Community Leadership Community Leadership DevelopmentDevelopment

University Partnership Learning through University Partnership Learning through Community Community

University of Maryland BaltimoreUniversity of Maryland BaltimoreHUD/COPC New Directions GrantHUD/COPC New Directions Grant

Randa Deacon, MSWRanda Deacon, MSWGlenn L. Ross, Community AdvocateGlenn L. Ross, Community Advocate

Key ConceptsKey Concepts

Community must play a key role in definingCommunity must play a key role in defining Skills, energies and resources exist within the Skills, energies and resources exist within the

communitycommunity Coordination will increase impactCoordination will increase impact New alliances will continue after the project New alliances will continue after the project

itself has endeditself has ended

Realities of the Realities of the CommunityCommunity

Few associations and organizations in which Few associations and organizations in which residents are connected to one anotherresidents are connected to one another

Breakdown of trust, optimism and supportive Breakdown of trust, optimism and supportive community among residentscommunity among residents

Economic development that presses on the Economic development that presses on the neighborhood making residents vulnerable to neighborhood making residents vulnerable to external market pressuresexternal market pressures

Failure of institutions to involve residents in Failure of institutions to involve residents in problem solvingproblem solving

Goals of Leadership Goals of Leadership DevelopmentDevelopment

Enhance neighborhood organizing and leadership skills Enhance neighborhood organizing and leadership skills of residentsof residents

Assure that organization has capacity to lead and Assure that organization has capacity to lead and continue the workcontinue the work

Develop skills that encourage participation, facilitate Develop skills that encourage participation, facilitate consensus building, share responsibility, identify new consensus building, share responsibility, identify new leaders and enable groups to work together to achieve leaders and enable groups to work together to achieve their goals. their goals.

Connect people with others inside the neighborhood Connect people with others inside the neighborhood around issues that they care about and that they think around issues that they care about and that they think will improve the quality of life therewill improve the quality of life there

Our workOur work

Organizing citizen involvementOrganizing citizen involvement OutreachOutreach Develop coalitionDevelop coalition Develop community plansDevelop community plans

Strategies UsedStrategies Used

WorkshopsWorkshops DialoguesDialogues TrainingTraining Working with groups –provide needed Working with groups –provide needed

resourcesresources

ResultsResults Leaders from CARE and McElderry Park held their own joint community Leaders from CARE and McElderry Park held their own joint community

meeting to allow residents to discuss the process and to prepare for meeting to allow residents to discuss the process and to prepare for participation in the upcoming meetings. participation in the upcoming meetings.

A core group of people (leaders and residents) have become involved A core group of people (leaders and residents) have become involved with learning a great deal about community planning, advocacy (for with learning a great deal about community planning, advocacy (for preserving affordable housing) and policy (what the city can do to help preserving affordable housing) and policy (what the city can do to help and hinder)and hinder)

Many residents have become involved with a larger affordable housing Many residents have become involved with a larger affordable housing group and as a result have had the opportunity to meet and discuss the group and as a result have had the opportunity to meet and discuss the issues and challenges with developers and people more active and issues and challenges with developers and people more active and knowledgeable knowledgeable

Concerns raised at a CARE community meeting resulted in a slow down Concerns raised at a CARE community meeting resulted in a slow down in the planning process which has given residents more opportunity to talk in the planning process which has given residents more opportunity to talk about their concerns about their concerns

AECF sent a contingency to Birmingham to meet with neighborhood AECF sent a contingency to Birmingham to meet with neighborhood leaders who were involved in similar plans. This has expanded their view leaders who were involved in similar plans. This has expanded their view and positioned them as advisors/ambassadors. and positioned them as advisors/ambassadors.

Evaluation: Challenges Evaluation: Challenges NotedNoted

Not everyone wants to be a leader Not everyone wants to be a leader there are there are different levels of involvement:different levels of involvement: ParticipationParticipation Group leadershipGroup leadership Community leadershipCommunity leadership

Recovery and revitalization in a community Recovery and revitalization in a community when connection is broken between the vision, when connection is broken between the vision, the plan, the citizen organizing and the plan, the citizen organizing and engagementengagement

McElderry Park McElderry Park LeadershipTraining LeadershipTraining

ActivitiesActivities

Planting the SeedPlanting the Seed

•Neighborhood background

•Partnering with AECF, SWCOS, & Banner Neighborhoods

•Comfort level, funding & technical assistance

•Survey report changed focus for dealing with community concerns

McElderry Park Community Concerns

CONCERNS % OF RESPONDENTSSanitation 83%Crime/safety 47%drugs 46%children/recreation 41%community building 39%vacant housing 30%

McElderry Park Community concerns

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Sanita

tion

Crime/

safe

tydr

ugs

child

ren/

recr

eatio

n

commun

ity b

uildin

g

vaca

nt h

ousin

g

concerns

pe

rce

nt

of

res

po

nd

en

ts

percent of respondents

NurturingNurturing

•Group meetings

•Work groups created

•Projects – direct & indirect results

•Residents groomed for future

leadership

•Actions speak louder than words

•Personality Profiles

Training TopicsTraining Topics

•Family Skills

•Conflict Resolution

•Leadership

•Communication Feedback

•trainings helped them to identify their strengths

•a unique bonding experience

Lessons LearnedLessons Learned

By The Leadership

•how to delegate

•comfort level – leader vs. advocate

By Community Residents

•Potential leaders were identified

•Resident participation in community activities increased

Results - 1Results - 1

•Resident self-motivation increased (I.e. writing proposals, resulting in grant funding)

•Residents became involved with other community-based stakeholders.

•Communication & feedback within the community increased

Results - 2Results - 2

•McElderry Park residents became more involved in:

•community association programs and projects

•Developing a Tench Tilghman safety team

•community after school programs – Banner Neighborhoods

•the Southeast Stakeholders’ Coalition

•community newsletter/newspaper

•community development projects

We Thrive & We Thrive & Prosper!Prosper!

Bringing the “Unity” Bringing the “Unity” backback

into “Community”into “Community”