Palm Beach County residents were asked:
Please tell us about an important moment in your life that would help someone understand what it’s like living in your neighborhood.
The stories and micro-narratives they submitted (as part of the We Are Here SenseMaker project) are listed below. Click ZOOM IN to learn more about the community member and how they interpreted their submission. NOTE: Some stories were partially transcribed by volunteers who shortened the narratives and referred to the storytellers in the third person (e.g., “her experience was” instead of “my experience was”).
Getting into sports was important in my life. It’s wasn’t that many options for me because I didn’t want to be a doctor or anything. So I played sports to keep me off the streets.
Living in a poor neighborhood can change everything , Among the younger generation, the same number of black children continued to grow up in the very poorest neighborhoodsNothing had changed.Many people live in a bad neighborhood to save money but many people live in bad neighborhoods because they don’t want to let go of the past yet
Growing up in the ghetto is rough. I managed to get out and I’m never going back, but the lessons I learned about human nature will stay with me forever
During hurricane Irma my neighbors came together to gather water
Growing up in Delray Beach Fl I was always a problem child I brought disappointment to my mom and family than that made me realize that what I did shouldn’t be happening anymore , my mom told me. “Baby don’t do that no more “ that’s the day I smiled remember it like it was yesterday
Thirty-five percent of participants stopped important activities after their events, with personal illnesses having this effect most frequently. In addition to these negative consequences, participants reported positive consequences of their stressful events for their lives.