Community members will have the chance to catch-up with Ignite Northside 2.0 on Tuesday, May 16 for a Skill Swap Demo Day, where participants in the workshops will be showcasing their businesses and projects.

The event will take place from 6-8 p.m. at The Pittsburgh Project, 2801 N. Charles St.

Public events like this offer an atmosphere where Igniters are able to share their business plans with the community and receive useful feedback.

Presenters will have the opportunities to share their pitches with attendees and have the ability to display their products or services while engaging with the Northside community.

This event is free, but space is limited. To RSVP, click here.

In March, Ignite Northside held a Peer Networking Event that focused on helping Igniters and non-Igniter businesses and community leaders connect in safe and relaxing atmosphere.

Michael Cole, a founder of the MyHouseCall app, said he read about the event in The Northside Chronicle and reached out to Ignite Northside Project Manager Ebony McQueen-Harris with interest in attending the event.

Cole, a physician’s assistant and resident of the Mexican War Streets, said it was his first time attending an Ignite Northside workshop and he enjoyed engaging with others and telling them about his app. MyHouseCall was created by Cole, his brother, and two doctors, and with the app individuals feeling under the weather no longer have to spend time in a doctor’s office waiting room. The app allows users to engage with physicians via video call or request an in-home visit.

“The Northside is changing, especially with technology innovation and the startup scene,” Cole said. “It’s great to get involved.”

Cole said the networking event in March wasn’t what he expected, but he plans on attending future Ignite Northside events. What surprised Cole was a 30 minute icebreaker activity that involved line dancing led by Roland Ford.

Ford is the owner of Dance and Be Fit, and “the ambassador of dance and fitness,” McQueen-Harris said, who booked Ford for the event after she saw him leading a line dancing event in Schenley Park.

Ford holds various events on the Northside and throughout the city, and he said he enjoyed being part of the Ignite Northside event.

The event was catered by Café on the Corner.

To read about the first workshop that was held in February, click here. For more information on the workshops, visit www.newsunrising.org/ignite-northside or email [email protected].

Ignite Northside is an initiative by New Sun Rising  in partnership with the Buhl Foundation and One Northside, working together to help neighborhoods gain control of their narratives.