By Gregory Davis

A circle was held at the RBAC Office as a lead-in to the youth and neighborhood engagement boot camp conducted on September 30th. At RBAC we have been challenged by our Board of Directors to establish a culture of evaluation and circles are a great tool to realize this charge. The circle was led by our resident circle keepers Ryan and Marisol and we had up to 19 people in attendance representing the Corner Greeters, Clean Crew, YATTA Rising, Beach Fivers and guests from the South Seattle Friends Meeting of the local Quaker group. Circles per custom include check in questions, this is what I want to highlight here, and the responses we received from the circle opening the youth and neighborhood engagement boot camp are worth sharing with our Rainier Beach residents, stakeholders and friends. 

 What parts of RBAC culture need more emphasis?: 

The comradery, what it means to be family, the support system, circles – people speaking and listening, the networking, the connections, the culture of evaluation, our serving community to the fullness, its resources, its gardens, its impact.

 

  1. What of RBAC culture do you value?:

 

The opportunities, the connections, orca cards, school supplies, being heard, leadership opportunities, being from this neighborhood, the support, its authenticity, RBAC’s goals, ideas, giving back to our community,being 90% Black, chances to be a leader, that we live here, living here and being safe, the safety net, safe space

The responses to these questions were remarkable. A testimony to both the importance of RBAC as an organization and the high level of cognition used by young adults who work here in living their lives. 

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