I want to live in a community where a two year old boy can run through the woods at a park and not have to worry about being stuck by used needles.  I want to live in a community where families are not afraid to take their children to a park after dark because they feel it’s not safe.  I want to live in a community where park benches and tables aren’t littered with graffiti and there is no reason to worry about what kids are being exposed to in the middle of the afternoon.

Unfortunately our community is not where I would like it to be YET and I don’t want to be an alarmist because I do believe we live in an amazing community for the most part.  There are still parts of our community where people are not able to let their sons and daughters run through the woods for fear of being stuck by a used syringe, not feeling safe in their neighborhood park after dark, and where park benches and tables are littered with graffiti.  These concerns were all shared by actual community members at Bagley Park.

There was an incident that happened at Bagley Park during the summer that caught the attention of some Janus Youth outreach workers and some Boys & Girls Club staff members.  I was contacted by the Janus Youth Outreach supervisor and also by the Boys & Girls Club Outreach Program manager within days of each other, informing me of the incident.  They wanted to do something about it, so we brought it to the Safe Communities Task Force steering committee as well as to our monthly community meeting and requested assistance.  There were many people willing to help and we mobilized our community and on Tuesday August 28th we put on a free community BBQ at Bagley Park.
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​We set up some tents and tables and provided free hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies, soda, and water for anyone who was there at the park.  We also had some donated school supplies and gave them out to any kids who needed them.  There were also donated books, games, crafts, and bubbles!  What’s a community BBQ without bubbles?  Oh, and most of us were wearing this shirt!

​At one point during the BBQ, there was a group of teens off in the distance and about four of us grabbed some hamburgers, hot dogs, sodas, and water and went over and gave them out.  The teens were very appreciative and ended coming over to where we were several times for more food and water before the BBQ was over. 
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There were lots of smiling faces, school supplies given out, crafts made, bubbles blown, and most importantly perceptions changed!

​I’d like to thank all of the Boys & Girls Club staff and SCTF Steering Committee members who helped out, the neighborhood association members who attended, community members who donated money, school supplies and crafts.  Your participation is much appreciated!

At our last SCTF monthly community meeting we were discussing ways we could build a stronger community and decided this BBQ would be a start of something bigger.  I also challenged everyone at the meeting to share one thing they could do in their own neighborhood to start building a stronger healthier community.  Those of you who were at the last meeting leave a comment on this post on what you did and for those of you who weren’t at the last meeting, leave a comment on something you are committed to do in your neighborhood.  Also, please join us this Friday from 10-12 at the YWCA to continue the discussion on how we can continue building our community.

The general response from people when we invited them to come and have a free hamburger or hot dog was one of confusion…most people asked, “Who are you guys and why are you doing this?”
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Our response was, “We are with the Boys & Girls Club and the Safe Communities Task Force and we are doing this because we care!”

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Make it a great day!
The Safe Communities Task Force

Experience
Also commonly referred to as “the last 10 years,” consider what you’ve been up to lately. What have your recent experiences been leading you towards? Acknowledge you’ve been doing something meaningful regardless of your role and reflect on how you can leverage this to discern your future. You don’t have to use job titles or labels but instead think of the skill, category or talent underlying the job or role itself.

Consider the following:

• Underlying themes of your work
• What drives your current experiences?
• What skills have you picked up along the way?
• What are recurring motifs or challenges you continually face/overcome?
• Job titles or work fields you’ve found yourself in
• What causes do you volunteer for and what does that say about you?
• Types of roles you most enjoy
• Work style, environment, schedule or more you most enjoy
• Duties you repeatedly find yourself doing regardless of role

Stranger Feedback
On the handout I wrote “feedback” but really it encourages stranger feedback. Here you will write how a stranger would describe you.  Sometimes people we love most are biased thus we ask people who have little attachment to us for this information. You should document both positive and negative descriptors, true for all quadrants. 

For this section, consider:

• Complements you’ve received
• Feedback on your work whether solicited or otherwise
• Recognition or awards people have nominated you for
• Little things people say during first impressions like, “Wow, you’re so _______,” or “You seem really _______.”
• Words people use to describe your personality, style, drive, energy, motivation or more

Enthusiasm
Notice what you’re most enthusiastic about in life. Write the things that bring you immense joy, fill you up and you could go on talking for hours about.

​For this section, consider:

• Your eyes light up when someone asks you about this topic
• Time flies when you’re talking about this
• Your heart is filled and life feels wonderful when you’re doing this
• This makes you forget your worries and lets you be in the moment
• People come to you for help with this (caveat: and you enjoy being their go-to)
• This is something you’ve studied, learned, participated in, an experience, talent or more

If you have trouble filling out any sections of the handout please be patient with yourself, dig deep and try your best.

After you’ve completed all four quadrants, now fill in the four smaller ovals which overlap between the four categories. Where do you see commonalities between two overlapping categories? How do you see your responses coming together? Record these ideas, bringing you closer to discovering your Eulerian Destiny.

Discerning Your Call
I use the word call because destiny feels both overwhelming and a tad cheesy. Regardless, it’s time to synthesize all you’ve filled out into your final statement. Your Eulerian Destiny should boil down to 10 words or less describing your purpose in life. These words should clearly articulate the role you play in the world and what you are meant to be doing. This destiny should not be a job title but instead something you can incorporate into any job. For example, if your Eulerian Destiny is “helping people understand their purpose in life,” you can do this at home, at the mall, in the park, as a Barista, at McDonalds, as a business executive, policymaker or more. It should be an overarching theme that is flexible yet specific.

Afterwards, use this to guide you in your choices. If you’re in a position that currently doesn’t support your Eulerian Destiny, perhaps you can find spaces outside of work to fulfill your destiny. Consider finding aspects you can control about your work or environment and take small steps closer to your call. If there is absolutely nothing you can control, reframe your thinking through the lens of your destiny and start building practices into your daily routine that get you closer to it. If you can’t find ways to do any of this, perhaps it’s time to switch gears and find a new job altogether!