In partnership with Richmond Promise Neighborhood (RPN), the Engaging Richmond team worked to identify and address community priorities in Richmond's East End. In October of 2012, Engaging Richmond completed and published the Richmond Promise Neighborhood Community Needs Assessment, which highlighted three top community-identified priorities: workforce development, parental involvement, and mental well-being.
The assessment was conducted using community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods, which aim to involve community partners in an entire research process. Engaging Richmond community and academic researchers worked collaboratively to construct research instruments and collect, analyze, and interpret data. Additionally, the team designed and implement tailored action plans based on each of the three top community-identified priorities:
To highlight issues around workforce development, one of the assessment’s top community-identified priority areas, Engaging Richmond team members undertook an exercise in PhotoVoice, a method which adds a visual element to the participatory process by actively engaging community members in planning and policy issues. View the PhotoVoice display below.