I’m a HOPEster…not a HIPster..

Good day fellow HOPEsters! If you have been following this blog, I’d like to thank you for your huge support! Hope4Cities is a movement dear to my heart and I know many share the same sentiment.

I’m sure many are wondering…..what is a HOPEster and why does she refer to herself and readers as HOPEsters? Well, I’ll be glad to share this with you!

A HOPEster is anyone from any walk of life that is idealistic, optimistic, and realistic in believing their cities or favorite city will progress.  Their desired belief is fueled by a sense of collective responsibility to make our communities a place to live, work, play, grow, and pray in peace. A HOPEster can be found at the police department, the supermarket, schools, at the pulpit, or down the street from where you live.  A HOPEster is a thought process that lives in everyone and it’s just a matter of helping fellow HOPEsters uncover how they bring hope into the cities, not to be confused with HIPster, normally a young adult of middle to upper-class economic status who identifies as “non-mainstream” and lives against the status quo in atypical settings (i.e. Williamsburg, and other areas where they can express their “alternative” lifestyles).

Now don’t get me wrong! I appreciate the uniqueness of hipsters but lets be honest, as soon as say….the age of 30 hits, and new chapters of family and children begin, the next step is to move out of the city into a suburban town far from the city.  How wonderful and progressive would it be if they stayed in the city, collaborated and created a collective unit of community in their neighborhood that translates into movements like stronger parent-community-school relations, neighborhood safety groups, and a booming and diverse economy.  Now THAT person would be the true definition of a HOPEster.

Like hipsters, HOPEsters, are also recognized for setting new trends in lifestyle, fashion, and the arts, but in the end, a HOPEster sets those trends AND trends in community progress and sustainability.  They believe that it is their duty to cultivate the community, and to celebrate, acknowledge and respect the diversity of our cities.  Furthermore, what’s special about HOPEsters are their strong belief in an interdependent society where collective responsibility makes for a safe zone to thrive.   In all, we are all HOPEsters in our very unique way, so let’s celebrate it with our cities! So tell me, what makes you a HOPEster? Share your thoughts!

 

In the meantime,

You stay HOPEful folks!

Laur, HOPEster-in-Chief