Getting Things Done in Neighborhoods through Strategic Collaborations (October 13-14, 2006)
A two-day session was taught by John Lehner, who has more than 20 years experience working with and directing community development corporations. His expertise includes startup, program management and planning, organization financial master planning, marketing and fund raising project management, single family housing development, including lease to own programs, neighborhood redevelopment planning and community organizing.
John brings us a fresh NeighborWorks approach. In today’s world, resources—time, energy and money—are carefully allocated. Revitalization collaborations that combine effective strategy with efficient use of resources will be the most successful. Creating partnerships also helps ensure that revitalization will be sustained in the long run. Neighborhood teams earned how to cultivate relationships to create opportunities for neighborhood collaborations that are win-win. Participants will analyze why some partnerships succeed and some fail and what each sector can bring to the table that others cannot. This course explored how thinking out of the box can create maximum rewards for all as you implement your revitalization strategy.
Essential Tools of the Trade: Neighborhood Analysis, Visioning and Planning for Action (November 9-11, 2006)
Comprehensive neighborhood revitalization doesn’t just happen by itself – it requires an intentional process from initial research and analysis through evaluation results. During this fun and interactive three-day introductory course, participants prepared a neighborhood analysis strategy, explored various community participation techniques, and organized and participate in a neighborhood visioning exercise. They gained experience developing goals and measurable objectives and preparing a revitalization action plan. This course is taught by Al Zelinka and Susan Jackson.
Al has over fourteen years of urban planning and design experience and has led numerous community-based planning efforts that have inspired renaissance community-driven change. He has developed his planning career to improve and revitalize neighborhoods, commercial districts and downtowns by working with community members in highly engaging, meaningful processes that are results-oriented.
Susan has a broad background in community development and planning. In addition to serving in the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps National Service Program, she has led several neighborhood-based planning projects for a Kansas City-based nonprofit environmental organization involved in local sustainable development, transportation, and environmental justice. She has also worked with the State of Arizona as a community planning specialist, providing technical planning support and assistance to Arizona’s rural and tribal communities.
Strategies and Implementation Techniques for Creating Neighborhoods of Choice through Revitalization, Part One (March 2-3, 2007)
This is the first of four related courses that focus on shaping or sharpening your neighborhood's strategy and offers specific consultation related to implementation. This first session on March 2 and 3 is designed for practitioners (nonprofits and neighborhood leaders), funders and policymakers who want to get more quality-of-life neighborhood impact through their revitalization efforts. This course draws on the latest advances in the field of neighborhood revitalization to define a practical approach to change - one that acknowledges and works with market forces to attract the social and financial investments of current and future residents of a variety of incomes. We will learn to figure out “what went wrong” in a neighborhood in order to choose revitalization strategies that address underlying problems instead of just symptoms. These sessions are sponsored by The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Louisville Branch and The Gheens Foundation and are offered through NeighborWorks America with its network member, New Directions Housing Corporation as part of The Greater Neighborhood Project.
Measuring the Impacts of Your Revitalization Work (March 30-31, 2007)
Do you feel confident that your revitalization strategies are working? Maybe you know the neighborhood is looking better, more people are getting involved, and you have a sense that things are better, but how do you really know you are achieving the results you intend? How do you describe results to your stakeholders? Beef up your skills at creating well-crafted, measurable objectives, and learn how to choose from a variety of neighborhood indicators, survey methods and data sources, and use them to measure the effects of a revitalization approach. This class will expose you to some specific tools that you can use at home. Participants will have hands-on experience in the whole process - from creating measurable objectives, designing a well-balanced evaluation, learning different research methods, data analysis and interpretation, to putting the results to work in improving your programs and telling your story.
For information about any of the above sessions, or upcoming training, contact Gwen Lauer
