The Overtown Children and Youth Coalition (OCYC) and Urban Health Partnership (UHP), two trusted Common Good partners, recently joined efforts to launch the Overtown Parks Group, a community action team made up of Overtown residents and community partners working together to assess and improve access to healthy public spaces and youth activities in the Overtown neighborhood. The Overtown Parks Group will also meet and act as a permanent OCYC subcommittee.

Overtown currently has five parks that serve as key community spaces for recreation, exercise, and the coordination of occasional services like food distributions, health fairs, and COVID-19 support services. However, Overtown parks all need improved facilities, consistent services, and increased programs to serve the needs of the neighborhood. The newly established Overtown Parks Group will focus on collecting and advancing community-driven solutions and developing programs and policies that improve and bring investment into Overtown public spaces.

As part of their recent strategic roll out, The Overtown Parks Group has launched an 8-step Community Action Planning Process to convene residents and stakeholders around new ideas and solutions. The first planning session was held in mid-July and facilitated by UHP’s Community Liaisons (Overtown residents who have been hired by UHP and trained on civic engagement and community organizing). The meeting kickstarted the 8-step planning process that will adopt resident-led actions toward enhancing Overtown’s Parks. Though the next session will again be virtual, the group hopes to host future sessions onsite at Overtown parks.

All Overtown Parks Group meetings, including the planning sessions and subcommittee meetings, are open to anyone interested in supporting improvements and services in Overtown’s parks, with a priority on representation from Overtown residents. For more information on how you can join and/or volunteer on this initiative, please see this Overtown Parks Group Announcement on UHP’s website. You can also contact Erika Anderson at promanager@overtowncyc.org to be added to future Overtown Parks Group meeting invitations.