Community Education & Action Research

Community Education & Action Research

Our Community Action Research pillar focuses on empowering communities through research and engagement. We do this through our Community Coffee Chat Series and Community Workshop Intensive. The Community Coffee Chat Series offers virtual discussions where residents connect with community-based organizations and elected officials to learn about grassroots research and policy issues that matter to them. The Community Workshop Intensive provides hands-on training for a small cohort of community members, equipping them with research tools to drive long-term change. Participants learn how to turn policy ideas into actionable plans and may receive a six-month paid opportunity to lead a Community Action Research Project, which is designed to mobilize communities, build capacity among parents, organizers, and advocates, and accomplish a key goal collectively determined by community anchor organizations and participants.

Community Coffee Chats

The Coffee Chat Series is a virtual opportunity for communities to engage with local community-based organizations and their elected officials to learn about grassroots community research and data, and the policy interests most important to them. Check out our previous Coffee Chats below.

Bronzeville

South Shore

Woodlawn

Austin

South Chicago

East Garfield Park

Washington Park

Auburn Gresham

Englewood

Community Workshops Intensives

The purpose of the Community Workshop Intensive is to train communities with research tools that they can use. We seek a small community cohort of folks who desire to be more deeply invested in the long-term improvement of their community but may be unsure where or how to start. During the Community Workshop Intensive, participants learn how to identify and take a policy-relevant issue from ideation to a plan of action, using research tools as a capacity-building strategy for parents, organizers, grassroots leaders, and advocates. This workshop intensive is intended for people who live and/or work in the community of activation. Participants selected to lead a Community Action Research Project receive a small honorarium ranging from $1,800 to $3,600 for up to six months following the completion of the intensive, ensuring sustainability and commitment to the community campaign.

Community Comrades

Gratitude to those who we've engaged with to execute this collective community work with fidelity

Click who rocks with us!

    • Urban Juncture Foundation / The Bronzeville Incubator

    • Black United Fund of Illinois

    • Claretian Associates

    • Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative

    • Neighborhood Network Alliance

    • South Shore Chamber of Commerce

    • South Shore Works

    • South Side Home Movie Project

    • Southside Together Organizing for Power

    • Urban Growers Collective

    • Washington Park Residents Advocacy Council

    • Woodlawn Chamber of Commerce

    • City Bureau

    • ESRI

    • Lucy Parsons Lab

    • Office of Equity and Racial Justice, City of Chicago

    • Office of Illinois State Representative Kam Buckner

    • The Quarry Chi

    • Austin Coming Together

    • BA'NIA Incorporated

    • Englewood Arts Collective

    • The Healing Academy

    • West Side United