Art in the Park

Tonight I hit up the Art in the Park series from 6 to about 8:30 p.m., and the music was fantastic. The band played some classic tunes from groups like Earth, Wind, and Fire and the Stylistics, complete with harmonies, cowbell, and guitar and bass solos.

The attendance was pretty good, though it got off to a slow start. I spent time chatting with Ernie (from Mad Dads) and also approached some people at the event to talk to them about the Sanctuary Project. Most of the feedback was positive, pleased that there was an organization geared toward the youth of the neighborhood trying to give them something to do. I also received constructive feedback from a mother who informed me "you need better marketing. Half this stuff is already over," (referring to the sheet of events), and "you need more events for teens. Most of this stuff is for young kids."

I took what she had to say to heart, considering she had touched on things that had already come up in our meetings and brainstorming sessions. When I asked about open mic nights, she agreed that they would be good for some teens. Another man also suggested video game nights, and when I put that idea in front of her, she again agreed.

Overall, I thought that the day was successful from both the perspective of an event and from the perspective of talking to people about Mad Dads and the Sanctuary Project.

The Beginning (and first Mad Dads patrol)

As some of you may know, I've recently started my internship with the Sanctuary Project in Wilkinsburg. My job includes the responsibility of connecting local youth with programs at churches and other places in the community. Working with the other intern, I am also the listening ear for the project, finding out what local youth want to see implemented in the community.

On Saturday, I had the privilege of going out with the five-year-old Pittsburgh chapter of the Mad Dads organization. With a great presence in Wilkinsburg and other local neighborhoods, Mad Dads patrols streets known to have suspicious activity, and engages members of the community where they are, stretching out a hand of friendship and educating them on the Mad Dads cause. From their website, "Greater Pittsburgh Area MAD DADS is a nationally affiliated faith-based Christian Organization that prepares men to restore safe communities. Our mission is to mobilize, train and guide men to impact the issues of drugs gangs and violence in Allegheny County. We develop and implement neighborhood street patrols and community based-based programs designed to maintain safer neighborhoods and communities."

For our patrol, we started out on one of Wilkinsburg's most notorious corners. "If you don't know that already," George Spencer, Chapter President and National Secretary, warned us interns, "then know that now." We walked from there down Franklin, where we walked past many people interested in the Mad Dads cause. Every Mad Dad wore either a green logo shirt and hat or a bright yellow/green vest for visibility. Several times cars would honk at us, or people would wave and shout out their windows, or simply approach us to thank us for what Mad Dads is doing in the neighborhood. Though some kids would scatter when they saw us approaching, perhaps worried that we would catch them in illicit activity, many accepted literature from us and welcoming handshakes.

One of the more moving parts of the patrol was when we walked down the street Mad Dads adopted (the name of which currently escapes me). Since the organization started, the street has been transformed. The abandoned houses have been boarded up with beautifully painted windows, about half of which were painted by one of the Mad Dads members. The lawns, which used to grow out of control, are now for the most part trimmed and neat. Many people on the street were glad to see Mad Dads and talked with them for awhile.

Mad Dads is not just a "patrol" in that they aim to break up illicit activity, they also positively reinforce and educate. When we ran into a young man who explained that he was raising his little brother, he was met with a chorus of "that's a beautiful thing you're doing, man" from the dads in the organization. It was impressive to me to see that they were able to so easily locate the positive things going on in young people's lives and then build them up. In fact, the Pittsburgh chapter of the organization is actually listed by the now-international group as a "best practice chapter," one that serves as an example to other chapters of Mad Dads around the world.

Though my experiences included some negative reaction from people towards the organization (a few cuss words or groups trying to ignore us), most of the reception in the neighborhood was positive. And one thing that struck me: Several times people said "I don't know what you stand for, but I'm tired of what's going on in this neighborhood, please give me your literature." People could tell just by LOOKING at us that we were out to make a positive difference. And the people who are familiar with the organization? They were so happy to see us. My overall impression is that Mad Dads is making a difference, especially with the struggling young people who so desperately need father figures to help them grow up in this neighborhood. Let's hope the next 5 years of this organization are just as productive and more.

You can check out the Pittsburgh Mad Dads site by clicking here.