Our Approach to Community Engagement
Groundwork NRG is committed to building the capacity of residents who are most directly affected by the issues we are tackling, and the resources we are mobilizing, to directly engage in community decision-making processes. We believe that local residents are the real experts on issues affecting our Northeast KCK community, and so they should be always be fairly compensated for their time and expertise.
Click on each of our focus areas below to learn about our services, programs, and projects.
If you want to get involved with our programs, you can contact us anytime at info@northeastkck.org, or 913-371-9298.
Our Engagement Strategy
Groundwork NRG firmly believes in empowering the residents of our service area to affect change in their surrounding environment.
Groundwork NRG encourages residents to take part in the process of area development and enrichment. Groundwork NRG uses surveys and meetings as avenues for community input and feedback. Residents played a vital role in both the Northeast Area Master Plan and the Groundwork USA Feasibility Study. Click the buttons below to learn more.
Groundwork NRG bases its work with neighborhoods on the Kirwin Institute’s Principles for Equitable and Inclusive Community Engagement:
Embracing the Gifts of Diversity
Hospitality: Invitation & Listening
Realizing the Role of Race, Power, and Injustice
Building Trust Through Empowerment
Honoring Disagreement and Dissent
Adaptability to Community Change
EMBRACING THE GIFTS OF DIVERSITY
Building strong communities starts with recognizing the power that already exists in undervalued or ignored people and neighborhoods; however, some people are repeatedly not invited to identify, develop, and share their gifts. A healthy and equitable civic engagement environment is one that is built around the creative gifts of community members—all community members.
Understanding that communities are comprised of a myriad of people, ideas, and motivations
Using social capital to build bridges between diverse community members
Valuing all levels of community engagement, from large scale to small scale
Supporting and using diverse sources of community leadership
HOSPITALITY: INVITATION & LISTENING
Building communities where everyone feels a sense of belonging and ownership does not happen accidentally. Inclusion needs to be intentional, particularly in the case of the most vulnerable members of our communities. Welcoming diverse voices into our community conversations requires more than a cursory invitation to join a meeting or event. The invitation must reflect the needs and concerns of the community member—they must see the issues important to them on the agenda.
Possessing a determined dedication to inclusion and a commitment that when the community comes together, everyone is represented
Listening with the intention of truly understanding your neighbors, their backgrounds and their concerns
Engaging neighbors within a frame of shared destiny access to opportunity for all
Cultivating a sense of belongingness among all community members
REALIZING THE ROLE OF RACE, POWER AND INJUSTICE
Acknowledging the life experiences of our neighbors is often an important part of ensuring that they feel welcomed in the community. Discrimination, marginalization, and unequal power dynamics have played a central role in shaping many of the habits and relationships in our communities. If you live in a community where people are friendly and the environment is safe and healthy, you may see a community as a warm, open, and safe place. However, if you’ve experienced discrimination at a grocery store or a misunderstanding between neighbors from different backgrounds, it may create a different picture. In order to build an inclusive community engagement environment, we cannot afford to marginalize the experiences of our neighbors.
Acknowledging the historical inequities in our communities
Recognition of the role that stereotypes and cultural assumptions play in our engagement activities
Understanding that structural power imbalances have an important impact how individuals engage in their community
Effectively planning to constructively approach the conflicts that arise in sharing community power
BUILDING TRUST THROUGH EMPOWERMENT
Solving long-term community problems requires community members willing to build long-lasting partnerships. Trust is the glue that holds these bonds together. Strong communities are built on a foundation of trust and mutual respect. If community members cannot trust one another, they cannot build a community together. Trust is built by forging relationships based on mutual support.
Making and keeping promises
Building trust by building empowerment
Understanding that mutual accountability is vital to community engagement
HONORING DISAGREEMENT AND DISSENT
The strength of the diversity in our communities relies on our ability to accept and respect our differences. In strong communities, voices of disagreement can actually strengthen the civic engagement environment by offering alternatives and raising tough questions. By truly honoring dissent, we can create a civic engagement environment where our rich blend of ideas can be brought together to build communities that are more than the sum of their parts.
Embracing difficult conversations in a compassionate and respectful manner
Bearing the tension of disagreement in a spirit of community and open communication while staying dedicated to the underlying goal of restoring your communities
Acknowledging protest as a valid expression of civic voice and engagement
ADAPTABILITY TO COMMUNITY CHANGE
Change is difficult for many of us. Yet our communities are constantly changing. Neighbors and businesses move in and move on, new technologies and new neighbors change the way that we communicate and alter how we define our “community”. In order to respond to these changes, the community engagement environment must be flexible and provide space for people to work through transitions.
Being flexible and open to community changes
Confronting the challenges of changing community dynamics
Understanding that community change is a challenging journey for everyone
Other Groundwork NRG Involved Initiatives
Groundwork Northeast Revitalization Group participates in several initiatives to better the health of Northeast Area residents through improvements to the built environment.
The Health Equity Action Transformation Community Advisory Board was formed with the intention of using the recently released Health Equity Action Transformation Report to provide a recognized platform for community to voice opinions and concerns about important decision-making processes that directly affect their life and well-being. The purpose of the WyCo CAB is to build trust and develop a mutual understanding between residents and the institutions or organizations that provide, or are seeking to provide services to the community. Groundwork NRG’s Executive Director co-chairs the HEAT CAB.
The HEAT Report:
Over three years of intensive study, we uncovered massive opportunities in creating/sustaining health equity among a large section of our community. Historical property value discrimination (through redlining in the 1930’s) has snowballed over time into our neighborhoods suffering from inadequate housing, lack of access to adequate health care, and environmental health injustices.
By identifying the factors that have created these problems, we can target the opportunity areas and begin repairing the damage. Wyandotte County is a proud community. Working together, we can help restore our homes, create awareness of health care solutions, and begin to work toward sustained improvement in our lives.
Click here to learn more about the Health Equity Action Transformation Report.
Because the CAB is the voice of the community, different organizations seeking to provide services to Wyandotte County should consult the CAB before making decisions that could impact WyCo residents. It is by consulting the CAB that these organizations and institutions would become aware of and understand the true needs and feelings of the community. Partnership with the CAB ensure agencies understand how to better serve and truly benefit the residents of WyCo, specifically in the areas north of I-70 and east of I-635 where our most vulnerable populations reside.
CAB Initiatives
The CAB also has several initiatives which its members have undertaken to increase civic engagement, improve the built environment, and empower residents to advocate for a better of quality of life for their communities.
Two of these initiatives are Servicing Legislative Interactions Producing Solutions (servicing L.I.P.S.) and Come Walk with US.
Infrastructure Action Team
The mission of the Infrastructure Action Team (IAT) is to build, redesign, and better utilize Wyandotte County's environmental infrastructure to provide opportunities for healthy and active living. Environmental infrastructure includes anything from sidewalks and trails to parks and community centers. The team promotes county-wide healthy policies and plans, and works with existing organizations to increase their focus on healthy living. Groundwork NRG’s Executive Director currently serves as the Policy Chair of the Infrastructure Action Team
For more information about the Healthy Communities Wyandotte IAT:
Enroll Wyandotte
Enroll Wyandotte is a community campaign focused on informing residents of the Kansas City metro area of the changes made by the Affordable Care Act and the options available to them through the Health Insurance Marketplace. A partnership between the Community Health Council of Wyandotte County and the Health Department of the Unified Government, Enroll Wyandotte works with several community organizations to provide free enrollment assistance to residents of the Kansas City metro area who need help in applying for and selecting health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
The Health Insurance Marketplace is designed to help you find out if you're eligible for and buy health insurance that fits your budget. Furthermore, you can use the marketplace to learn if you qualify for income-based advanced premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions that can lower the costs of your healthcare. If you’re not eligible for a qualified health plan through the marketplace, you may qualify for an exemption and Certified Application Councilors (CAC) are available to provide assistance applying for exemptions.
Open Enrollment is currently over. However, you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. To find a CAC in your area call the United Way 211 help line. If you need assistance in the Northeast area, click here and put CAC in the subject line.