Summarizing 2020...
In a year that has been devastating to so many, it’s difficult to find the right words to share how, for us at OMO, this has also been a year of growth and possibilities. Building OMO kept us sane and the connections within this community have kept us hopeful. OMO has been something we could focus our energies on, our way of continuing to help the community, to bring consistency in a time of chaos.
When school buildings closed here on March 13, Amy said “let’s build something to keep people from being isolated”. March 16 we were up and running, a two-woman operation--Journaling, Yoga/Exercise, English/Social Studies, Math/Science, Language, Creative Arts, and Book Group five days a week, with Amy bringing in fascinating presenters and being on Zoom from 8am to 5pm every day and Jessica building the background stuff--the website, social media, and general organizational plan. Our friends and neighbors joined us—children seeking the classroom-like environment that they missed, parents looking for ways to keep their kids learning and socializing (or even to get just 45-minutes to themselves to focus on their own needs or work), adults and children volunteering as a way of keeping connected. We went from planning one day at a time, to getting consistent volunteers signed up to lead exercise, book groups, and language so that we could plan a whole week out, which felt like forever in Covid-time. The first month passed in a blur because, like many, we didn’t think stay-at-home orders or Covid-19 would last long. We were happy to steam ahead a week at a time. Gradually, some of our consistent volunteers became trusted advisors. Jessie and Rachel and then Hannah brought their skills and their experiences to fill in the knowledge and organizational gaps that Amy and Jessica couldn’t complete alone. As in all the best memories, how exactly we became a team was so seamless that the details are blurry, but our official Admin Team chat started March 30 (and we just reached the milestone of planning three months out!).
Each month brought changes, more difficult news, shifts in school, and adjustments to understanding the pandemic. We’re grateful to our session volunteers that enabled us to flex to meet the needs of our OMO community. From the student-focused sessions in the Spring, to the higher number of adult-focused evening sessions of the Fall, so many amazing people have been willing to share their knowledge, their life experience, their hobbies, and their skills to help others learn and grow together. While our daily lineup has shifted, our goals of Conversation, Community, and Connection continue to guide our decisions on what sessions to offer.
We’ve been joined by local celebrities like Circus Greg and State’s Attorney Rich Gibson and by some well-known people from farther afield like Kazu Kibuishi, Eva Schloss, Hena Khan, and Savvy ASL. We’ve had sessions led by people who have survived tragedy (both historical and widespread and recent and personal) and are willing to help others learn from their experience. We’ve featured authors, physicians, educators, engineers, business people, artists, historians, landscape architects, scientists, and those who will grow up to take on those careers. And we’ve learned that what people do for work does not define their life—we’re all an impressive mix of interests, knowledge, hobbies, skills, and lived experiences.
We’re proud of how OMO has connected people to new friendships, new pandemic hobbies, and new favorite authors. We’re proud that we’ve created a space that presenters and attendees enjoy coming back to. We’re proud that OMO is a trusted space where parents feel their children are safe to learn, play, and chat together (it takes a village, and sometimes that close-knit-neighborhood-parent-network is virtual). We’re proud to be an integral part of people’s journeys to better understanding of social justice and restorative justice. We’re proud to have been able to connect people with information and to amazing organizations that are doing much-needed work for food security and social justice, including the youth-led organizations here in Howard County.
This year has revealed that people are seeking opportunities and spaces to be vulnerable. Sometimes that vulnerability means being willing to say “I don’t know, I don’t understand, but I’m willing to learn”. Children are consistently good at this but we adults sometimes need reminding especially when addressing challenging topics like systemic racism. Sometimes that vulnerability means answering “How are you?” honestly. We intentionally start OMO sessions with that question because how better to connect with others than by finding out where they’re at emotionally in that moment. In sessions, some felt “worn down” or “surprisingly good” or “just sad“ or “happy to see the sun shine”, and it has been common for those emotions to be acknowledged by the group, whether friends or strangers, as normal; we are caring of the down ones even if we aren’t down and we are happy for the happy ones even if we aren’t happy. Consistently, the idea of “your emotions are valid” has been respected, and we’ve learned so much about the myriad feelings that are simultaneously unique to us and common to the human experience (and once again the children on OMO set a fine example with their ability to articulate feelings and be comfortable with themselves).
From babies in our circle time sessions to nonagenarians in our social learning sessions, OMO has become what we set out to make: a multigenerational social learning environment that keeps our community connected. Our “community” started with the physical boundaries of Oakland Mills, but, like the culture of the neighborhood we live in, we are strongest together when “community” takes on a broader definition—people gathering with a common goal or purpose, to learn and grow together.
Thank you to everyone who has attended, moderated, or led a session. Thank you to everyone who shared OMO with others and introduced us to more amazing people and organizations. Thank you to the parents who brought their children to sessions; not only do we appreciate that you trusted us to care for your child’s well-being like we do with our own, but because the adults in the Zoom learn so much from those wise, witty, and wonderful humans. Thank you to our Board members for guiding us. Thank you to our partners, especially the Howard County Library System, for helping us offer sessions that appeal to so many. Thank you to the Horizon Foundation, the Howard County Government, and Bright Minds for supporting us through grants, and to the Stevens Forest Elementary School PTA for acting as our financial sponsor while we wait for the final piece of our non-profit application to process. The list of people who have been a part of this community endeavor is joyfully long, so can’t be listed here, but please know that you have brightened our world.
Wishing you all the best in the year ahead,
Rachel, Amy, Jessica, Jessie, and Hannah
In a year that has been devastating to so many, it’s difficult to find the right words to share how, for us at OMO, this has also been a year of growth and possibilities. Building OMO kept us sane and the connections within this community have kept us hopeful. OMO has been something we could focus our energies on, our way of continuing to help the community, to bring consistency in a time of chaos.
When school buildings closed here on March 13, Amy said “let’s build something to keep people from being isolated”. March 16 we were up and running, a two-woman operation--Journaling, Yoga/Exercise, English/Social Studies, Math/Science, Language, Creative Arts, and Book Group five days a week, with Amy bringing in fascinating presenters and being on Zoom from 8am to 5pm every day and Jessica building the background stuff--the website, social media, and general organizational plan. Our friends and neighbors joined us—children seeking the classroom-like environment that they missed, parents looking for ways to keep their kids learning and socializing (or even to get just 45-minutes to themselves to focus on their own needs or work), adults and children volunteering as a way of keeping connected. We went from planning one day at a time, to getting consistent volunteers signed up to lead exercise, book groups, and language so that we could plan a whole week out, which felt like forever in Covid-time. The first month passed in a blur because, like many, we didn’t think stay-at-home orders or Covid-19 would last long. We were happy to steam ahead a week at a time. Gradually, some of our consistent volunteers became trusted advisors. Jessie and Rachel and then Hannah brought their skills and their experiences to fill in the knowledge and organizational gaps that Amy and Jessica couldn’t complete alone. As in all the best memories, how exactly we became a team was so seamless that the details are blurry, but our official Admin Team chat started March 30 (and we just reached the milestone of planning three months out!).
Each month brought changes, more difficult news, shifts in school, and adjustments to understanding the pandemic. We’re grateful to our session volunteers that enabled us to flex to meet the needs of our OMO community. From the student-focused sessions in the Spring, to the higher number of adult-focused evening sessions of the Fall, so many amazing people have been willing to share their knowledge, their life experience, their hobbies, and their skills to help others learn and grow together. While our daily lineup has shifted, our goals of Conversation, Community, and Connection continue to guide our decisions on what sessions to offer.
We’ve been joined by local celebrities like Circus Greg and State’s Attorney Rich Gibson and by some well-known people from farther afield like Kazu Kibuishi, Eva Schloss, Hena Khan, and Savvy ASL. We’ve had sessions led by people who have survived tragedy (both historical and widespread and recent and personal) and are willing to help others learn from their experience. We’ve featured authors, physicians, educators, engineers, business people, artists, historians, landscape architects, scientists, and those who will grow up to take on those careers. And we’ve learned that what people do for work does not define their life—we’re all an impressive mix of interests, knowledge, hobbies, skills, and lived experiences.
We’re proud of how OMO has connected people to new friendships, new pandemic hobbies, and new favorite authors. We’re proud that we’ve created a space that presenters and attendees enjoy coming back to. We’re proud that OMO is a trusted space where parents feel their children are safe to learn, play, and chat together (it takes a village, and sometimes that close-knit-neighborhood-parent-network is virtual). We’re proud to be an integral part of people’s journeys to better understanding of social justice and restorative justice. We’re proud to have been able to connect people with information and to amazing organizations that are doing much-needed work for food security and social justice, including the youth-led organizations here in Howard County.
This year has revealed that people are seeking opportunities and spaces to be vulnerable. Sometimes that vulnerability means being willing to say “I don’t know, I don’t understand, but I’m willing to learn”. Children are consistently good at this but we adults sometimes need reminding especially when addressing challenging topics like systemic racism. Sometimes that vulnerability means answering “How are you?” honestly. We intentionally start OMO sessions with that question because how better to connect with others than by finding out where they’re at emotionally in that moment. In sessions, some felt “worn down” or “surprisingly good” or “just sad“ or “happy to see the sun shine”, and it has been common for those emotions to be acknowledged by the group, whether friends or strangers, as normal; we are caring of the down ones even if we aren’t down and we are happy for the happy ones even if we aren’t happy. Consistently, the idea of “your emotions are valid” has been respected, and we’ve learned so much about the myriad feelings that are simultaneously unique to us and common to the human experience (and once again the children on OMO set a fine example with their ability to articulate feelings and be comfortable with themselves).
From babies in our circle time sessions to nonagenarians in our social learning sessions, OMO has become what we set out to make: a multigenerational social learning environment that keeps our community connected. Our “community” started with the physical boundaries of Oakland Mills, but, like the culture of the neighborhood we live in, we are strongest together when “community” takes on a broader definition—people gathering with a common goal or purpose, to learn and grow together.
Thank you to everyone who has attended, moderated, or led a session. Thank you to everyone who shared OMO with others and introduced us to more amazing people and organizations. Thank you to the parents who brought their children to sessions; not only do we appreciate that you trusted us to care for your child’s well-being like we do with our own, but because the adults in the Zoom learn so much from those wise, witty, and wonderful humans. Thank you to our Board members for guiding us. Thank you to our partners, especially the Howard County Library System, for helping us offer sessions that appeal to so many. Thank you to the Horizon Foundation, the Howard County Government, and Bright Minds for supporting us through grants, and to the Stevens Forest Elementary School PTA for acting as our financial sponsor while we wait for the final piece of our non-profit application to process. The list of people who have been a part of this community endeavor is joyfully long, so can’t be listed here, but please know that you have brightened our world.
Wishing you all the best in the year ahead,
Rachel, Amy, Jessica, Jessie, and Hannah