Community Services - Current and Past Projects
Our team works with a wide range of clients, ranging from grassroots groups,
local and state governments, to other nonprofits, national foundations and
federal agencies. See the following links for quick descriptions of recent
projects, or read on for more detailed project descriptions:
Recent Projects
Raytown Reaching for Tomorrow
 The
city of Raytown, Missouri is moving ahead! NCL Community Services had the
opportunity to work with a dedicated and energized group of over 200 stakeholders
on a community visioning and planning process - Raytown
Reaching for Tomorrow - that spanned from April through September of 2002.
The stakeholders focused on four key performance areas: Neighborhoods, Image,
Infrastructure and City Operations, and Economic Development. This community
based strategic plan brought together citizens, businesses, local government,
and community organizations to focus on key action steps to move Raytown forward
into the future. At the final meeting, a few of the stakeholders commented,
"This process got many people involved and brought out the ideas of the
people in the community." "It was a rewarding experience. I am confident
we will reach our goals." And, "I am proud to be a part of Raytown's
future." On October 24th, 2002 a celebration was held to release the
plan and launch the implementation phase of Raytown Reaching for Tomorrow.
View the full project summary.
For more information, please contact Dereck Okubo, Acting Director of Community
Services at (303) 571-4343 or Derek Okubo.
Community Services Facilitates Neighborhood College Programs
 The
Community Services team facilitated a
series of training courses on "Cultural Competency and Creating a
Healthy Community" for several neighborhood college programs in Fairfax
County, Virginia. The course is designed to educate participants about becoming
more culturally competent and expose them to skills around strengthening intergroup
relations and collaborative problem solving.
The course is part of a 6-8 week curriculum that is designed to teach participants
concepts related to leadership and community-building. The program began in
Herndon, Virginia, in June 2001 and has since spread to other locations in
the county.
Memphis, TN Selects Civic Index
At a press conference, Mayor Willie W. Herenton and Mayor Jim Rout announced
a new initiative aimed at measuring the “civic
infrastructure” of  the
Memphis metropolitan area within Shelby County. The term “civic infrastructure”
describes the skills and strategies used by communities such as those that
encompass Memphis and Shelby County to come together and solve problems. The
tools that the Mayors and other influential communities leaders have selected
is the National Civic League's Civic Index. In their remarks, both Mayors
emphasized that the findings of this important and timely initiative will
be critical to the success of existing as well as future planning efforts
that seek increased citizen participation.
“Whether the primary issues are economic development, low-income housing,
transportation planning, or any combination of the challenges facing today's
communities, the healthy functioning of the twelve components of the Civic
Index is necessary for success,” said Chris Gates, President of the National
Civic League. Mr. Gates attended the press conference to explain the technical
assistance being provided to Memphis and Shelby County by the National Civic
League.
Click here for a press release and photos.
Colorado Conversations 2002
 Through
our work in cities and regions all across the country, the National Civic
League has seen that communities often lack the opportunities and structures
for people from different sectors-neighborhoods, nonprofits, businesses, government,
and public institutions-to come together to explore, discuss, and problem
solve around the important issues affecting their community.
Colorado Conversations 2002 is a five
program series for Denver Metro area leaders to engage in dialogue and make
connections together around some of the most crucial issues currently facing
the Denver region. In this "civic space", participants will hear
national experts speak on cutting-edge ideas and initiatives taking place
around the country, and have the opportunity to discuss and network around
these issues with other Denver area leaders, relating them to a local/regional
level, sharing ideas, learning from experiences, and exploring opportunities
for cross-sector collaboration.
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