Neighborhood Programs

Strengthening Schools, Strengthening Neighborhoods, Strengthening North Central Baltimore

Overview

GHCC's Neighborhood Programs strengthen neighborhoods through promoting civic involvement, strengthening great neighborhood public schools, and providing opportunities for youth.   Neighborhood Programs is staffed by four professionals with experience in neighborhood outreach and organizing, public education, and youth programming.  Additionally, 10 trained AmeriCorps* VISTA members dedicate a year of their lives to strengthening our 48 constituent neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Civic Involvement

We provide information, leadership training, and technical assistance to expand civic involvement and increase the quality of life in the neighborhoods of North Central Baltimore.  We help neighborhoods connect with community partners, problem solving agencies, elected officials, and grant opportunities.   Each year, Neighborhood Programs holds block captain trainings and a Neighborhood Institute to share best practices in building safe, strong, organized, vibrant urban communities. Additionally, we support neighborhood involvement in public schools as stakeholders and decision makers.

Great Neighborhood Schools

Good schools are essential for healthy, thriving neighborhoods. Improving our public schools is a keystone of community revitalization and neighborhood stabilization in Baltimore. Since 1998, GHCC has partnered with local schools to marshal and mobilize resources to strengthen those schools. Our program links schools with needed community resources to create comprehensive neighborhood schools offering a range of academic, after-school, family, and medical services to ensure academic success for children. We also promote a sense of shared purposed among school and neighborhood stakeholders.  Last year we worked with over 100 partner agencies and leveraged $1.5 million dollars in resources and volunteer hours for approximately 4200 students in eight public partnership schools.  Our partner schools include: Barclay Elementary/Middle, Dallas F. Nicholas Elementary, Guilford Elementary/Middle, Margaret Brent Elementary, Medfield Heights Elementary, Waverly Elementary/Middle, Abbottston Elementary School, and Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School.

Youth Programs

Strong neighborhoods need intentional, positive ways for youth to grow and learn how to be productive citizens.  As we grow our youth programs, our current strategy is to link existing youth program providers to expand youth opportunities.  Our staff will support youth-led neighborhood projects, facilitate a college and career mentoring program, and increase youth voices in neighborhood associations and schools.