Community Hope Project

Background

This is a “glocal” grassroots project by, with, and for ordinary people. The aim is to foster hope, health, connection, cohesion and social entrepreneurship within and across communities throughout the world. It is predicated on the radical notion that what matters in life is not profit but relationships, fairness, reciprocity, compassion, mutual regard, laughter, and a sense of purpose, self-efficacy and meaning.

The idea is to connect people, resources and hope across traditional boundaries of nationality, race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, (dis)ability, and other socially-constructed divisions, one project at a time. The broader goals are many: to create locally-based, community-driven opportunities for positive change in communities across the world, to facilitate sustainable improvements in education, nutrition, clean water access and health care through infrastructure and capacity-building, and to create genuine connections between and among people from vastly different backgrounds.

Broad Purpose of the CHP

The purpose of the CHP is to promote global health, justice, connection, understanding, and common cause among the citizens of the world.

Specifically, the aims, activities, and initiatives of the CHP include (although are not exhausted by):

1) Increasing awareness about the injustices born by individuals and communities across the world through such activities as informational events, classes, film nights, public discussions, as well as various written and visual outlets, such as blogs, articles, and short films;

2) Encouraging authentic human connections across common barriers and boundaries of identity and experience, such as geography, citizenship, religion, race, ethnicity, class, gender, age, sexual orientation, and disability, through such initiatives as pen pal programs, sister school connections, and visits by CHP members to project sites in order to foster friendship, learning, and shared efforts toward good;

3) Building the capacity (especially by fortifying social, physical and administrative infrastructure) of local communities in order to help create sustainable economic ventures, undertake public health initiatives, and foster opportunities for training, education, and empowerment of community members; activities in line with this goal include the provision of start up resources (e.g., materials to build a community center & school, solar powered phone-charging station, computers, water filters, garden supplies, medical supplies, etc), financial support, and guidance or advice, if it is requested;

4) Training a fleet of young social entrepreneurs (in colleges, high schools, and communities across the globe) and arming them with:

1. awareness of pressing environmental, health, social and economic concerns;
2. skills in program development and policy advocacy; and
3. a sense of power, purpose, energy, and self-efficacy regarding their ability to effect positive change in their local communities and around the world.