Why Positively Muskegon? Editorial Thought from Andy O!

If you follow the blog, first off, THANK YOU!  I know that to some it might seem like a small endeavor and to others, they don't even see Positively Muskegon as more than some local townie going around trying to make a few bucks and playing around with a GoPro.

Well, let me share a thought or two with you!

It's more than that!


A couple weeks ago, I visited the Mona Shores 8th graders and we did a little career day about media, and in the past I had always brought along a laptop and audio production software to help them voice and produce a commercial to see how it's done.  This go around, it was the camera and the blog that I focused on to give them a chance to be on camera, see something fun online and hopefully share it with friends and family saying "Look what I did".  It worked!  We'll get back to "Look what I did" in a moment.

A pivotal part of all 5 sessions I hosted was asking 8th grade kids "How many of you regularly watch the news?"  Out of the 5 sessions, the group that had the most hands up... 3.  3 kids!  I followed up with "When you hear news about Muskegon, what do you hear?"  Every single class said the same thing.  Murder.  I'll ask you the same thing I asked them.  "You live here....is that how it is?"  Every single kid shook their head no.  I explained to them that no town is perfect, and that I wasn't there to deny that some things need to be fixed, but to have 8th graders think "murder" as the first thing they hear about their home town.  To quote someone much more famous than me - "Houston...We have a problem"

"Look what I did".  It's really all Positively Muskegon is based on.  It's the accomplishments, large and small that make Muskegon so special.  In the face of negativity there are those out there that refuse to give up.  Refuse to believe in anything but the best and those who just want to be noticed for the work they do.  I have literally had people on this blog who have not gotten a paycheck in 2 years for the job they do, but they know that unless someone does it, people will suffer.  The give selflessly, they survive somehow and the chance to say "Look what I did...or do" has fallen away sadly.


I get plenty of attention, but this whole thing...concept from day 1 is to show the rest of this world that Muskegon is full of great people who are the stars of this blog.  This is the place to tell the rest of the world we count and we're important.  It's also the channel start to change the way we see ourselves, how we talk about ourselves and hopefully as time goes on how the rest of the surrounding communities see us.  It begins inside folks.  We are not perfect, but a little pride goes a long way when you're talking about your turf!


Back to the kids, 8th graders.  Simply put, youth are the future.  Can we have our kids thinking that where they grew up is a place to get the hell out of as quick as they can?  Should we be finding ways to entice young people to stay here when they complete their education, or move here because all we offer is more than they can find anywhere else?  Should we help our kids to understand community problem solving and a neighborly approach to life?

I might be one voice screaming into the abyss and some may see only the guy running around town with a camera in a bag.....but believe me on this one.  Positively Muskegon is creating a time capsule that will live as long as the internet does to show the better side of things here in Muskegon.  That there truly are miracles that happen every day and that the people here are good....what they do matters and that they count!