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The Ke'nekt Cooperative (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Reconnecting Communities
└ Reconnecting Communities
Westview residents faced lasting impacts from displacement tied to Interstate 20, leaving older adults disconnected and their stories unheard. The Cooperative hosted community sessions to collect oral histories and map displaced homes, supported by podcast equipment and media training. Students helped record interviews and participants shared experiences in restorative dialogues that strengthened intergenerational bonds and inspired advocacy. Plans include storytelling workshops, a mentorship program and a digital archive. One session allowed two sisters to reflect for the first time on their displacement, creating a transformative moment of healing.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Denver, CO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Reconnecting Communities
Description: Sun Valley has been cut off for decades by the Colfax-Federal cloverleaf, which displaced more than 240 families and left residents facing isolation and safety hazards. The Cloverleaf Oral History Project trained community historians to collect oral histories from older adults whose families were uprooted, preserving them in History Colorado's permanent collection. Stories were shared through two community events, a video and a blog post, sparking intergenerational dialogue. These narratives ensure older residents voices shape future transportation decisions.
St. Paul, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Reconnecting Communities
Description: The construction of I-94 shattered St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood, displacing families and erasing community life. To preserve this history and amplify older residents' voices, the project interviewed 13 older adults and collected photos to create a virtual reality experience showing Rondo before, during and after freeway construction. Two VR exhibitions engaged residents and youth, fostering dialogue and promoting healing. These immersive stories now serve as a permanent archive, informing redevelopment discussions and promoting more inclusive urban planning for years to come.
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Atlanta, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Micromobility enhancements/management
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AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
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