I learned about community organizing from my parents. As a child, their stories were so instructive.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
My mother was a teacher, my father was a community organizer. I come from a working class background.
What I really had was stories, the oral traditions of my parents. We moved so much that that was really our encyclopedia. A dream world told to me from my parents in the living room.
When I was growing up, I was regularly involved in local activities such as food collections, food kitchens, and other initiatives.
The idea of community and helping others has always been a part of who I am. Growing up, my parents always made sure that my siblings and I were doing our part to serve our local community.
There wasn't much as a kid that inspired me in what I did as an adult, but I was always very interested in what motivates people, and in telling stories and building things.
I learned to read and write and socialize in school, and that's pretty much it.
My brothers and I grew up on stories about our grandfather building one-room schoolhouses and about our grandparents' courtship and their early lives together in Indian Territory.
One of the reasons I started working at 'South Park,' actually, was that I wanted to learn how to structure things and how to tell a story.
I have to say that it was working with my grandpa, who grew up on a farm in Mountain Home, Idaho, that had the most influence. Witnessing his work ethic and hearing his stories gave me an appreciation for the farm's best lessons.
I grew up in a very literate, very independent household where people spoke their ideas and were very supportive of helping each other find their own way.