IDEAL COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY is about listening to communities and citizens nationwide, and asking “how can we help?” At the intersection of civic education, community engagement, philosophy, politics, art, music, culture, IDEAL COMMUNITY takes a multifaceted approach to civic engagement by developing in-school, after-school, and adult programming focused on learning from and working with those around us.
Our work means nothing unless we play an active role in the democracy itself; COMMUNITY is our attempt to do just that.
Our first large-scale COMMUNITY collaboration was developed in Baltimore City, our home base, in collaboration with the Saran Fossett, and her non-profit AZIZA P&ECE. The proposal, illuminate, was just award a $200,000 grant from the Baltimore City Youth Fund! Click here to find our more about AZIZA PE&CE on social media.
Scroll down to read more about illuminate, check out our CAMPUS COMMUNITY spotlight!
illuminate
aziza pe&ce x ideal-baltimore city collaboration
Illuminate is a project hosted by Saran Fossett’s AZIZA PE&CE, a Baltimore City non-governmental organization committed to marginalized youth (specifically young women and LGBTQ+ youth) in collaboration with IDEAL. This project was just awarded a $200,000 grant from the Baltimore City Youth Fund!
The program takes place daily (during lunch and after-school) at three Baltimore City high schools: Forest Park, Frederick Douglas, and Edmondson Westside High School. Supporting marginalized, underrepresented and at-promise youth in Baltimore City High Schools. This multifaceted, nine-month curriculum unfolds in nine progressive stages, and addresses student-specific concerns with a three tiered model.
Tier one addresses personal development, asking the question “who am I?” We provide youth mental and physical health support through creative activities, in addition to tri-weekly healthy eating options, accompanied by health and wellness training.
Tier 2 shifts to personal and professional growth: what do I want to be and how do I get there? Youth take part in an immersive arts and cultural programming, highlighted by trips to the African American History Museum in D.C. and the Lion King on Broadway.
Finally, Tier 3 is civic-focused: How can I help create a just community? Using a volunteer-reward program, guest lectures, and civil-dialogue training, youth examine the intersection of ethics, politics, pop-culture, and community engagement, empowering student voices and translating personal growth into community reform.
CAMPUS COMMUNITY Spotlight
IDEAL’s unique and multifaceted approach to civic education and community engagement extends to all of the chapters—just as the organization hosts CherryTree, CAMPUS, and COMMUNITY, each individual chapters runs a publication, Blossom, Campus Programming, and a Community project. Our Johns Hopkins University chapter has recently received a lot of attention for their on-campus voting initiatives, and their very own Community project, Hear&Now, a campus-specific collaboration with AZIZA PE&CE. Hear&Now received a $20,000 grant from the Johns Hopkins University Idea Lab Competition to fund their after-school programming! Check out some of the pictures below, and read more about it on the IDEAL JHU page!
IDEAL JHU’s Hear & Now also won a 2018 American Civic Collaboration (Civvy) Honorable Mention Award!
click on the image above to wactch the video and learn more about hear&now
How to Get Involved
Do you want to bring IDEAL COMMUNITY to a city near you? Fill out the contact form below with your information and a brief description of your idea!
Let’s make this happen!