Ajené Livingston

Impact

Where people came together and things moved

Programs, partnerships, and community work across Coatesville, Chester County, and Greater Philadelphia. Filter by the kind of work, then open any case study for the full story.

Showing 8 of 8 projects

  • Ajené leading a hands-on trust exercise with Work Enclave participants, guiding them through a course of colored cups on the floor.

    Chester County OIC

    Work Enclave program

    A five-week paid program that helps people build skills and connect with local employers through work experience and professional development.

    $800Kprogrammatic grant secured with support from the program's results

    • Program design
    • Resource development
    • Partnerships
    • Workforce
    The full story
    Situation
    The program was designed to help people build skills and connect with local employment through paid work experience and professional development.
    What I did
    Developed and piloted the five-week program, recruited participants, coordinated program relationships, and built the tracking and implementation processes.
    Result
    50 participants recruited. 60 percent identified as candidates for local jobs with benefits. Those results supported securing an $800,000 programmatic grant.
    Role
    Consultant
  • Families doing yoga together on colorful mats under tall evergreens at Sundays in the Park in Coatesville.

    Coatesville Parks and Recreation Commission

    People. Programs. Parks.

    As commission chair, I helped build a free, year-round calendar of programs and events in Coatesville's parks, and wrote a strategic plan framework for the City's parks system. Every activity is free, welcoming, and built around families.

    Year-roundfree programs, community events, and a completed Palmer Park renovation

    • Community programming
    • Civic partnerships
    • Park planning
    • Youth opportunity
    The full story
    Situation
    Parks and public spaces can build healthy relationships across a community. The commission set out to make activities free, welcoming, and family-centered, and to connect residents with local providers and their parks.
    What I did
    As Chair, I supported the commission's community programming and wrote its proposal, People. Programs. Parks. The framework covers a master-planning process, commissioner portfolios, a coordinated program calendar and summer opportunities network, youth and resident engagement, park inventory and stewardship tools, a weighted park prioritization scorecard, partnership and funding pathways, measures, and a 30/60/90-day action agenda.
    Result
    A free, year-round program and event framework linking local instructors and providers with public spaces; a calendar of community events; the completed Palmer Park renovation; and a strategic plan framework for City consideration.

    Weekly

    Sundays in the Park: inclusive theatre and storytelling, family yoga, family crafts, and fitness for adults and families at every skill level.

    Monthly

    Clean and Safe park cleanups with the United States Air Force, OIC Enclave, and 2nd Century. Community gardening with Penn State Master Gardeners. Informal music with local community drummers.

    Summer

    Free youth intramural sports with Brandywine YMCA and Coatesville Youth Initiative. A free lunch program with drawing, painting, and park beautification with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Bridge Town Toons.

    Community event calendar

    • FebruaryAnnual Pancake BreakfastBIPOC literacy awareness and culturally diverse books for Black History Month
    • AprilEarth DayGiving back to nature through earth-friendly practices
    • FallAutumn FestPumpkins, costumes, candy, and art in the park
    • DecemberLight the NightThe Pavilion of Trees, Coatesville's community tree lighting

    Parks and capital projects

    • Palmer Park renovation, completed
    • National Fitness Campaign outdoor fitness center at Victor Abdala Park, announced as planned and funded
    • Ash Park, funding secured for renovation phases
  • Ajené in a Coatesville Area Branch NAACP Juneteenth shirt at the Freedom Celebration, balloons in red, black, and green behind him.

    Coatesville Area Branch NAACP

    Coatesville Juneteenth Freedom Celebration

    As chair of the branch's Juneteenth Committee, I helped launch and lead the city's first Juneteenth Freedom Celebration: a joyful, intergenerational day honoring freedom, health, and heritage.

    3connected experiences in one shared celebration: a basketball tournament, a Freedom Parade, and a Community Fair

    • Community organizing
    • Coalition building
    • Health equity
    • Event leadership
    The full story
    Situation
    Coatesville needed a joyful, intergenerational way to honor Juneteenth, make Black history visible in the life of the city, and bring residents together around freedom, health, and heritage.
    What I did
    Built the day around three connected experiences: a father and son and father and daughter basketball tournament, a Freedom Parade, and an afternoon Community Fair and Health Equity Celebration. The parade route passed African American historic places, with history displays and markers honoring the legacy of the Coatesville Elks Parade.
    Result
    Residents connected with health and wellness resources alongside local schools, churches, civic organizations, and community groups, with sports, parade participation, cultural performance, music, and food in one celebration.
    When
    year of the first celebration
  • Ajené presenting at the lectern to a full room of professionals during an Arts + Business Council Designing Leadership session, program slides on the screens.

    Arts + Business Council for Greater Philadelphia

    Business on Board and leadership programs

    I led Business on Board and supported Designing Leadership and Digital Drawing Board, giving nonprofit and business leaders practical ways to learn from one another and build stronger leadership relationships.

    1,500+alumni kept engaged across the network

    • Leadership development
    • Board engagement
    • Curriculum
    • Sponsor relations
    The full story
    Situation
    Nonprofit and business leaders benefit from practical ways to learn from one another and build stronger leadership relationships.
    What I did
    Designed curriculum, worked with facilitators, recruited participants, delivered content, and supported alumni engagement, sponsor and foundation relationships, and program communications.
    Result
    Maintained engagement with a network of more than 1,500 alumni.
  • The full company of Coatesville Cultural Society's The Gospel at Colonus on stage at First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, with Ajené at the lectern.

    Coatesville Cultural Society

    Community theatre and arts education

    For decades the Cultural Society has given people in Coatesville and nearby communities a place in theatre, storytelling, learning, and cultural exchange. I've produced, performed, and taught there, from one-person shows to large casts.

    40+productions, with casts as large as 75 and budgets above $100,000

    • Production
    • Youth education
    • Storytelling
    • Facilitation
    The full story
    What I did
    Production management, acting and playwriting classes, youth outreach, summer and after-school programs, Coatesville Children's Theatre, community workshops, and school assemblies. I have performed in and helped create productions from one-person work to large casts.
    Result
    More than 40 productions, casts as large as 75, budgets above $100,000, and hundreds of assembly programs across dozens of schools.
    Press
    Broad Street Review, May 22, 2018, on the Cultural Society's production of The Gospel at Colonus

More work

Partnerships, health equity, and regional programs

  • The Alliance for Health Equity

    Strategic relationships for health equity

    As Senior Director for Strategic Relationships, I led relationship building, philanthropy, health-equity partnerships, and community engagement.

  • America250 Greater Coatesville

    Outreach and community planning

    Outreach and community planning for America250 in Greater Coatesville.

  • The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University

    Arts and regional programs

    As Arts and Regional Programs Manager, I ran arts and regional programming and nonprofit professional development, and supported the transition of Business on Board.

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