On The Ground

Soapbox Cincinnati and NKY thrives has published [5] On The Ground series for communities including Walnut Hills, Covington, West End, Camp Washington and Westwood. For each series, Soapbox gathered community residents, stakeholders, community councils and development organization partners to determine what stories the neighborhoods would like to tell. Our community-shaped editorial calendar resulted in some of Soapbox and NKY thrives favorite stories between 2016 and 2020. There is a genuine interest in urban communities that are often underreported and underrepresented in local media, especially during 2020, which was a year dominated by the national election, a pandemic and misinformation.

Soapbox hosted a Community Open Newsroom in conjunction with the Walnut Hills series in the winter of 2020 headquartered at Caffè Vivace. Twenty-two members of the community were guests during the Open Newsroom events which were hosted by Kathryne Gardette. The Open Newsroom closed at the start of the nationwide COVID shutdown.

Executive Director Alex Plum at Corner Health Center's clothing closet and food pantry.

Ypsi organizations work to support young immigrants under the new Trump administration

Many organizations in the greater Ypsilanti area have faced new challenges and developed new strategies to respond to rapid changes affecting young immigrants.

How a neighborhood that said “No” to everything became one that says “Yes”

Ten years ago, Westwood was so divided that community leaders suggested seceding from Cincinnati.

When the world shut down, Westwood created a safety net for kids and families in need

It didn’t happen overnight, but thanks to pre-existing asset maps of community services, residents created a bank of resources and ideas for maintaining community connections.

Rapidly growing Gamble High School is a rarity in the neighborhood

There are only about 25 Montessori High Schools in the country, with two in Cincinnati. West Side parents appreciate the child-led, self-paced, collaborative learning model offered through the program.

Creating an inviting culture in Westwood

Local business owners set up shop, hoping to anchor the community’s development.

Welcome to Westwood, where residents are changing racial attitudes one conversation at a time

After years of being divided, the community is slowly becoming united.

Moving Forward — together — in Camp Washington

In many neighborhoods, gentrification leaves longstanding residents out of the occasion. But in this neighborhood, everyone is invited to have a seat at the table.

Meet the makers: Here are the people renewing the community from the inside out

A hundred years ago, Camp Washington was one of the region’s largest hubs of industry, producing everything from pork products to steel casings. It also housed 12,000 residents, many of them making up the labor force that forged the “golden era” of Cincinnati’s economy in the early 20th century.

Residents, old and new, find a home and livelihood in welcoming Camp Washington

For those who have lived in the neighborhood since birth, there’s no other place to call home. And in the past few years, newer Campers are learning why.

Camp Washington residents create a brighter future

In this gritty, quirky neighborhood, citizens are working together from the ground up — literally — to invest in community development.

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