About DIY Lowell

Our Mission and Goals

Mission

DIY Lowell was founded in 2015 by two community members after extensive discussions with leaders across the city. We are a grassroots group dedicated to helping community members make small-scale projects and events happen together. We connect people with ideas to funding, technical assistance, and most importantly to one another.

What’s in a Name?

Why do we call ourselves “Do-it-Yourself Lowell?” It’s because we love “Do-it-Yourself Urbanism.” DIY Urbanism is a philosophy of rolling up your sleeves and Doing-it-Yourself by tackling an achievable project that will snowball into bigger changes. DIY Urbanism goes beyond complaining on social media or at community meetings! We empower Lowellians of all types to practice DIY Urbanism together.

What kind of events and projects?

DIY Lowell Project Teams, made up of community members of all backgrounds, work on all sorts of projects and events that improve or use spaces that are open to the public. Examples range from block parties and festivals to pop-up art and history installations to infrastructure like new bike racks or flower beds. Check out teams' current and past projects here.

DIY Lowell’s Goals

Our mission revolves around three key goals: Building lasting, exciting civic improvements, building civic engagement skills, and building diverse community.

Build Lasting, Exciting Civic Improvements

DIY Lowell creates small projects and events that we hope will pave the way for bigger changes to improve our city. We test new ideas invented by diverse populations and build them into lasting improvements. For example, a pop-up history trail built by the community might lead to a permanent history trail developed by an institution, which in turn might lead to increased tourism, community pride, and a revitalized downtown.

Build Civic Engagement Skills

DIY Lowell empowers community members to make the city their own. We not only invite the community to make changes to the city, but also provide the skills and networks necessary for community members to do so. This might include skills such as setting agendas, developing budgets, gaining community consensus, applying for grants, getting permits, and working with the city government. We especially work to engage populations that may be underserved by traditional civic structures, including youth, newcomers, and non-English speakers.

Build Diverse Community

DIY Lowell works toward connecting different groups around shared goals. We believe that everyone’s quality of life improves when people of different backgrounds, races and ethnicities, ages, neighborhoods, or economic circumstances meet, learn from one another, and work together.

The Community Idea Summit

The Community Idea Summit Process is the core program of DIY Lowell. It spans all three of DIY Lowell’s core goals: building community, building skills, and building civic improvements. It brings more voices into the community conversation and encourages involvement from folks who might not have time for a huge commitment by allowing them to undertake one small piece of a shared project. It empowers those who live in, work in, or otherwise love Lowell to make a positive impact. The 4-step process was crafted in collaboration dozens of community leaders and refined over five years:

  1. Brainstorm! The DIY Lowell team engages the community at events and group meetings to ask a wide range of community members to submit small-scale ideas for public spaces: an evening cultural fair, a flowerbox, temporary street art... the only limit is participants' imaginations and some simple guidelines.
  2. Choose! The DIY Team combines and modifies the ideas when appropriate, always reaching out to the original submitters. Then, anyone who pledges to help can vote on the ideas. The top ideas will be discussed at the Community Idea Summit and get extra technical help going forward. The original submitter can participate or let the idea flourish on its own.
  3. Meet! Nonprofits, city officials, and citizens come together to discuss the winning projects in the Community Idea Summit. After an inspiring opening session, trained facilitators lead a breakout group to develop an action plan for each idea. Volunteers from those breakout groups form working groups that will ultimately make the idea a reality.
  4. Make it Happen! After the summit, each idea's working group gets technical assistance from DIY Lowell organizers, leaders in the community, and each other. We help groups apply for additional funding, get the right licenses, and with other guidance.

This four-step approach achieves our mission by making the level of commitment small, only asking people to increase their involvement as they get excited about a project. During the project, they learn from facilitators and other experienced group members the civic skills they need to be a leader. They form networks of friends and colleagues from many diverse backgrounds. By the end of the project, they have a win under their belts and the tools to do more in the community.

Project teams also learn from one another. Just as importantly, DIY Lowell organizers see what common barriers the groups face, and we can then find solutions to these problems together. In some cases, we may advocate for a change in a city law or for more funding for a particular program. In other cases, we’ll teach new strategies or emphasize different skills in the program. It is always evolving and improving.

DIY Lowell Team

DIY Lowell is a completely community-led initiative. A thirteen-member advisory committee guides our Program Director, who helps coordinate the program. This committee also reviews all ideas for compatibility with the guidelines. The advisory committee meets once a month, and anybody interested can watch the meetings. The Program Director is in charge of outreach, fundraising, coordination with other groups, and making sure every working group has a great facilitator.

Executive Director

Gabby sitting in front of brick wallGabby Davis

Gabby has spent over a decade in community development, and is inspired by how Lowell embodies the belief that when we come together, we can create something truly special. According to Gabby, "There’s something truly magical about this city and its people. Lowell is not just a place; it’s a tapestry woven from innovation, resilience, and a vibrant spirit that shines through every corner."

She is not just a leader, but also here to empower every community member—to listen to their dreams and to help turn those dreams into reality.

Advisory Committee

  • Fahmina Zaman, Co-chair
  • Maria A. Aybar
  • Kevin Bruckenstein
  • Maria Dickinson
  • Amanda Flores
  • Veronica Holmes
  • Jack Moynihan
  • Sreyvan Nget
  • Laura Scarlett Tavares
  • Ethan Yang

Ex-Officio (Co-Founders)

  • Aurora Erickson
  • Christopher Glenn Hayes

DIY Lowell's Street Team spends the summer getting out into the community and spreading the word about DIY Lowell! We try to hire a new team each year. Please email info@diylowell.org if you are interested in joining.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I submit an idea?

Go to our front page and fill out the form under "Submit your Idea!" If it's your first time submitting an idea, you'll fill in a form with your name and email so we can contact you if we have questions about your idea. Before you do that, however, make sure to check the idea guidelines and previously submitted ideas to make sure someone hasn't already submitted a similar idea.

Why isn't my idea showing up after I submitted it?

If it's your very first submission, you have to wait for a DIY Lowell team member to approve your idea. After that happens, any additional ideas you submit will appear instantly.

Can I comment on ideas?

Yes, just click on the idea to go to the idea's main page and you'll find a comment box. There, you can add additional suggestions, examples of when the idea was done in the past, or ideas on who to invite to the summit if the idea is chosen. All comments are anonymous—it's about the ideas, not the people!

How do I create an account?

When you submit an idea for the first time, we create a DIY Lowell account for you. With an account, you don't have to fill in your contact information each time, ideas you submit will appear instantly, and you can comment on other people's ideas. If you want to create an account without submitting an idea, you can use the form in the upper-right hand corner of the page.

Can I use Facebook to log in?

Yes! Before you submit an idea, click the "Facebook" icon in the upper-right hand corner of the screen and it will create a DIY Lowell account linked to your Facebook account. After that, as long as you're logged into Facebook, you can click the Facebook icon to log into DIY Lowell as well. This works for Twitter and wordpress.com as well.

I'm not sure if my idea is eligible. What should I do?

If you aren't sure if your idea is eligible under the guidelines, send a message with our contact form. We'll get back to you ASAP to let you know if your idea is eligible or if you might modify the idea to make it eligible.

Who will choose which ideas to discuss at the DIY Lowell summit?

Anyone who registers for the DIY Lowell Summit will have a chance to vote on their top ideas. This way, the people who are committed to going to the summit to help make the ideas happen will have a chance to work on their favorite ideas. We'll let anyone who submitted or commented upon a winning idea know.

Who will make these ideas happen?

At the DIY Lowell Summit, facilitators will help each breakout group make an action plan for each winning idea. We'll ask passionate folks in each group to form a Working Group to make the action plan happen. A DIY Lowell facilitator will continue to work with the group, helping them with critical tips and stepping back to let the community members take the charge all other times.

How will the ideas be funded?

The DIY Lowell team has identified several funding sources to which we can guide Working Groups. For example, we have established a relationship with the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, who can fund up to $1,000 for each project that falls within their sustainability-related guidelines, and we're in talks with other foundations. Other projects have found success with local corporate sponsors or crowdfunding. Finally, DIY Lowell will be able to provide a small amount of direct assistance when other funding sources fail.

This seems like a lot of work for a few small projects.

That's not a question, but it's a comment that we receive often. However, we're interested in goals beyond completing the projects. We're interested in finding the best way to turn talk into action by identifying the common barriers our working groups face. We're interested in bringing more voices into the community conversation and encouraging folks who might not have time for a huge commitment to take on a small piece of a small project. We want to empower those who live, work, or love Lowell to make a positive impact in our community.