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WHAT WE DO Strengthening families and transforming neighborhoods are at the center of Making Connections Providence. Working in Elmwood, South Providence and the West End, it is the residents of these neighborhoods that get the work done. Making Connections provides the information and data, training, education and partnerships for people to identify the issues that impact their quality of life and works to prioritize their needs and develop strategies to address them. What we have accomplished to date provides the building blocks for our future:
Authentic Demand: Ensures that residents maintain a strong voice about how Making Connections Providence works in their neighborhoods through their participation in Making Connections Providence Results Teams. Each Results Teams is connected to an area of work, such as Family Economic Success, Children Healthy and Prepared to Succeed in School, and Resident Engagement and Leadership. These teams meets regularly to offer recommendations and monitor the overall "resident driven" authenticity of the results of the Making Connections initiative. Making Connections Leadership Institute: Trains residents in neighborhood issues, public policy, the smart use of data, and community organizing. Residents are provided with with the resources and social networks to build their personal leadership capacity in order to influence change in their schools, on non-profit boards and at community meetings. Community Grants Program: Supports creative solutions to neighborhood problems. The grants provide money to develop programs that nurture local leaders, create social networks, and promote cultural events that are open to the public and make neighborhoods strong. Partnership Building: Builds networks and relationships. Promotes civic participation by encouraging residents to take specific actions to improve and strengthen their neighborhoods. Partners include local organizations and city agencies. Voter Education: Working with residents and neighborhood partner organizations to increase understanding about the democratic process and voting, we can provide residents with ideas and easy to understand data/information to frame policy discussions in the community. Earned Income Tax Credit Assistance and Financial Education: Promotes resident access to the earned Income Tax Credit. Trained volunteers assist residents in FREE tax preparation and financial education programs. School Readiness: Making Connections Providence has partnered with Ready to Learn Providence to increase parent leadership and participation in their children's early learning. Ready to Learn Providence works to give young children the foundation they need to enter school ready to learn and succeed. Neighborhood parents are included
in the planning and governance of Ready to Learn. These parents are also provided withthe knowledge and tools to improve their children's early literacy skills as they prepare for kindergarten. Housing and Reentry: Making Connections Providence works to insure that there is well maintained and affordable housing for all neighborhood residents. This includes working with community partners to create transitional housing, provide job training, financial education, and a support network for residents who are returning to their neighborhoods from prison. |
