By Jason Webb

The following contribution was written by Jason Webb, Community and Technical Assistance Principal for Grounded Solutions Network as a contribution to the upcoming webinar on “Stewarding the Future: Youth Power and Leadership in Community Land Trust Practice” on 4 December.

If you want youth to be a part of anything, you don’t need to engage with them; you need to set up a supportive environment, and one key part is to have adults who are able and willing to be mentors. I started doing this work in community development at the age of seven I started to volunteer after school, and what led me to continue being a part of the organization for 25 years was the ability to have many adult mentors. One of those mentors was Gus Newport, but Gus was not just any mentor. He was a father figure, a promoter of youth ideas, and was in a position that gave a lot of space in the organization for your participation and leadership. Gus was the Executive Director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative when I started to go there, and Gus was always intrigued by youth voices at the table. Still, he did not just say those things to funders and supporters. He made the space for youth.

Having youth involved in an organization can be intimidating for both adults and the youth. From a young person’s perspective, they want to fit in, they want to feel safe; for myself, I needed both of those things growing up and had a passion for being busy. Now, as an adult who has gone through life not with just one mentor but several mentors, I know that it is my time to give back to younger people and show and guide them with my years of experience in this space.

Gus Newport and Jason Webb

Gus and I built a strong friendship that has gone beyond the time we spent together at Dudley Street. We have worked on each other’s projects together and spent many nights talking and strategizing about the future. To hear more about how Gus and I met and the journey we shared, I invite you to listen to this amazing storytelling that we did a few years ago.

The sad part of having mentors like Gus is that there will come a time when you have to say goodbye in physical form. I lost Gus a little more than a year ago, and I welcome folks to learn more about a man who has done so much fantastic work not just with me but throughout the world. Please visit the website of a social justice activist and community/economic development consultant. Several young and older adults have set up with Gus to ensure his legacy is not forgotten. At a celebration of life event for Gus, I saw his wife Kathryn look at me and say, “Jason, you have to continue the work that Gus started; it is what he would have wanted.” Those remarks live with me every day as I continue to move the Community Land Trust work forward in every community, and I ask the question that I know Gus would be asking: “Where are the young people? Why are there no seats at the table for them?”

I look forward to sharing more of my story and how I got involved and did not look back in my close to 40 years working in the Community Land Trust space.

Bio

Jason Webb is a Community and Technical Assistance Principal at Grounded Solutions Network. He has close to 40 years of experience in community organizing and revitalization. He was instrumental in the revitalization of a community in Roxbury, Massachusetts, called “Dudley Street,” as highlighted in the award-winning documentaries Holding Ground and Gaining Ground and in the book Streets of Hope. Jason oversees training and technical assistance for cities, nonprofit organizations, and community groups. He assists with exploring, adopting, and implementing housing policies and programs with lasting affordability that advance racial equity and inclusion. Jason has developed essential tools that have helped hundreds of groups learn about the community land trust model, such as the “Community Land Trust Start-up Hub”. Jason served as Co-Chair of the staff committee for racial equity and inclusion from 2020 to 2023.

Before coming to Grounded Solutions, Jason worked for 15 years for Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) and Network Member Dudley Neighbors Inc. (DNI). He served in several capacities, including Director of Real Estate and Technology, Director of DNI “The Community Land Trust,” and Director of Administration and Finance. Jason oversaw the development of several community land trust developments and created a youth development/youth jobs program called CommunityScapes.

A Massachusetts native, Jason attended Boston University School of Management. Jason currently resides in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he and his family enjoy the harbor city that is known for its fishing and whaling industry.