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District of Columbia Neighborhood College History Many cities and municipalities around the nation have instituted Neighborhood College programs designed to educate and train residents and civic leaders. These programs are managed through many organizations including: colleges, universities, non-profits, and local city/county governments. The first documented Neighborhood College was established in 1982 by the Grace Hill Neighborhood College in St. Louis, MO. Its primary goal was to improve community neighborhoods by providing life-improving courses to local volunteers and activists. Since its inception, the Neighborhood College has become a national model and exists in cities throughout the U.S. including: Washington, DC – Arlington, VA – Hampton, VA – Herndon, VA – Raleigh, NC – Durham, NC – Hickory, NC – Hagerstown, MD – St. Louis, MO – Milwaukee, WI – Las Vegas, NV – Providence, RI – San Antonio, TX and San Diego, CA to name a few. History of the District of Columbia Neighborhood College The impetus for the District of Columbia Neighborhood College (DCNC) grew out of the experience of Mayor Anthony Williams’ Neighborhood Action Initiative, especially the neighborhood planning process that followed the first city-wide Citizens’ Summit in 1999. As each of the 39 neighborhood clusters worked to put together its own Strategic Neighborhood Action Plan, it became clear that it was critical to improve the ability of neighborhood and civic leaders and organizations to be more effective partners with government to create sustainable communities across the District. The DC Neighborhood College was developed as a city-wide effort to train community and civic leaders to lead neighborhoods throughout the District of Columbia. It began as a collaborative project under the direction of DC Agenda in 2002 with the DC Government’s Office of Neighborhood Action, the National Partnership for Community Leadership, the DC Humanities Council, SALSA, the Urban Institute and the GW Center for Excellence in Public Leadership. With the closure of DC Agenda in 2004, the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership (CEPL) at The George Washington University was asked to serve as the new home of the DC Neighborhood College.
The goal of the DC Neighborhood College is to establish a network of community-based leaders across the District who can work with each other, the residents of their neighborhoods, and partners in the public and private sectors to create positive change in all the communities of the District. The DC Neighborhood College’s target population is all residents of the District of Columbia, specifically those who desire to become more effective leaders in their communities. Each year, a group of 20 to 25 participants representing all 8 Wards of the District are selected to participate in the Neighborhood College experience. Each group is carefully selected to represent a balance of ages, ethnicities, genders, educational levels, length of residence in the District, and civic organizational affiliation.. Program Design The DCNC is a 12-month program with courses meeting once a month for three days each month (Thursday 6pm to 9pm – Friday 6pm to 9pm – Saturday 9am to 2pm). During each month, participants take courses devoted to skill building and education. In addition to the monthly modules, participants focus on a community revitalization project which address a range of social, educational, environmental, economic, public safety and health issues in the District. At the completion of the program, participants present their projects to the general public and participate in a graduation ceremony receiving a certificate of completion from the GWU DC Neighborhood College.
Purpose and Objectives The purpose of the Neighborhood College is: To develop networks of community and civic leaders who are:
To teach leadership and community change skills and expand the capacity of community/civic leaders and their organizations to leverage their community influence in support of neighborhood revitalization. Future of the Neighborhood College The DCNC will continue to provide training to all residents of the District through its core curriculum; however, we hope to build on the NC concept and customize additional programs to support the needs of the residents, local government, nonprofit sector and business community. Through the support of The George Washington University and additional partners, we plan to design a groundbreaking sustainable leadership development program geared toward educating civic leaders and organizations on the impact environmental justice and sustainability issues have on their health, property values, employment possibilities, costs of living, and life opportunities.
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