OUR WORK IS DEVELOPING
URBAN LEADERS & SOCIAL STRUCTURES*
*We define social structures as groups of citizens, neighborhood committees, community assemblies, faith communities, civil society organizations,
educational institutions, sports leagues and formal alliances between government, businesses and social movements.*
WHAT WE DO
We focus on the holistic transformation of fragile cities, developing locally-led solutions and creating synergies between local communities, civil society organizations, faith communities, businesses and government.
HOW WE WORK
We engage urban leaders and develop social structures by focusing on five key strategies that together help change fragile cities into SHALOM cities.
Strengthening Civil Society
Strengthen civil society to drive community development, address violence and insecurity, and engage in advocacy to achieve greater justice for all.
1. We foster citizen participation and social cohesion by creating, coaching and supporting community initiatives to drive sustainable, inclusive and holistic development.
2. We bring different groups together to promote violence prevention processes inside and outside the home, with the goal of creating safer, more inclusive and peaceful cities.
3. We advocate publicly to provide access to justice for all and create efficient, responsible and inclusive institutions at all levels.
4. We help in disaster relief by offering crisis response and establishing community-led reconstruction efforts.
Equipping Faith Communities
Start, train and coach faith leaders and communities to generate hope and transform their neighborhoods.
1. We equip faith leaders to start and sustain new faith communities that impact their neighborhoods.
2. We mobilize, provide theological education and train communities of faith, so that they actively participate in the integral transformation of their communities.
3. We provide care to urban faith leaders through individual counseling, continuous coaching, and spiritual and marriage retreats.
4. We form trusting relationships between faith leaders, and form broad-based coalitions between faith communities and other groups to address larger-scale challenges, including injustice, violence and corruption.
Holistic Development of Children and Youth
Create safe spaces and implement transformational programs for children and youth in schools, churches, communities and through sports so that they can overcome obstacles, become agents of change and lead healthy and productive lives.
1. We establish safe and formative spaces in schools, faith communities, at the community level and through sports, educational and artistic programs, instilling values and life skills and generating critical growth opportunities, using a trauma-informed approach.
2. We equip youth and children to be agents of change in their families, schools and communities, helping them to develop their own community and / or school improvement projects.
3. We provide educational and vocational orientation, foster youth entrepreneurship and equip youth with vocational and employment training.
4. We equip young leaders to learn advocacy skills to influence municipal development plans, in addition to ensuring that child protection systems are properly applied.
Promoting Community and Emotional Health
Provide tools to improve emotional resilience, access to health services, preventive health education and dignified housing, working in homes, schools and communities.
1. We promote access to health services and preventative education, working in homes, schools and communities.
2. We facilitate domestic violence-prevention processes with the goal of strengthening families and reducing child abuse and violence in schools.
3. We help leaders and residents to heal their emotional wounds to foster greater maturity and emotional resilience, with the goal of building healthy and inclusive relationships.
4. We facilitate self-help construction processes for dignified housing.
Facilitating Economic Development
Provide vocational training, create job opportunities, generate small businesses and promote economic development to achieve sustainable prosperity.
1. We offer vocational training to young people and / or refer them to other vocational training institutions.
2. We provide financial literacy to local leaders and beneficiaries of our initiatives to improve their financial well-being.
3. We encourage economic growth through microenterprise training in order to help and coach aspiring entrepreneurs to create and grow their own small businesses (aspirational).
4. We create our own business units to create jobs and generate income to contribute to our social development agenda.