Building strong communities: An evaluation of a neighborhood leadership program in a diverse urban area

Cecilia Ayón, Cheryl D. Lee

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    7 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    The purpose of this study was to describe and evaluate an intervention used to train neighborhood leaders about community organizing and to enhance leadership skills. A mixed-method design was used which included (a) a pre- and posttest assessment of 83 participants, and (b) qualitative descriptive interviews of 33 participants. Over half of the participants in the study were from ethnic minority groups (Latino or Cambodian). At posttest assessment, the participants improved in leadership skills (p 5 .001) and experience (p 5 .001) subscales. The qualitative interviews revealed that participants continued to be active in their communities by implementing neighborhood programs or starting community organizations. It is recommended that community practi-tioners and activists support neighborhood leadership programs to foster growth and enrichment in communities, and researchers/practitioners evaluate these projects with multiple methods to broaden scholarship in this important arena.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)975-986
    Number of pages12
    JournalJournal of Community Psychology
    Volume37
    Issue number8
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Nov 2009

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Social Psychology

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