In April, our VISTA Cohort Members started preparing and brainstorming together about what life looks like after their VISTA year – Another VISTA year? Staying on at their host sites full time? Further education? Moving onto a full-time job or apprenticeship? Our April cohort retreat got this conversation started, and we’ll keep it going through the end of our year in August!
VISTA Highlights
- Colton: For the month of April I have three cool things I’ve done. In the manufactured park I’m currently working in we have started drafting a demand letter, the process of drafting is still going on but so far the experience of how it’s drafted what goes into it is really cool to witness. The second cool thing is that I have been doing outreach to various organizations in order to find new places to organize in. I’ve gotten to meet a bunch of neat people who are doing wholesome work in various communities. The third thing is bowling, we as a staff at Housing Justice Center went bowling at the Nook in St. Paul and I had a fun time, unfortunately I lost and got second place by one point (Sad )! Despite losing I still had a blast and it definitely was a defining experience of April.
- Lucid: My April highlight was seeing the renter leaders step into their own and take the initiative to schedule their own meeting.
- Isa: I really enjoyed getting to spend some time at the East Side Freedom Library, discussing the history of housing activism in the Twin Cities. It got me inspired, imagining the possibilities that could come with building spaces for housing justice conversations & actions.
- Ramia: In April, I had the honor of meeting great leaders and taking time for self-care, including a well-deserved vacation. It was a rewarding month filled with personal growth and rejuvenation.
- Hannah: My highlight for the month of April was the Earth Day cleanup! Had some lovely connecting conversations with neighbors and it was great fun to see kids carrying trash grabbers as long as they were tall.
- Austin: My April highlight was attending and participating in East Side Freedom Library’s event “Building our History: Housing Activism in Saint Paul & the Twin Cities.” It is important to discuss our community’s legacy of collective action to demonstrate that we can come together to solve our problems today. It was inspiring for so many folks to show up to this kickoff event to get this conversation started.
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