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neighbor2neighbor

The neighbor2neighbor (n2n) initiative promotes learning and service rooted in the local community. Just two miles south of Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ's campus is the beautiful community of Rogers Park. Rogers Park is considered one of the most culturally and socio-economically diverse neighborhoods in Chicago.

Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ students are invited to build relationships and become actively involved with their neighbors through unique opportunities to connect with community-based organizations.

Ways to Get Involved

Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ students can join one-time events or be involved in weekly opportunities with any of our community partners. Engagement opportunities include:

neighbor2neighbor strives to think creatively and collaboratively to co-create one-time and on-going opportunities. If you have a special skill or interest, reach out! Community Partners are always asking for specific projects around research, multi-media community art, sports camps, architectural design and more!

Questions or want to get involved? Email Val Buchanan.

 

A Closer Look at our Community Partners

Gale Community Academy 

is a Chicago Public School serving kids Pre-K through 8th grade.  Currently over 300 students are enrolled at Gale including many immigrant and refugee children from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Malaysia, and Nepal.  Gale core values include teaching Purpose, Integrity, Commitment and CommUNITY. Gale is restoring the community’s faith in Chicago public schools by co-creating with their neighborhood’s resources to nurture the whole child and cultivate confident, happy, and creative Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ. 

Howard Area Community Center

The mission of  is to assist low-income individuals and families to stabilize their lives and to develop the social skills necessary to become effective community members. What began as a food pantry in 1967 has grown from helping hands coming together to create HACC as a safety net that not only feeds thousands every year, but now offers resources to families from birth through old age.

In order to accomplish this mission, the agency’s programs include but are not limited to: emergency intervention; HIV/AIDS outreach and education; youth after school and summer programs, mentoring, arts programs, and youth-led social justice projects; Adult education, family literacy and re-entry programs.

A Just Harvest

’s mission is to fight poverty and hunger by providing nutritious meals daily while cultivating community and economic development and organizing across racial, cultural and socioeconomic lines in order to create a more just society. AJH intentionally utilizes three comprehensive strategies to combat hunger and poverty:

Grounded on a set of foundational values of feeding hunger, cultivating abundance, seeing beyond, and building power; AJH programs include a workforce development, community and economic development, community-based learning partnerships, community organizing and advocacy, a community kitchen open 365 days a year and more.

Family Matters

In 1987, ten families gathered together and dreamed of a place where parents and children could share their experiences, partner with staff to design programs, and work to improve their community.  Since then, all of ’ programs are grounded in the organization’s commitment to fostering Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵhip opportunities. “We support youth and families in building healthy relationships to self, others and the community through individualized and age- and gender-specific activities, all of which incorporate both academic and social emotional learning (SEL).”

Holistic youth engagement efforts include an overlay of the following initiatives in each program: SEL skills, health/wellness, academic achievement, post-secondary readiness, Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵhip and social justice, youth-led community impact, business acumen and career mentoring.

Good News Partners

In 1976, Bud Ogle founded  with a mission of creating safe, affordable, reliable housing, and to help build community simultaneously. Today Good News Partners runs the “New Life Interim Housing” shelter, they own the Jonquil Hotel that offers single room occupancy, and provides multiple housing units at 30-50% below current market rates through their continuum model. Their vision is to elevate those who are in need of dignified housing to foster justice, and build bridges of reconciliation.

C24/7

James and Natalie Crockett, with the support of Good News Partners created the “non-profit organization  that’s dedicated, through the power of Jesus Christ, to improving the lives of children and young adults in the North of Howard neighborhood by providing them with the necessary tools, security and environment for them to thrive economically, socially and spiritually.”

This non-profit currently enrolls 35 elementary and middle school students in their afterschool program four days a week. C24/7 also has a work force development program and community outreach. Community outreach includes weekly men’s and women’s bible study, open gym at Willye B White Fieldhouse, street ministry, and one-on-one mental, emotional and spiritual support.