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Resident
Participation
Since 2002, RTH has
had a Leadership Development Program whereby RTH residents are
hired and trained to work in the community on a variety of
projects. It is a great opportunity to meet new people, to
participate in free on-the-job training in community building
and other more technical trainings in community assessment and
to make a real contribution to this neighborhood. Resident
leaders, called Community Liaisons, have said that this
experience has given them more confidence and skills to
accomplish other goals they set for themselves. For example,
two Community Liaisons are now full-time RTH employees and
three Community Liaisons have sat on the Board of Directors.
There are also other part-time job and volunteer opportunities
for Community Liaisons once their project is complete.
We are looking for
people of all ages, including teens and seniors, people who
are bi- or multi-lingual, those with various abilities and,
generally, those who represent the people who live in the RTH
community. These positions are paid.
Projects
Completed
Every 1-2 years, a new
group of about 8 residents are hired and trained to complete
their project. Throughout the past 6 years, we have
completed three community assessments. The first of these assessments,
conducted in 2002-03
involved focus groups and individual interviews. Over 130
residents participated by answering questions about the
health/wellness, education and training, safety and
facilities-related issues in the neighborhood. In the
second assessment completed in 2005, we invited previous focus
group participants back to update the information they
originally provided. Click
here to
view a PowerPoint presentation outlining the background,
methodology and results of these focus groups. The other
large-scale project completed in the summer of 2006 was a
resident survey. Over 220 residents filled out a survey that
asked more specific questions about particular prevalent
health conditions, specific training and/or job opportunities
for which they have interest, RTH programs and events and
technology. Click here
to view a PowerPoint presentation outlining these results.
Call Anne Vinick,
Director of Resident Services, for more information.
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