Connecting the Dots

By Ricardo Tavárez

I’m standing on a triangular city block in the Creston neighborhood of Grand Rapids. The triangle is formed between the streets of Coit, Quimby and Plainfield Avenue. I’m accompanied by two adults, who are leading a conversation with five high school students. The block is small, and in comparison we must look like a serious afternoon crowd to those passing by. 

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One of the adults in our crowd is a staff member at the non-profit I oversee as its Executive Director, New City Neighbors*, which is located in Creston. The other is an experienced volunteer. Both of them are dedicated mentors to a cohort of teens at New City Neighbors that are enrolled in a 9-month leadership program. New City Neighbors is an organization that intentionally hires teens to work in urban farming and the preparation of healthy meals. The organization supplies over 20,000 pounds of food annually to local resource centers. Through this work, teens learn about sustainability, food sovereignty, and food access. Students enrolled in our leadership curriculum learn the importance of identifying their own core values, develop skills in systems change, and begin the work of addressing social issues in our community. Today, over the noise of vehicles climbing up and down Plainfield, this cohort is receiving training on asset mapping - an educational activity that involves determining what types of resources are present, or missing, within a community. 
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The students are instructed to take a look around them by one of their facilitators. They are asked, “What community assets do you see right here on this block?”

The teens look around and seem a bit confused. Perhaps they’re worried they’ll say the wrong thing. Or maybe they’ve walked past this block so often that they’re having trouble seeing what is right in front of them. I chuckle to myself while they take their time considering an answer. There is so much here! There is an empty building that looks like it’s been out of use for years, ready for someone to claim it and bring it to life. There are concrete benches offering a chance for travelers to rest. There’s a monument to fallen soldiers that once lived in the neighborhood. In this spot, there is a sense of community among neighbors that has been passed through the generations. And there is –
“A bus stop!” Says one of the teens. “People can wait here and ride the bus home, to school, or to work.”

I smile. This is one of the first steps in community development. It’s the slow-down. It’s the pause for an observation. It’s connecting the dots between the needs of neighbors and the practical application to address those needs while creating a thriving community. As we engage in the work of mapping the social determinants of health in our neighborhood, we begin to appreciate what we currently have and notice the gaps that need to be filled.

Social determinants of health can include access to:

• Education;
• Healthcare;
• Food;
• Economic Sustainability; and
• Safety.

With the support of Health Equity Initiative, 20 teens engaged with New City Neighbors will be taking a deep dive into asset mapping and identifying social determinants of health during our 2025 summer intensive program. Perhaps it may seem out of place for an organization that addresses youth employment and food access to take a walk through the neighborhood and notice a bus stop, a church, or a neighborhood clinic. But one organization can’t solve all the social issues in one community. And we’re all a part of the bigger picture. We must begin to connect the dots to create a healthy and thriving neighborhood. Start with a pause, a map, a walk, and a conversation with your neighbors. End with a perspective that will help us thrive together.  

Image Credit: Courtesy of New City Neighbors. Used by permission.
*New City Neighbors is a current grantee of Health Equity Initiative.

Author’s Bio
Ricardo Tavárez was named as one of the 40 under 40 business leaders by the Grand Rapids Business Journal in 2022 for his work on community transformation. He is the Executive Director of New City Neighbors, a non-profit in West Michigan using urban farming as a catalyst for urban development.