NEIGHBORHOOD UNIVERSITY • RESIDENTS ARMED WITH NEW SKILLS ARE DOING AMAZING THINGS
Ever since Neighborhood University started in 1999, it has been training residents how to change their world. Through NU courses, residents gain the knowledge and skills to do everything from applying for a neighborhood improvement grant to organizing neighborhood clean-ups to disaster preparedness. Armed with these new skills, Norfolk residents are doing amazing things. NU’s Leadership Development Academy is an especially fertile ground for projects. An advanced study program designed with dedicated, active civic leaders in mind, the academy was introduced spring of 2008 and is a modification of a course formerly known as Fundamentals of Neighborhood Leadership. Participants are required to conduct a group community building project which is presented to their peers at the close of the Academy. Each group selects a project. Fifty civic leaders have completed the Academy since spring 2009. “We have seen some very impressive projects,” said Melinda Luchun, who manages the Neighborhood University program. “One group created a video about combating hunger in Norfolk by supporting the Foodbank of Southeasten Virginia. The video can be seen on YouTube.” Other projects include a Registry of Persons with Special Needs/Disabilities project to increase the voluntary registration of residents to help ensure their safety during an emergency or natural disaster; a grassroots campaign to encourage participation in the 2010 Census; and development of a “Roadmap for Successful Civic League
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Meetings” presentation that future class members can take back to their organizations. The Leadership Academy isn’t the only class getting results. All NU participants are asked to sign an agreement to bring knowledge gained back to their communities. To date, 112 participants have agreed to apply what they have learned to benefit their neighborhood and the community. Actions include applying for a grant, taking brochures and information back to their neighbors, sharing knowledge gained with civic league, holding a neighborhood event, organizing a clean-up, and much more. In general, NU participation has climbed in the past few years thanks to several factors, including a revision of some courses. “We felt over the years NU had moved away from its primary goal to prepare residents on how to be activists for their communities,” said Acquanetta Ellis, assistant director of planning and community development who directs the Bureau of Community Enrichment. The overhaul started in 2007, with a look at NU’s original structure and how other localities structure their programs. NU also surveyed participants on what they needed to achieve their civic goals. These results produced programs that seem to be paying off. Since 2008 NU participation has quadrupled. “Now, we have community and civic leaders coming back to teach others about their successful civic projects,” said Ellis. One such peer to peer effort was suggested by Mike O’Hearn of Larchmont, who approached the city (follow-