Yes We Can! is a long-term comprehensive community-building initiative. The program is designed to decrease the gap in educational and economic outcomes for low-income residents by increasing resident mobilization and developing collective action. Strategies include community organizing, a small neighborhood grants program, training and technical assistance, and organizational grantmaking. The evaluation team is monitoring systems change and using participatory methods to assess changes in immediate, intermediate, and long-term outcomes. Data collection is both qualitative (interviews, focus groups, photovoice) and quantitative (community phone survey, leader survey, organizational survey, large-scale randomized community survey, mini-grant database analysis).

Please contact Laurie Van Egeren for more information

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Additional CERC members: Miles McNall, Nicole Greenway
Funder: W.K. Kellogg Foundation
MSU Partners: Department of Psychology; Community Evaluation and Research Collaborative
Community Partners: W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Non-Profit Alliance; City of Battle Creek; Battle Creek Community Foundation; community grantees

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