RCE Grand Rapids-2011

rce_proj_title
1. General Information
Contact Name(s): 
Ron Jimmerson
Norman Christopher
Organizational Affiliation : 
Cascade Engineering
Grand Valley State University
Role in the project: 
Chair, Advisory Committee
Advisory Committee
Project-relevant information: 
The website for the Seeds of Promise project is www.seesofpromise.net. A white paper written through the school of social work at GVSU should be available Fall, 2011. Information on the project is also available on EarthScan. Pamphlet attached as well.
2. Project Information
1. Project title: 
Seeds of Promise (SoP) sustainable neighborhood initiative
2. Project Description: 
The Seeds of Promise project has developed over the last 3-4 years from a desire to implement triple bottom line (TBL), economic, environmental and social best practices at the "base of the pyramid", or neighborhoods that are impoverished and face difficult quality of life issues within the inner city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The SoP neighborhood has about 1800 residents with more than 30% living at poverty level and 66% being single parents. May residents are in need of job training and higher education, many do not have full time jobs. Children and youth activities are focused on Dickinson middle school.
The SoP is a living, learning, laboratory focused on developing an integrated urban community strategy that can be replicated in other urban settings and communities. The collective work and outcomes are driven b y three key principles: 1) those who live in an urban community need to drive their improvement strategy; 2) those who serve that community need to align the delivery of assistance and support to integrate with that improvement strategy; and 3) the community's improvement strategy needs to be self-sustaining.
The SoP also models the integration of sustainability and community vitality in social, environmental, economic and community impact areas. Other key principles which guide the SoP project include: asset-based community development, empowerment coaching, and continuous process improvement.
3. Project Status: 
Ongoing
4. Key Words
Key Words: 
Poverty
5. Project categories
Project categories: 
Education
Awareness building
Networking and partnership development
Other
Other: 
Major community activities include: mentoring and coaching of local family residents in life skills; tutoring of school children; scouting programs; residential energy efficiency programs; health and wellness programs at Dickinson middle schol including a
6. Expected outcomes:: 
A triple bottom line SoP sustainability assessment and progress report for the neighborhood is being developed to help determine progress regarding environmental, economic social and community impact. Some of the major performance measurements include: number of residents trained and committed to the SoP community leadership team; number of jobs created; number of children who have tested to higher academic grade levels; number of families who have received energy efficiency products and attended awareness programs; number of children who have received health and wellness program benefits at Dickinson middle school; number of LEED-certified residential homes and buildings; amount of capital invest in local community economic development projects etc.
Target outcomes include: families are developing more effectively; youth at Dickinson middle school are at or exceeding grade level skills; the community is creating and using its own capital; there is a significant increases in sustained residential employment; and a strong corporate social responsibility benefit has been achieved.
7. Duration of the Project:: 
The Seeds project originally started out about 4 years ago as a youth development program between two churches, one of which was located in the SoP area. The next phase of development was known as Hands of Hope. This phase involved a neighborhood area that included the Garfield Park and Burton Heights areas, predominantly Hispanic. There was however, no school in the area. Within the past two years a new phase of development surrounding the Dickinson middle school as been established as the target zone, encompassing the previous Hands of Hope area. An SoP advisory team composed of local residents and service providers has developed. Local leadership is being built through an empowered Host Neighbor organization. A goal has been set to have the Host neighbor community leadership team trained and in place to make all future community decisions by the summer of 2012.
3. Project Leadership & Vision
8. Project coordination (e.g. teams): 
There are 4 primary impact teams in place to support the SoP project: social, economic, environmental and community. All sustainable development programs and activities fall under these four teams. The four teams all have leaders who meet independently with endorsing partners and community residents on a regular basis. A new SoP advisory team continues to meet monthly and receive activity reports from the four working impact teams.
9. Leadership structure
a. Administration: 
3
b. Transactional: 
4
c. Transformational: 
3
4. Project results
10. Project results : 
What are the current results of the project in terms of Outcomes:
Twice a year reporting reveals the following:
Social impact-health and wellness; tutoring of students; youth development; and mentoring of family members etc. Over 5000 after-school food baskets have been provided to needy children. An active Girl Scout program has been established. About 50 students have been tutored during the school year, including a Schools of Hope program through the United Way.
Economic impact: training and development; creation of local jobs; social entrepreneurship opportunities etc. Grand Rapids Community college is providing local job training. Several business are being targeted for relocation to the SoP area. New social entrepreneurship business opportunities continue to incubate.
Environmental impact: neighborhood revitalization and residential energy efficiency etc. Distribution of compact fluorescent light bulbs has occurred. A furnace replacement and weatherization program is available for local residents.
Community impact: community leadership development etc. A new SoP advisory team has been established and is working with board members. 8-10 local residents form the core of the Host Neighborhood organization. The SoP initiative has recently moved into the local neighborhood at the Southeast Community Alliance (SECA) building as of May 1, 2011. GVSU has also provided support through three interns from the Master of Social Work (MSW) program.
11. Contribution to reforms and innovations: 
The SoP sustainable neighborhood initiative is a transformational new model based on expressed local community needs and wants including the training and development of local neighborhood residents who are willing to take an empowered leadership role in helping to make better decisions for their local community. The SoP is not driven by specific grants and funding opportunities typically pursued by NGOs. The SoP is able to generate resources through both shared monetary and non-monetary sources, as well as through shared sustainable development knowledge and best practices. The SoP model is of interest to the city of Grand Rapids as they look to learn about new transformational community development models and best practices.
12. Unexpected / unplanned results: 
First, there is the overall innovation and creativity surrounding social entrepreneurship. Both the private and public sectors can now address "quality of life" issues and concerns with new strategies and organizational structures. Secondly, social entrepreneurship has opened the door for businesses with new job positions to be placed and/or related within the SoP community. There are associated training and development opportunities as well. This, is the opportunity for the Seeds of Promise neighborhood community to create and generate its own financial capital.
13.Core Partners: 
There are now 50 stakeholde groups endoring the Seeds of Promise initiative. Some of the primary partners include: Goodwill Industries, United Way of West Michigan, Cascade Enginneering, the city of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Community College and Grand Valley State University among others.
5. Partnership and networking
14. Project Network
a. Information network: 
2
b. Knowledge network: 
5
c. Innovation network: 
3
6. Participation
15. Type of involvement: 
There are currently 53 endorsing partner organizations who have signed a commitment to provide and share resources and best practices with others on a best efforts basis in the SoP community. These partners work together in separate teams to help meet specific neighborhood needs and wants.
16. Participation opportunities
b. Consultation participation: 
4
c. Decision influencing participation : 
3
7. Education & Learning
17. Educational activities: 
Educational activities are primarily focused on students at Dickinson middle is pr school. Tutoring is provided for specific students in grades 1-4 through local college and university students. The United Way Schools of Hope program is also provided by trained individuals. Scouting and other youth development programs are also available.
18. Learning activities: 
One example includes overall healthy food access. Michigan State University has invested in an targeted the Dickinson middle school for a childhood obesity program which has provided the platform for an overall health and wellness program for the school. The kids Food basket also provides after-school food baskets of healthy nutritional products that the children can take back to their families each evening. This awareness about healthy nutritional food has led to a new school program know as Project Fit. Children and families receive a bag of nutritional food items that are available and can be purchased at select local neighborhood stores.
19. Educational activities
a. Theory: 
2
b. Discussion: 
5
c. Interactive and Multidimensional "action oriented education": 
3
8. Research Integration
20. Research & Development (R&D): 
The R&D component is provided by the applied sustainable development best practices that come from the endorsing partners. The implement of these best practices enable improvement in overall social, environmental, economic and community impact.
21. Research partners: 
Grand Valley State University (triple bottom line sustainability)
Grand Rapids Community College (job training and development)
Calvin College (environmental sustainability)
22. Description of research
a. Disciplinary: 
2
b. Interdisciplinary: 
5
c. Transdisciplinary: 
3
Type: 
Project Reports
Country: 
United States
Region: 
Americas
Community: 
SCP,Livelihood and Well-being
Community_second: 
SCP,Livelihood and Well-being
Issue: 
Sustainable Consumption and Production
Country: 
United States