CINCINNATI -- Cincy Stories is taking its community-building mission to Avondale Monday as Uptown Consortium announced a partnership to share the unique stories and perspectives of Avondale residents.
Cincy Stories will spend six months gathering and listening to the stories of people from the neighborhood, culminating in the opening of a story gallery in an existing storefront where the stories will be shared in an interactive, multimedia format.
The organization focuses on collecting stories that can connect people within the neighborhood to one another. Through the art of storytelling, the project also hopes to collect actionable ideas from residents that community leaders can put into motion as the neighborhoods plan for strategic growth.
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“Everybody can contribute to a vibrant community. Our goal with this project is highlight the stories of neighbors and help start conversations that builds understanding and empathy,” said Chris Ashwell, co-founder and creative director of Cincy Stories. “We are glad to have partners like the Uptown Consortium that invest in the stories of the community.”
Beth Robinson, Uptown Consortium president and CEO, knew that as Cincy Stories expanded across the region that the voices of Avondale residents would be an important addition to their mission.
“(Uptown Consortium) and Cincy Stories share so many of the same values,” Robinson said. “We’re both committed to honoring the stories of our community by making sure that, as we grow, we grow along with residents, not against them. Storytelling can be a vitally important way to achieve this goal.”
The partnership with Cincy Stories comes on the heels of an announcement that the Uptown Consortium will partner the entrepreneurship hub MORTAR for a second straight year. Other partnerships that provide valuable community resources include the Avondale Community Development Corporation, the Greater Cincinnati Urban League, WEB Ventures and HCDC.
“As with any of our partnerships, the goal is to create new opportunities for Uptown residents to succeed,” Robinson said.
Cincy Stories will begin recording stories in Avondale Monday and will unveil the storefront early this summer. The project will be completed this fall with a community event.
