Our Voices

08/06/2024

Long post alert!!!

The last month has been nothing short of amazing.Every single part of the planning and ex*****on of the Our Voices It's A Black Thang Tour has taught me so much. I've been getting text messages, emails, and etc congratulating me for having a successful tour. I appreciate your acknowledgement so much but my work was a small fraction of what had to be done to make the tour a success.

Ryan D. Davis shared the idea of a Black history tour with me in a conversation we were having about providing political education workshops for our community. We agreed to make it happen. Next, I called my friend Tamaya Walker McClendon, owner and founder of Sisters and Suitcases to share the vision, and the rest is history. She took the idea and brought it to life. Her attention to detail and thoughtfulness about every minute of the tour made it a huge success. All I had to do was show up. She planned the entire experience from start to finish and we had a knee slappin' good time. I've learned so much from you Tamaya and want you to know that your dedication and tenacity inspire me in so many ways. Thank you for the time, work and investments you put into the tour.

Chaperones Jionni Olamidé, Your Spiritual Plug, Dreama Parham, Osyrus Bolly, Ryan D. Davis, Dena Tru Serenity, Gabe DaGreatt, Coffy Davis, Tina Latrice White, Arlexis and Ms. Facen curated engaging content to maximize the impact of the experience, kept students accounted for & safe, provided the perfect mix of fun, entertainment, work, reflection time and self-accountability, offered emotional support when necessary, navigated conflict, and supported every twist and turn that came along. What good is a vehicle without gas to make it move!?

My point is that each of us contributed and invested something to make this happen. We modeled for our youth collectivism in action. They were able to see the ways in which we each used our strengths & unique skills and abilities to contribute to the experience. We are absolutely family and will be forever connected by this experience. I'm grateful for each and every person who supported this experience.

06/16/2024

Hello Facebook family and friends! This summer, The Village Place will be door knocking in the South End to share information about upcoming programs and hear your thoughts on how could improve programming or add to our current menu of programs & services.

As you know, it is extremely HOT, so we are trying to set up cooling stations at various South End locations- at least three on each of the following streets (Arch St., Izard, State, Ringo, Chester, Cross, Gaines, Spring, etc), South of Roosevelt.

We NEED YOUR SUPPORT. How, you ask? Would you share your space/residence by allowing us to create a cooling station for our canvassers? If so, we will provide coolers and water (unless you feel inclined to do so ❤). Cooling stations will allow our canvassers rest, hydration, and an opportunity to get to know you. Please leave a heart emoji OR complete the form below if you're in!
https://bit.ly/TVPHydrationStation

05/21/2024

30 minutes before 2024 Community Talent Show auditions close!

https://bit.ly/2024CommunityTalentShow

05/13/2024

The Village Place'S Experiential Learning LAB internship is still open until May 20thish.....Apply!!! World....look out for Jayson Williams- intelligent, athletic, empathetic and an amazing personality!!! Thank you Turtle Island GK, Kris Pettus and THV11!

Footage from ELL 2023- Thank you Lawrence Hobbs (tie-dye hoodie) and Kaden Rasul (striped shirt)

As kids get out of the classroom, youth employment programs in Central Arkansas are starting up to help keep them busy this summer.

04/26/2024

Friends, please help me in welcoming Dreama Parham! We're excited that you're part of the team!

04/23/2024

gOOD eVENING fRIENDS!

The Village Place has posted a facility rental fee request inquiry on our website www.thevillageplace.org. I can't keep up with the requests without this handy calendar. Please feel free to complete it and someone will be in touch about availability and cost!

To inform our org's direction and priorities, we utilize the PAR process which engages communities in identifying the problems they face and what information is needed, determining a process to find that information, and deciding how that information will be used toward action.

04/22/2024

🌻🌻🌻💲💲💲💲SCHOLARSHIP ALERT!!!!!!!!!

The Village Place's Our Voices Magazine Scholarship is Open!!!!!!! This year, we're giving out three $2500 scholarships. This scholarship targets middle & high school BIPOC student CREATIVES! If you or your child(ren) love photography, writing, poetry, other forms of visual art, APPLY ASAP!

Applications: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ourvoicessummer2024

04/19/2024

I am beyond grateful to get to the point where The Village Place can hire staff.....It has been beautiful thus far and I'm excited to continue this journey with a strong team beside me!

The Village Place is hiring!!! All positions are independent contractor positions and require that you LOVE children, youth and young people! Please email [email protected] to submit an updated resume + Cover Letter!

03/21/2024

Are the kids home on Spring break already complaining about being bored????? Tell them to watch The Village Place's Resume Writing & Building 101 Workshop:

The Village Place's Resume Drive Video: Middle and High school students, learn about why you need a resume and how to build one.

02/21/2024

Excited for this event! The first Our Voices mini lab is currently full but the waitlist is still open in the event that someone is unable to attend/cancels!

Waitlist: https://bit.ly/StorytellingMiniLabs

02/06/2024

01/30/2024

We are praying for the McAdoo family during this time of loss. Arrangements for Norel Kaleb McAdoo’s home going are this Saturday, so we will postpone The Village Place's in-person events scheduled for this weekend, including auditions for Our Voices CROOKLYN. We’ve rescheduled auditions for Saturday, February 10th at 1pm.

Please see the arrangements below:

Family Hour is 6-7pm on Friday at Saint Andrews Methodist Church (4600 Baseline Rd) anyone can speak.
SIMO NIGHT will be right after at 8pm (mostly Writeous & friends but anyone is welcome.)
Funeral is Saturday at 12:00pm at Saint Andrews Methodist Church (4600 Baseline Rd)

01/30/2024

Thank you Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing for your generous donation to The Village Place!

01/23/2024

Youth Talking Circles provides a safe & adult-free space for youth to engage and converse on topics that matter to them and facilitated by them using a three tiered approach, including aligning, sharing and reflecting.

All youth (12-19) are invited to participate but space is limited. Lunch will be provided. Topics are below:

* Next Steps, College or Nah?
* S*x? now or later?
* Failed friendship. Was I the toxic friend?
* Family Relationships....complicated.
* Getting Ghosted.
* I've Been Boxed & Labeled

Space is limited. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/youthtalkingcircles

01/22/2024

People always say to let them know how to support.

One easy and FREE way is to subscribe to our website (www.thevillageplace.org).

All subscribers will get monthly newsletters starting this Spring- that means you'll be the first to know about events, programs and paid internship opportunities this summer.

01/18/2024

Why?.....WHY NOT?

Start the new year off right!
Offered February-May

Complete workshop first, then get your customized & professional resume. Sign up as member here: www.thevillageplace.org to access.

01/17/2024

01/17/2024

Been reading through some materials from a training I attended last year.

This really resonates with me and I fully believe this:

Between all of us we know everything
- Zapatista Wisdom