Downward Slide
By 2001, the NPU-V community of Atlanta had a poverty rate of 59% with a 28% graduation rate at the local high school.
For over 10 years, Casey has invested in a group of Atlanta neighborhoods rife with poverty. This brief shows how community building — the practice of working with residents and community-based organizations to strengthen civic life and develop community-driven action to address challenges — has transformed the work. The paper shares key principles, strategies and tactics that the Foundation’s Atlanta Civic Site team used for its community-building framework.
Although any number of activities can improve a place or impact the people living there, having a clear framework for community building means supporting people’s collective and individual capacity to manage change in their neighborhoods. Ultimately, Casey must measure its impact by proxy: Its contribution is only as relevant, effective and powerful as the people themselves because they instigate, sustain and manage community change.