Community Network Building Fueling People Power Outline for

Community Network Building: Fueling People Power

Outline for Today 1. Our history 2. Why we embraced Community Network Building as a theory of change 3. Neighbor Up & resident leadership

Our History Neighborhood Connections was founded by the Cleveland Foundation in 2003 as a small grants program. Goals were to: • Support grassroots projects throughout Cleveland; • Encourage residents’ first steps into the civic life of their communities; • Develop grassroots leaders. City Rising Farm, Hough

Grants By the Numbers • • • Matching grants up to $5, 000 Committee of residents make funding decisions Since 2003, more than $8. 37 million invested in 2, 600+ projects P. A. C. E. Tumbling, Ohio City

Challenges… • • We recognize we can not grant our way to success Grantees not connected to each other across neighborhood boundaries Grantees & other residents not connecting to neighborhood nonprofits, etc. Grantees & others not connecting to larger CLE institutions like hospitals, museums Neighbor Up Buckeye-Shaker gathering

Community Network Building • Community Network Building is an emerging social science that makes it easy for people to step into the civic life of their community • These are facilitated gatherings that use specific practices to create an aspirational, interactive space, high-energy space focused on action • The practices are intentional ways to build new habits to shift culture and create equitable spaces. • We believe that change is driven by a shift in norms, culture and practices.

Community Network Building = Civic Involvement for the 21 st Century • • • Our lives are busier than ever before Widened gap between haves & have nots Mobility Diversity Increased fear Decreased trust

It’s about relationships Community Network Building is a strategy that focuses on relationship building. Networks that focus on people first without titles are made up of residents, employees at area nonprofits and representatives from regional institutions together as peers. This way we can begin transforming service environments and dysfunctional community infrastructure into environments that all people seek – those designed to feed aspirations. Recess CLE, Glenville

Neighbor Up: a community network Everyone can be trusted for something. ~ June Holley Apathy doesn’t exist. ~ Bill Traynor The people closest to the pain should be closest to the power. ~ Ayanna Pressley Logo designed by Neighbor Up member Gwen Garth

Lessons Learned • • Create space for everyone to be treated as a peer with their own special talent, skill or gift to offer. Encourage reciprocity – it feels good to receive and to give. Create opportunities for people to begin to recognize and then share their unique strengths, talents and gifts. Make space for listening. Be intentional about creating welcoming spaces where resident voices outnumber ‘professionals’ so there is space for residents to begin to wrestle with and eventually determine what they want to see in their community. Neighbor Up @ Rice library

Expected Results • More people are attracted to the work and want to help lead the work • People connect across lines of difference • New and innovative ideas and energy

www. Neighbor. Up. CLE. org @Neighbor. Up. Cle