Community Building Initiative
Reston Interfaith partners with three community centers in low-income housing neighborhoods, offering a range of programs for adults and youth, to reduce gang activity and crime, provide a safe and nurturing environment, and offer practical help for working parents and other adult residents.
At the community centers at Cedar Ridge Apartments and Stonegate Village Apartments, we offer information and referrals, financial counseling, family activities, and educational opportunities to adults and families. Other service providers work with us to deliver programs, such as computer training. These services enable families to maintain stability, build community, increase self-sufficiency, and thrive.
In 2007, we were awarded the opportunity to work with our neighbors to strengthen the programs and outreach of the Fairfax County Southgate Community Center. The Southgate Neighborhood Outreach and Community Building Initiative has put Reston Interfaith on the ground the neighborhoods serviced by the Center, especially those along Glade Drive, to do organizing, outreach, and planning with residents. In neighborhoods such as Stonegate Village, Reston Glen, and Westglade, we have been able to work with residents to identify and address community needs and issues, and to help them connect with resources and develop strong community-based relationships and friendships.
Yes We Can! The Southgate Community Engagement and Leadership Project
Reston Interfaith is proud to be a leader in the current Southgate Community Engagement and Leadership Project entitled “Yes We Can!” Hand in hand with residents of the Southgate community, Reston Interfaith and George Mason University’s Center for Social Science Research (CSSR) are investigating civic engagement and leadership issues in the Southgate community. This research aims to address disparities in resident involvement by examining the barriers to local civic engagement. Once disparities are identified, the research team will help to develop strategies with interested partners that will increase Southgate residents’ involvement in the planning, problem solving, and governance of their neighborhood and broader Reston community. This study uses participatory research and involves residents in all aspects of the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the project. This research and social change project is funded by the Sociological Initiatives Foundation.
What is the research team doing now? The team, composed of Southgate residents, Reston Interfaith staff, and CSSR project staff (including GMU students) are in the exciting last phase of the project. Before taking their researcher hats off for the last time, the team will interview members of the Southgate Advisory Council, Reston Association, and Southgate Community Center staff. The "Yes We Can" team members have conducted an impressive 136 interviews around the neighborhood. The feedback recorded from these resident interviews has been analyzed, and findings from this important project are starting to be shared. At the Southgate Community Center, the team presented for area residents the emerging trends and issues through colorful posters and explanations. Next, the group will present their findings and recommendations to members of Fairfax County staff, as well as the Southgate Advisory Council. A compilation of the results from the group’s research will be available for the broader public in the near future. Also, please stay tuned to hear about what actions are planned to improve the neighborhood based on the findings from the "Yes We Can" project.
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