By Mitch
Stop the presses, friends! Mongo had some very special visitors.
On October 15, more than 30 journalists, editors and publishers from local newsrooms around the country came to The Scrap Exchange. They were in Durham for Local News Camp, a three-day gathering run by Blue Engine Collaborative with help from our friends at NC Local. Campers spent the week working on how to keep local news strong. Then they took a field trip to the land of blue barrels!
Our Programs & Outreach team rolled out the welcome mat, and even the chalkboard in the Make N’ Take room said hello. Tammy led a tour of the Reuse Arts Center, and our guests poked through corks, bottle caps, fancy yarns and a few doll parts. Next came a conversation with Mitch, our Executive Director. The afternoon ended with everyone making things together, because nobody leaves Mongo’s house without making something.
Here’s what made Mongo’s heart go thump. Mitch asked the room, “What do you think of when you hear the word used?” Then he asked what people think of when they hear “local news.” Turns out a reuse center and a local newsroom have a lot in common. Both are trying to:
serve everyone, and serve someone in particular
stick to their mission, and pay the bills
be loved by the folks who “get us,” and reach the folks who don’t
Mitch even dreamed up what a reporter could do with 72 hours at The Scrap Exchange: follow one donation from the curb to a customer, ask 100 shoppers why they came, and find the people who never walk in at all. (Mongo would read that story!)
We like to think of The Scrap Exchange as a place that inspires people. This time our visitors inspired us right back with their curiosity and creativity, and with how much they care about their own communities. That’s one of Mongo’s laws: inspiration is everywhere, but the answers come from within.
Thank you, Blue Engine, NC Local and every camper who came. Keep telling your community’s stories. Mongo’s rooting for you!
Photos by Ann Hermes, courtesy of Blue Engine Collaborative.
