watts have a say in how Council District 15 can improve the quality of life in the neighborhood. This is why we want to collect as many surveys from residents across Watts as possible. The project team is using different ways to reach out to residents, like (1) walking door-to-door, (2) surveying at places where there are a lot of residents, like Ted Watkins Park, (3) attending local events, like the LAPD Night Out, (4) partnering with local organizations to administer surveys, and (5) working with local churches and faith-based organizations.

This past month, the Summer Youth Employment participants dedicated time from their weekend to survey the residents at a partnering church. San Miguel Catholic Church (San Miguel) is a local church in a residential area of Watts that offers a number of community-related programs, like Catechism, English as a Second Language courses, citizenship classes, and vocational skills workshops. San Miguel graciously offered their space for survey administration on a Sunday during all of their services. The priest encouraged church members to meet one of the Watts Community Studio representatives in front of the church while they were heading out to complete surveys. Residents responded to the request and added a number of thoughts for advocacy, support, and commitment on all levels to insure the future of Watts, which led to the collection of 124 surveys.

The experience was exciting. Civic engagement was very present at this event! The residents expressed that they felt a sense of community, comfort, and culture that is only present in Watts. Most residents have lived in the area for over 15 years and have witnessed a change in community dynamics. For example, people come out of their homes more often and are actively utilizing the resources in the community, like the newly remodeled Ted Watkins Park. They felt that there’s a need to invest in employment and social spaces at a local level and that simple solutions, like beautification projects, would go a long way.

The Watts Community Studio would like to thank San Miguel Church for their support.