The Flower Project
In 2021 New Technical Fund (NTF) started a very special relationship with Noel Musicha. Noel invented the Flower Concept and was implementing it inside the Linda Vista community in San Diego.
In October 2022, Noel sent a little update for us:
The Linda Vista Life Economics Flower
The vision is to holistically bring together the dreams of the people of the Linda Vista neighborhood by creating a catalytic space that curates and funds them.
The project consists of 8 petals, each of them dreams or rumors that we have heard everyday leaders of our community share with us over the years. Each petal or sub-project will focus on selected individuals that will participate in a cohort style process of learning, practically applying the leanings and developing those areas of work for future funding. The cohorts will also have opportunities for cross-learning on the intra-neighborhood, cross-neighborhood and international level.
The petals are — Sports Pathway, Micro-business, Homelessness, Money for the Neighborhood, Interfaith Work, Culinary Arts, Pop-up Music and Art and Prototypes
Sports Pathway
To create a practical neighborhood sports pine line from K-12 grade
Progress: Last semester we had an unprecedented 60 middle school boys and girls in our program. We are now in "contact work" season, meeting with kids at lunch as we wait for the American football season to begin. We also took 13 soccer players on their first ever college talent ID camp. We have another scheduled for March of 2023. So far the majority of our flower work has been in this area because this is where we meet the kids and parents that become part of the other 7 petals.
Homelessness
To engage the unsheltered population in community development
Progress: We meet with a cohort of folks every Wednesday where we have a teaching and work on potential solutions for different individuals. So far 9 people have come off the streets through either solutions we have provided (like getting and donating cars to the individuals) or by just being inspired to do better by themselves and picking up jobs to work. The houseless individuals then serve the rest of the houseless community by providing lunch and other needed supplies like socks, toothbrushes and clothes that we accumulate through donations.
Urban Gardening
To train community members in urban farming
Progress: We planted a garden from scratch restoring an old dump in the process. We’ve just gone through the first harvest season and are now working on stage two of building the garden up to be a beautiful and artistic place. Some of the people that are working on this garden will also help support the big community garden that the neighborhood is building at our local Rec Center
Micro-Business
To provide assistance for people so they can create small businesses
Progress: So far we have created a T-shirt business owned and operated by a houseless woman. So far we have printed and sold two T-shirt designs and are in the debrief stage before we take next steps. We are also in the initial stages of discussing a cooking business, having catered two events so far.
Prototypes
To create space for experimentation, where new ideas can be tried.
Progress: We have done collaborative work with othe police using sports as a tool for intervention at one of the parks that has a bad reputation in the neighborhood. We have also done cleanup projects together with the police as a way of making sure that police presence is not just associated with making arrests.
Another project we did was a leadership development symposium that we did in Malawi in July of 2020. The symposium aimed at inspiring young people to take up the mantle and challenge of leadership in their communities.
Pop-up Music & Art
To bring music training to the community
Progress: Not yet started
Money for the Neighborhood
To teach young people how to manage money
Progress: Not yet started
Interfaith Work
To get people from different faith backgrounds to work together for the community
Progress: Not yet started