Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods

Results:  2015 McCoy becomes full-time Executive Director and through additional support from KBR Charitable Trust and ZSR Foundation is able to increase staff capacity from 1 FTE and 2 part-time contracted employees to 3 FTE and 5 contracted employees. NBN began exploring the start of a Youth Organizing Professional Development Program and partners with Urban League by excepting 20 teenagers during the months of June – August 2015. The youths were trained in Organizing, Conflict Resolution, Asset Based Community Development, Understanding Community Development, and Racial Equity. NBN celebrates 25 years of service in W-S neighborhoods using ABCD approach. 25th anniversary is launched at NBN’s 4th annual “We’ve Got Roots” celebration.  2016 NBN started its one-year Resident Organizer Internship Program to recruit residents from their local neighborhoods as part of NBN’s efforts to increase impact in place-based community building. This program was established as flagship program to assist NBN in achieving its vision of (Safe, Just and Self-Determined Neighborhoods) and to develop inclusive, diversified and equitable leadership with low-wealth and marginalized communities. NBN started its Youth Leadership and Professional Exploration Program to connect youths to field Community Development and Community Organizing. This program allowed six city-wide teenagers the opportunity to work during the summer with twelve Urban League Summer Interns learning the foundation of community and having an opportunity to canvass neighborhoods and perform listening conversations. NBN assisted United Way and Winston-Salem Foundation in funding 21+ grassroots resident-led project totaling $65,000 through its Grassroots Grant Making Program.  2017 – Present NBN Resident Organizer program recruits fifteen resident organizers and provided each with ten hours a week paid internship, along with six hours of paid leadership training. Resident organizers were training on how to build community teams of five to ten neighbors and how to work in their communities with their team. The effort of their work created future leaders and started a residual process of leadership development as civic power increased within the neighborhoods. Resident organizers are working to build political, social and economic power to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Residents lead the change themselves through an issue and electoral organizing, workshops, canvassing, policy advocacy, alliance building, and community-controlled economic development. NBN expands its Youth Leadership and Professional Exploration Program by adding Youth Speak Out (Y-SO) to its programming. This initiative gives youth a platform to stay actively involved throughout the school year. The program gives youths the opportunity to advocate, lobby, organize and mobilize on issues.

Target demographics: community leaders with the resources they need to become self-determine producers of sustainable community development. Our guiding principles are based on the Asset-Based Community Development framework.

Direct beneficiaries per year: by developing 23 resident organizers, providing opportunities for 12 youth organizers to experience the processes of community organizing and racial equity training, clock 1078 hours in exchanges for Timebanking members, provided technical assistance to 23 neighborhood groups and engaged in building over 2600+ relationships.

Geographic areas served: Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods is addressing Systemic Racism and Concentrated Poverty in Forsyth County, the third highest in the nation. We focus on building the capacity of resident-led groups in low wealth and marginalized communities. We are a neighborhood support organization which champions resident-led organizing, caring and advocating for social change.

Programs: Forsyth County has the highest rate of concentrated poverty out of all major urban North Carolina counties. Too often, institutions try to solve community challenges without resident input. Our organization provides community organizations with technical assistance, organizing support, learning and leadership opportunities. We facilitate community development from within neighborhoods. Developing and engaging community leaders is an important part of our commitment to our city.