Jacksonian Leverages Social Media to Spark Community Involvement
Social media has its pros and cons. When it is used for good, it has the power to connect the right people in real time to influence positive outcomes. This happened on August 6 when West Jackson resident Kanika Welch took to social media to solicit help to clear a block of sidewalk on Claiborne Avenue leading to Provine High School in West Jackson. As the daughter of a retired Jackson Public Schools educator and a proud product of JPS, Welch understands the importance of supporting students and rallying behind the full cycle of the educational process, like getting to school.
“I live in this neighborhood, so I drive by here daily. I noticed that the area was overgrown and that we have students who walk this way to school. I was hoping the area would be cut before school started, but that didn’t happen,” Welch said. “So, I made a post to get some help to clear it. I was prepared to pay for it myself and asked for support through services or donations.”
Welch’s initial post garnered over 50 shares. In less than 24 hours, Jackson native and Scoutmaster Craig Thomas picked up loads of trash from the area, and the Jayne Avenue Neighborhood Association and Keep Jackson Beautiful organized an official cleanup for August 17.
“Sometimes we feel like nothing will happen if we say something or it won’t result in action, but I was always taught to at least have a record. I try to follow the process of reporting things to the city. In this instance, the community answered the call,” Welch said.
The sidewalk that connects St. Charles Avenue to Robinson Street is now clean and clear, and students have better access to and from school thanks to the volunteer work of Jackson residents and local leaders and businesses. “Social media is very powerful. You have the world at your fingertips,” Welch said. “This was unexpected. I could not have foreseen this response. I don’t have a large Facebook following but I made my post public and the right people saw it. So, the possibilities are endless with social media.”
If your neighborhood is interested in planning a community clean-up, read our How to Plan a Community Cleanup blog. Neighborhoods can also submit planned community events like cleanups for promotion to our Community Calendar.
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