Neighborhood Development
Community Building Program: The Core Strategy
Community building is the strengthening of the capacity of neighborhood residents, associations, and organizations to work individually and collectively to foster and sustain solutions to poverty (Kubisch et al. 1995). Mika CDC uses a community building strategy to develop the skills and a sense of ownership of local leaders to design, finance, and manage sustainable initiatives.
The program's aim is to equip leaders in low income neighborhoods to build communities of VISION. We work to equip neighbors by partnering with local churches to identify, connect, organize and build the capacity of neighborhood leaders. By 2009, our goal is to equip the leaders of six neighborhoods of Costa Mesa.
To accomplish this goal Mika CDC works through our unique Community Building Process:
- Site Selection- choosing a target neighborhood
- Partnership Development- connecting with a partner church
- Connecting- with neighbors and local organizations
- Organizing- neighborhood leaders
- Capacity Building- of leaders to sustain their initiatives
- Linking- neighbors to strategic partners
Mika currently works in four neighborhoods in Costa Mesa: