FAQs

Confidential Briefing for Newark Leaders on Beautiful Newark

The Recognition

Any conversation about making Newark even more beautiful has to start with how many organizations have done so much-- and are doing so much-- already. None of us is inventing anything. We can only join in the effort of so many unselfish people and stand on the shoulders of leaders who have done the great work. From the Greater Newark Conservancy, Weequahic and Branch Brook Park Assocation and the many neighborhood associations, companies and non-profits who have sponsored so many cleanups and projects, its incredible. The website www.beautifulnewark.org will have a special section to shine a spotlight on group after group doing great stuff and nominations are welcome.

The Reality

Newark has an unfair reputation. There is so much that is beautiful about our city, starting with the people, from children to seniors who are our greatest beauty, not just parks or architecture. But the fact is, many of our streets have litter. If we’re being honest there is garbage in places it shouldn’t be. We can blame some outsiders for dumping and littering, and that has to be stopped. But the truth is most litter comes from us, all ages, all walks of life and only we can stop it. The entrances to the city and many other things can be as beautiful as we choose to make and keep them.

The Lesson Learned

On the first Saturday in October, students and leaders from more than 115 locations coordinated a beautification project for One Day, from schools to neighborhood groups to faith communities, listed on the website. It was a wonderful day followed by a great celebration, music and donated food with the Mayor and others at Branch Brook Park. The top project in Baxter Terrace was voted a $10,000 prize from the Newark Alliance. In school, students learn about beautification in lessons. But here’s the hard lesson, no matter how much litter you pick up in one place, a street just gets dirty again and it’s so discouraging, it can feel like why try. Was the day a failure? Only if we don’t learn the lesson.

Why This Issue, Why Now?

There are so many bigger and more important issues in Newark that we are all working on, why the push for beautification? Superintendent Marion Bolden first raised it with Mayor Booker and leaders like Joe D, Congressman Payne and others. (1) The issue is winnable. (2) Everyone, from the littlest ones, can play a key role. (3) It is a symbol that Newark is improving, gives us even more confidence. Students began to help shape the concept and plan the marketing campaign. From there, other leaders joined in, Keith Kinard of Newark Housing Authority, George Warrington of NJ Transit. Ministers, business leaders. The Star Ledger donated $100,000 worth of advertising! Different people are now donating their talents and their expertise, like Tritonic doing the ads and The League providing office space and infrastructure. Newark Now is helping with the Super Neighborhoods. We want to take advantage of youth leadership and a common goal we can all share.

The Story of Lanes in Sweden

Changing the mindset and look of the city is like pushing a boulder up a hill. If we do a little and stop, what happens? It just rolls back down (over our feet!). What can we do that would be dramatic and have, as the students say, pop? Here is a true story. In Sweden they used to drive on the left side of the road, like England, in the 30’s, the 40s, the 50s, while the countries around them in Continental Europe drove on the right side of the road like we do. Logically, they realized they should switch but they never did because they couldn’t do it “gradually,” it was too hard, and they didn’t have enough leadership to make it all happen. Then some leaders got together and took charge and said let’s pick a moment. They picked Sep. 3, 1967 at 4:45 in the morning as the moment to switch. They had a big campaign months leading up to make sure everyone in the country knew. That night, by law, if you were on the road you had to exit the left lane at 4:45 in the morning, pull off the road for 10 minutes, then pull back on and use the right lane. It worked and was an amazing success.

The Big Idea

What if we want to “switch lanes” from having Newark streets with sometimes litter and not as pretty to a city that is famous for being clean and beautiful? What if we all become the leaders who take charge, that the history books talk about? Working with the kids, our moment is Friday, April 20 in the afternoon. On that day, one hour before school ends, each class, meaning the teacher, students and any parents and adult who want to volunteer, will go to a specific street next to their school and pick up all the litter and plant a million flowers. It will be a national story and press will be here. The real focus, though, is the campaign leading up to it, where the kids help us all change our mindset that we can all pick up a piece of litter if we see one once in a while. We can all stand up and be leaders, not let anyone else litter. And we can all own up, “own” a specific section of a specific street that we have adopted and keep clean.

Want to Buy a Street?

Every faith community, business, block group and non-profit is invite to own (or co-own) a street segment. For example, a group could say we want to own (or co-own) this High Street between William Street and Springfield. You “buy” the street with your love and your commitment to keep it clean. If one church and one business both want the same section, they can co-own it. Any street segments not claimed by the end of the Feb. 3 breakfast will be taken by the schools, class by class. The ownership will be listed on the website and public so people will know. Streets will then be rated on cleanliness by a scale called Scorecard developed in NYC in the 70s, with 7 levels of clean, from 1.0 (best) to 3.0 (worst). So on the website, all year, we can see whether the streets are staying clean.

The Breakfast

Our young people are amazing and powerful, look out, but they need our help in a big way. Every head of a faith community, business, neighborhood, block or street association, school and government office is invited to get behind the kids who are running this breakfast and campaign. At this breakfast, Sat. Feb. 3 at Barringer High School (right next to the Basilica of Sacred Heart, next to Branch Brook Park) we will make it all official and everyone who comes becomes a Founder. The students are decorating Barringer High School gym to be the shape of Newark so we can all sit with our peers, by Super Neighborhood and neighborhood. We will be set up with breakfast a little before 8:00 a.m. and when you first arrive, we will take a photo of each leader who comes, and film a 30 second video message of you for the website. (You can say anything you want in the message but its like the Nike I am Tiger Woods campaign only the kids are doing “I am Beautiful Newark.” So you can say something like why you love Newark, why you are committed to it) We have a bunch of choices for the logo and everyone will get dots to vote on the logo. At 9:00, we start the program while we are all seated in tables by neighborhood, so the principal from a school and the pastor across the street and block president down the street are together at a table. Most of the breakfast is just discussion at the tables, we will each brainstorm our own ideas for how we can beautify our own front steps and “own” our own streets and share those plans and do whatever we decide together. Each table is facilitated by a young person, supported by the Principal.

The Nets Game: The NJ Nets were inspired by what we are doing and gave 3,000 tickets to the Nets Wizards game on Tues. Feb. 27 at 7:00 p.m.. Each Newark leader on board can have 4 free tickets. Know that the seats are upper deck, everyone is on their own for parking and food and if you accept tickets they have to be used, not wasted. The theme of halftime is Beautiful Newark.

The Video and The Campaign

Young people tell us brochures are not the way they promote things. They are doing a brief video (10 minutes) that they want to be inspiring that we try and get everyone in the city to watch. We have a professional videographer working with them, giving his time. The idea is to get everyone to watch and then everyone make their own commitment and message on why they are Beautiful Newark. By letting the kids inspire us and each make individual commitments, that is half the battle. The other part is strategic. How can we get a million flowers going by April 20? Each institution is invited to do their own, a flower barrel, boxes, etc.. but many of them have said back to us, give us some low cost options so the kids are working in planning retreats (with adults helping) how each house, apartment and organization can get a flower box or barrel and how we could get it ready, what it would cost each.

The Big Day

Friday, April 20 is the day where students not only learn history, they make history. 42,000 kids taking one hour out of the school day to do a living lesson in civics. The largest civic beautification project ever done in the USA in history. Can we help them succeed? Will we achieve picking up all the litter? Will we achieve planting one million flowers or will we fail? We already have interest from national media, some drama, to see if we are successful. How many adults will join in and help for an hour? What special projects can be done at all the entrances to the city? How about the big public buildings? Downtown? The parks? It’s all up to us and the good news is that some of the most powerful leaders in the whole city are behind this, letting the kids take the leadership and credit but using their clout to make it work. We already have other cities wanting to join in. Afterwards, there is a party for all volunteers, location to be announced. Who is really running this? In terms of neighborhood level groups, more than a hundred schools and other entities participated in the pilot event, One Day and they are listed on the website. A Beautiful Newark Partnership has been formed, with the following city wide entities and more joining:

Newark Public Schools City of Newark (several depts.) Essex County (Office of Joe DiVincenzo) NJ Transit Port Authority of NY/NJ Newark Airport Regional Planning Association PSE&G CBS Outdoor (billboards) Amelior Foundation Newark Alliance Newark Now Newark Housing Authority

Tritonic (donating creative) Star-Ledger (donating advertising) Rutgers NJIT Essex County College NJN TV Newark Regional Business Partnership The League (nonprofit, operating partner, 35 James Street) Verizon Nicholson Foundation Congressman Donald Payne’s Office More joining all the time…

From One Day to Every Day

Of course, the key to real success is making it last. No matter how much we clean that day, the true campaign is the next day. On Monday morning, will we each, when we see litter forming, pick up one piece? If we don’t, it won’t. If we do, the whole city will stay beautiful. History is sometimes about moments and that moment is here. We will be doing rating in the Summer to see how the streets are doing. We will do another Beautification in the Fall, Saturday, October 6.