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Fostering New Leadership
Fostering leadership is a key component in our strategy for community
development. It is only by finding and nurturing those parts of people
that allow them to identify common problems, and encourage others to work
together to address them, that we can truly make a meaningful and sustained
impact in our community.
Here are a few
examples of how ACDC fosters new leadership:
Community education,
organizing and advocacy around affordable housing:
-
 During
the campaign
to win back Parcel
24 for the Chinatown community, we organized a coalition
of community members, grass-roots organizations, and local businesses to
form a community vision for the land and enforce that vision through
advocacy, legislation, and pressure on the Massachusetts Turnpike
Authority to include that in their selection for
developers. As we look to the future of Chinatown, we see those
new leaders involved in the campaign for Parcel 24 playing a key role in
demanding community control in the redevelopment of the Chinatown
Gateway parcels to be built over the South Bay.
-
At the same time
that
Comprehensive Home Ownership Program (CHOP) educates
individuals about how to work towards their own home, our curriculum
also educates them about the importance of and need for affordable
housing in their communities. We follow up with our alums and invite
them to volunteer, spread the word, and communicate directly with their
elected officials to advocate for affordable housing. we believe our
educational programs will help cultivate more and more leaderships for
the community.
-
ACDC has worked with Adult ESL classes on
developing ESL curriculum which trains immigrants in the English
language while educating them about issues surrounding affordable
housing in our community. After working closely with ACDC, the
Adult ESL instructors motivated over 100 graduates from the pilot
program to attend MTA hearings and advocate for community control over
the development of Parcel 24.
Youth development:
-
The
Young Leaders Network
gives youth the opportunity to develop and implement community
development projects in Chinatown while forming a youth network for
social change.
-
 As a part of the
Chinatown Heritage Project,
we are training youth to be professional tour guides,
storytellers, radio producers and journalists. As these youth
progress through our curriculum, they learn more about the history of
Chinatown and the struggles of its residents and share those stories
with visitors and Chinatown residents alike. In the process of sharing
those stories, they develop their own voice, and they inspire others to action.
-
Each year we work with a number of
interns who learn the ins and outs of
community development while gaining hands-on working experience.
Interns are given a high level of responsibility and are encouraged to
use their creativity and drive to innovate.
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