HOPE Call To Action Urban Conference

Hope for the Inner City hosted an Urban Conference in East Chattanooga on October 25th.The objective of the conference is to serve as a conduit to help organize leaders, elected officials, philanthropic institutions, and local residents to take action. In other words, the outcome of the Call To Action Conference, will help to build a process for bringing the community and other sectors together to revitalize and renew an action agenda that will enable any necessary policy changes or new approaches aimed at reducing violence in Chattanooga and foster economic empowerment.

Teal Thibaud from Glass House Collective and Gail McKeel from Good Neighbor Network attended the event.

Here’s a few comments from Gail:

I thought the conference was a success.  It addressed issues that directly impact our community’s problems.  Focusing on education and what’s right with our schools.  Also, the second part of the VRI.  Redemption.  Offering solutions for crime deterrence, solutions such as education, jobs, and holding them accountable.

My favorite panel was titled Police and Community Relations: An Antidote To Racial Violence. Dr. Everlena Holmes repeatedly encouraged the community to get involved and to build relationships with the Chattanooga Police Department. I couldn’t agree with her more.

There was an aspect of the conference that really struck a cord with the audience. We all heard first hand from a former gang member. He stood up and shared with us that be chose to accept the help offered by the city and the community to turn his life around.

I left the conference with a full belly of Big Buff BBQ and feeling very encouraged that help is on the way and the positivity continued  event after the conference. I spent the day within a one-mile radius of my home and enjoyed a birthday party for a 2 yr old family member of a friend in the new Glass Street Park watching the children swing and hula hoop along with fathers playing ball with their boys. After the birthday party, I attended Moving Forward’s improv event with dancers and choreographers and enjoyed great hors’ devours.

Throughout the day I must have met 5 new people and made connections with several including the lady from the Beth Center that reached out to handing the former gang member my GNN card and telling him to give me a call if there’s anything I can do to encourage him to keep his feet on the right path.

Read more about the conference here.