Community Based Programs
Community based organizations are the heart of the people that
they serve. These organizations reflect the values of their
respective communities. If one wanted to access a snapshot view
of the values of a certain community, the best place to look
would be the community-based organization. This is the body
that acts to preserve and promote the culture of its constituents.
In addition, the act of educating members and disseminating
information to the community at large is left in the hands of
the community-based organization.
The Capital Region Partnerships Council
The Institute for Cultural Partnerships is forming a Capital
Region Partnerships Council to bring together individuals and
communities across difference. With the involvement of leaders
reflecting many racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, the
Partnerships Council will create educational program opportunities
for communities, schools and workplaces. ICP is currently inviting
the participation of such leaders.
Staff contact: Shalom Staub,
ICP Executive Director
Community Building Initiatives
ICP has been awarded a five-year demonstration grant to model
a community-building project for refugee communities in Harrisburg
and Erie, Pennsylvania. Included in the project are recently
arrived Bosnian, African, Russian, Iraqi, Kurdish and Cuban
refugees.
This project encourages refugee communities to participate
in collaborative efforts and create a shared, multi-ethnic
vision for immigrant communities whose numbers are too small
in any given location to sustain independent community organization.
ICP's partners for this project include Tressler Lutheran
Services and the Hispanic Council of Erie.
ICP currently is supporting two emerging refugee
community projects in Central Pennsylvania. These include
the African Immigrant Community Project and the Bosnian Immigrant
Community Project. Both of these community projects are emerging
as a unifying force for refugees from these communities.
Staff Contact Ron
Kirby, Director of Community Programs
Community Health and Diversity Initiative
Community Health and Diversity Initiative helps culturally
and socially diverse residents in the Allison Hill area of Harrisburg
gain greater access to quality health services. As part of this
project, and in partnership with Pinnacle Health and the Greater
Harrisburg Foundation, ICP is working with the communities of
Allison Hill to develop cultural and social intervention strategies
that will support the successful utilization of Pinnacle Health's
Allison Hill Family Health Center.
Staff Contact Fredrika McKain,
Development Officer
Arts & Culture Programs
The Institute for Cultural Partnerships works with community-based
organizations to develop programs and initiatives that assist
in the preservation, practice and presentation of the community's
culture. ICP can work with organizations to identify needs and
opportunities, potential partners, and human and financial resources,
as well as to develop a strategy that helps them meet their
programmatic goals.
Through a partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the
Arts, ICP can provide grants and technical
assistance to organizations to develop their capacity
to develop arts programming for their community.
ICP can also help an organization teach others about the
culture and heritage it represents. ICP works with groups
in the production of oral and visual
histories. Through publications, media presentations,
exhibits, and video and audio recordings, ICP can help organizations
educate members of their community and the general public
about the history of the group and the practices that make
it what it is today.
Staff contact: Amy
Skillman, Director of Folklife Programs
Diversity Training and Inter-Group Relations
An important ingredient in an organization's ability to be
a vital member of the community at large is its ability to relate
to, understand, and interact peacefully with all of the cultures
which are represented in an area. ICP can offer the community-based
organization with training and
consultations which can increase the groups knowledge about
diversity, conflict resolution and similar issues. This knowledge
will enable an increased interaction and higher levels of effectiveness
for the organization. In our quest to increase peaceful inter-group
relations, ICP we can additionally offer community-based
inter-group relations programs which work to create an atmosphere
of open dialogue between different groups.
Staff Contact Shalom
Staub, ICP Executive Director
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