Carlos Laboy's Exit Interview

Old Brooklyn's Regional Coordinator Carlos Laboy will be leaving the MyCom team! We wanted to give Carlos a very special shoutout for all the work he has done for the community for the past five years. You will be missed, Carlos! The following is an exit interview where the MyCom team got to ask Carlos about his journey with Old Brooklyn. 

Q: How long have you been with Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation? 

A: I have been with Old Brooklyn CDC for almost 5 years. I started in October of 2017.

Q: Do you have any favorite memories while working at Old Brooklyn?  

A: While working with Old Brooklyn CDC I’ve enjoyed many of the events and programs we have created over the year. I’ll have to say that my favorite moments are typically centered around the Crooked River Exploration Camp. My very first day on the job I went to meet with the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park to discuss a way to work together and help Old Brooklyn develop programming. This was prior to us being a part of MyCom so we didn’t have much money dedicated to youth programming at the time. Each camp has been amazing and I’ve really enjoyed the days that the kids were down at CVNP and exploring their education center. The staff that leads the camp are all so amazing and fun to work with. I will say, I honestly love seeing kids that are shy on the first day of camp become social butterflies by the end of the summer.

Q: What’s one lesson you have learned while with the organization?  

A: Building programs and events isn’t easy and requires patience and planning. Often, you plan way more than you’ll actually do programs. You have to think on so many levels. You’re asking questions constantly about how the program will be received, who is it targeted for, is this needed, etc. I will say the biggest lesson I’ve had is always get things down on a calendar! Without a date an idea has no direction. Once it’s in the calendar the idea will build itself, just make sure to add some target dates and goals as well.

Q: What does community development mean to you?

A: For me it’s always been about building spaces and opportunities for people to come together.  Within those spaces there needs to be room for input from the people you are serving on what they want. My role isn’t to tell people what to do, how to live, or what to dream about. My role is to empower them to do it for themselves and for them to empower others around them.

Q: Any other thoughts/comments? 

A: Most of your first ideas/programs will fail. The important part is to just start. There are so many ideas thrown out there, but it’s pretty rare to see them come to life. Take the first step. Failing isn’t a bad thing, it’s a part of the process toward success.