Neighborhood Democracy: Building Anchor Partnerships Between Colleges And Their Local Communities

Richard Guarasci, author of the forthcoming book, Neighborhood Democracy, will be discussing the critical role of higher education in supporting and sustaining an equitable and vibrant American democracy. He will focus on the growing movement of university-neighborhood anchor partnerships as a means to better prepare K-16 students as learners and civic leaders.

The most comprehensive models create democratic partnerships that mutually reinforce and usually maintain K-16 college prep programs joined with civic and leadership development for young students and adolescents. The impact on college students, staff and faculty is equally powerful through the cross fertilization of the campus and community cultures.

The larger impact of these partnerships is the elevation of community leadership capacity, self image and civic engagement as participants learn “the arts of democracy” in learning how to voice, engage, mediate, and coalition-build as they embrace their local neighborhoods and their own goals for personal advancement.

Joining this presentation will be former high school principal, Tim Gannon of the Port Richmond Partnership and one of the many successful Partnership students, now alumnus, Pedro Santiago.

Neighborhood Democracy is due out in December 2021, and is published in association with AAC&U.