Meet the Innovator: Elyse Oliver of Project Charmify
Project Charmify is part of Social Innovation Lab’s 2016–17 Cohort. To learn more about SIL and the cohort, click here.
SIL: Tell us about Project Charmify in just a few sentences.
Elyse: Project Charmify is empowering high school students to create thriving neighborhoods by teaching leadership and community development skills through vacant space activation. Undergraduates hold weekly workshops for our high school student ambassadors and work with them to implement community-requested events in their neighborhood’s underutilized spaces. We believe that anyone, no matter the resources, can make positive change in their neighborhoods and collaborate with grassroots community groups so that we can augment their existing efforts.
SIL: Why did you decide to start this? Where did the idea come from?
Elyse: The idea came from my own experience growing up and volunteering with my hometown’s neighborhood revitalization initiatives, as well as an internship that I completed during my junior year at Johns Hopkins. I grew up in Biddeford, Maine, a town that hadn’t seen investment since the heyday of the town’s 1960s textile mills. The lack of vibrancy in the city extinguished any pride that I had at growing up there. However, I got to be involved in the initial revitalization efforts of Biddeford’s downtown during my senior year of high school. That involvement dramatically changed my opinion of the city and I hope to one day return to the new bustling downtown. Knowing the impact that community development had on my life as a high school student, I knew there was great potential for it to also impact the lives of Baltimore’s youth, as well.
The uniqueness of teaching community development skills through vacant space activation came after I completed research on events called temporary space interventions for the 11th Street Bridge Park. Temporary space interventions are low-cost and participatory development projects that act as the fastest and most effective response to an area’s particular needs. Think of a pop-up farm stand, which addresses food access, or a once-a-week outdoor Zumba class as a way to make fitness more accessible to all. By using temporary space interventions as the vehicle with which to promote community leadership development, we are able to not only build the capacity of Baltimore’s youth, but also the capacity of neighborhood infrastructure, as well.
SIL: What would you consider success for your venture and how would the world be different if it is successful?
Elyse: Our model is based on increased transfer of responsibility to our high school student ambassadors so that they become one of the driving forces behind their neighborhood’s revitalization. We measure success based on our ability to do just that. This then allows us to focus the majority of our efforts on creating programs in other Baltimore neighborhoods while switching to a mentorship role for ambassadors involved in prior programs. If our program is successful, we can repeatedly create groups of engaged, Baltimore high school students who have proof that they can make a difference in the lives of their family members and neighbors. Project Charmify believes that those who grew up walking a city’s streets best know the strengths and needs of its communities. Hopefully, involvement with Project Charmify can help our ambassadors better see themselves in community leadership roles and further contribute to Baltimore City.
SIL: Tell us about yourself? What got you interested in this issue? Any work experience or past professional/life experience that informs your work now?
Elyse: In addition to the personal experiences previously mentioned, I was a part of a leadership development program for Baltimore-area college students. There are 13 universities within Baltimore City and I met students from each one. It got me thinking about how to better incorporate college students into neighborhood revitalization in Baltimore and do so in a way that still puts community residents first.
SIL: What’s your favorite place or thing to do in Baltimore?
Elyse: My favorite place is the Waverly Farmers’ Market. I also participate in Baltimore Bike Party as frequently as possible.
SIL: What advice do you have for would-be social entrepreneurs thinking about starting a venture?
Elyse: If you have an idea, talk about it with other people as often as you can. It is much easier move through the uncertainty of starting a company when there is a supportive environment around you and speaking your idea out loud allows you to attract like-minded individuals to your cause. People with different perspectives also challenge you to think about issues within your model that you may not have yet considered and addressing them will make your venture stronger. Bottom line: don’t go it alone.
