The residents of North Collinwood came out in full force for the Ballot Box Project’s second meeting to discuss the four project focus areas that will provide guidance for artist’s proposals. There was so much excitement from the first meeting that attendance nearly doubled!

Outside of the meeting space, a local musician welcomed guests into the space. Many sat outside enjoying the melodic sounds of Modern Acoustic Music Collective. Some passer-byers were intrigued, and wanted to learn about what was happening.

There were over 50 residents, artists, and civic leaders gathered into four groups for 45 minutes to discuss Collinwood history, vacancy, healthy eating, and youth engagement. The Collinwood history group reflected on the significant events, places, and people, while the youth engagement group discussed concerns and what youth our missing in their lives. The vacancy group talked what they wanted to see, and where they wanted to see it, and the healthy eating group focused on the activities and promotion of food access.

Meeting two was the epitome of community engagement. With all the residents having their voices heard and getting to know their neighbors, many did not want to leave. If the trend continues, next month we will see many of these same faces, plus some new ones.