Creating a Culture of Care at Jackie Robinson Park Playground & the Malcolm X Corridor

Friends of Jackie Robinson Park Playground evolved out of the community's desire to improve the quality of life in the area for everyone. We see the Parkas the hub for this work. We aim to create an environment of pride, respect, inclusivity and peace--a Culture of Care. This proposal develops three key program areas over the next two years: Creating a Greener BedStuy, Art & Culture Walks, and bringing family friendly activities to the park.

Greener BedStuy is facilitated by LIVIN NYC and the FOJRPP in an effort to bring safety and beautify and extend an element of nature from the park to the street. The addition and care of trees and plants helps turn our landscape into a place of pride. Local residents receive the benefits of nature, are hired and trained in horticulture and deliver an impactful service to the area, improving our collective experience. We will continue the program and refine the inner workings in order to engage more people and businesses.

Art & Culture Walks, a collaboration between FOJRPP and Shanna Sabio of GrowHouse, are interactive, explore the history of the neighborhood, generate important conversations and help us to define who we were, are and will be. We learn about the types of plants once here and how they were used, the small businesses that supported the community and the artistic legacy of the area.

Collaborating with HQ Tennis, we bring additional activities to the park, engage more residents and promote the Park as a hub for community gatherings and creative expression

Art & Culture Walks:  Friday, June 26th; Collaboration with STooPS, July 27th; Fall Crawl, September 14th.

Community Days and Free Tennis: Fridays, beginning June 19th and ending the last week of August.

Creating Greener BedStuy: hiring and training 3 community stewards, care and maintenance weekly through September

Creating a Culture of Care is part of a larger initiative to combat gun violence in the Malcolm X Boulevard corridor and create a safer, more equitable, thriving community for everyone. We are doing this through a number of initiatives: Support for tenants living in substandard housing; creating a safe community space at Jackie Robinson Park Playground; working to improve local public schools; engaging and supporting underserved youth through a variety of local organizations, including HQ Tennis and B.R.O. Experience, and engaging local businesses, including landscaping and plant design company LIVIN NYC; centering Bailey’s Cafe as a place for grounding, resources, arts, culture and wellness programming; create and nurture an economic ecosystem that serves everyone.

We know that by Creating a Culture of Care in our corner of Bed-Stuy we will continue to have a positive impact in our neighborhood as well as create a movement toward similar efforts throughout the larger community.