Inquiry Project Intro

“What community-based programs are available to educate the surrounding community?”

What programs are available, in your city, to help you out with an array of problems (i.e., financial, relationship, educational)? What organization can you turn to when you feel that you are at the end of your line? When you sit down and think about these questions, you realize that the answers to these questions are very difficult to find. Not all cities proudly promote the services that are available to support everyone in their community. Through my research and interviews, I have realized that community-based organizations have strong ties with the communities and actually support the individuals by giving them assistance and teaching them various skills needed to be successful in the future. For instance, there are various programs which take an active role in changing things that are negatively affecting the community; community based participatory research (CBPR) “involves the systematic inquiry, with the participation of those affected by the issue being studied, for the purposes of education and taking action or effecting social change” (Victoria Breckwich Vasquez, 2006) There are various programs available that can support the youth in the community by teaching them various skills. These programs promote an interest and respect for authority and knowledge in the children that cannot be matched by interactions that many of them will have outside of a professional or educational setting. An article that spoke about after-school programs stated that the programs “promoted the formation of strong, positive relationships between the participants, and between participants and the adult staff, many of whom were teachers” (Sarah Barr, 2006). During my time working for a community-based organization, I have realized that everyone needs support in any way, shape, or form that it is available, especially during these difficult socio-economical signs. That is why I feel the need to educate myself and others on the various types of programs available to everyone through community-based organizations. This education will also assist in the creation of a community-based organization that I have planned to support the youth in the urban community of Jersey City.