NetworX holds first graduation.
July 20, 2021
Liz OConnell, Anson Record Staff Writer
MORVEN — NETworX Anson held an in-person graduation ceremony for the non-profit’s first cohort on July 13 at the HOLLA! Center.
Virtual classes for the cohort began on March 9. Once a week, these five participants would login onto Zoom to discuss and explore several topics, including resilience, trauma, privilege and SMART goals, lead by Davi Trotti and Heather McIntyre.
The graduation ceremony was the first in-person event the cohort attended. During the informal, but fun graduation, students were able to present their vision board they created during the program. The vision board was meant to show what they wanted to see in their lives. Food and cake was also served following graduation.
The graduation marked the completion of Phase 1 of the 18-month program. Phase 2 is expected to start up again in the next couple of weeks.
Students will meet in a hybrid model for Phase 2. The meetings will be held virtually, but after discussing what the cohort would like to focus on doing for the community, the group will be building a community garden together.
Although the curriculum is still be developed for Phase 2, NETworX Anson’s site coordinator Devin Pettiford wants to include a book study for this phase. She also plans on bringing in speakers to discuss financial literacy, healthy eating and mental health. The community will be invited to attend certain speaker presentations.
No cohort will ever look the same. These five students wanted to focus on healthy eating, physical and mental health, leading to the idea of a community garden. Eventually, the group will be expanding the garden for the entire community to utilize.
“(NETworX Anson) is an ever morphing and growing mission,” Pettiford said. “We cater it to the goals of the cohorts.”
Pettiford wants to get her bearings in before adding a new cohort to NETworX Anson. She would like to have a new cohort for the Fall, but no decision has been made at this time.
NETworX Anson began in 2019. The nonprofit initiative focuses on bettering the lives of the people in the community. The organization operates under HOLLA! and is located in Morven.
