Community Building
We believe that communities are stronger when people know and trust each other. By building trust we are able to address the conditions that impact us. Through monthly potlucks, seasonal events, block parties, listening sessions, and town halls, we provide our community members opportunities to build intentional, authentic relationships across class, race and privilege. These venues also provide a forum for us to share thoughts, ideas and concerns so that we can speak for ourselves and create a shared vision of collective dignity and empowerment.
Collective Action
We believe that residents must take action in their own communities. Resident-led action, identifying and employing neighborhood resources and gifts, utilizing decision-making processes that include all community voices, and providing structures that allow residents to hold agencies and organizations that operate or enter into the community, accountable are essential practices for us. We also work to collectively organize around identified inequalities and level the playing field to divert resources to our community.
Capacity Building
We believe that people who are directly impacted are the ones best suited and most knowledgable to create and own the pathway to their own liberation. At CIP work to create spaces and access to those that have been intentionally disregarded and marginalized. We partner with organizations like Durham Tech's Continuing Education Division to leverage access and resources to members that are seeking to scale up in their current work or career or seeking a new path towards a goal or new job. We also have frequent community-based learning opportunities to educate each other surrounding issues of systems and disproportionate wealth outcomes. We recruit and build leadership for our organization within our own community, encouraging leadership from some that might be reticent to lead, while also lending support and space to learn and grow.
