Community Building: Work with police, community leaders, local government, media, educators, and youth to cooperatively solve problems and envision a better future.

• Training in Crisis Intervention and Gang Mediation - Since March 2007, Dr. Nike Carstarphen has been providing technical assistance to the Alliance of Concerned Men (ACM), a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to saving the lives of "at risk" youth and families residing in high crime areas of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan community. In partnership with Carole Frampton (Search for Common Ground) and Maria Jessop (American University), Nike developed a manual that documents and guides the work of ACM, called a "Training Guide for Preserving Life and Intervening in Crises in our Communities." Nike also co-facilitated a 5-session training program with ACM using the Training Guide and will continue to support ACM's work in 2008.

• To Bridge and To Build: This community based project focused on increasing grassroots participation in community planning and decision-making and on increasing the number and skills of neighborhood leaders to effect positive social change in their community in the Arlington Mills neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia. ACT provided two inter-related services for the project, including facilitation of community dialogues and a leadership-training program. (Read more...)