Get Involved with CBCE

Facilitating the Self-Development of Communities

Building the capacity of neighborhoods and communities

to discover what matters to them and to attain it together.

Coaching agencies and organizations

to build the capacity of neighborhoods and communities.

CBCE looks at the community’s deeper “needs” as neighbor-to-neighbor relationships and citizen-driven initiatives based on the hopes, dreams, passions, gifts, and strengths of the neighborhood residents or community members. CBCE sees the deeper “needs” as shared neighborhood vision and collective efficacy. These deeper “needs” are addressed immediately in the citizen-led process of listening to their own community and discovering what their neighbors care about and what they already have to work with. As Margaret Wheatley puts it, “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

At the present time, CBCE is engaged with the following communities:

• the West Side Neighborhood in Corpus Christi, Texas

• the Costa Tarragona Apartment Home Community in Corpus Christi, Texas

• the Homeless Helping Homeless Community in Corpus Christi, Texas.

A fourth engagement community is being organized with the local Wesley Nurses who work for Methodist Healthcare Ministries. They are identifying a neighborhood where CBCE could coach and train them to do community development with attention to changing the social determinants of health.

10 WAYS TO GET ON THE CBCE "BUS"

1 / BELIEVE IN COMMUNITY

Believe that all communities are capable of thriving and that relationships are their most important asset. Believe that their shared vision and passion and their collective strengths, wisdom, and creativity are the power for change.

2 / CARE ABOUT EMPOWERMENT

Have a heart for building the sustainable capacity of whole communities rather than just filling the endless unmet needs of individuals; for doing “with” others rather than just “for” them; and for organizing and empowering rather than just offering services.

3 / THINK "MOVEMENT"

Help us create a movement among social service providers and faith communities that expands the paradigm from just rescuing individuals to building the capacity of their communities.

4 / TELL OTHERS

Tell others about us when you get the opportunity.

5 / MAKE OPPORTUNITIES

Make opportunities to tell others about us. Use our website or Facebook page.

6 / GET US TOGETHER

Invite others to meet with you and our Executive Director about getting on the “bus.”

7 / LOOK FOR SUPPORT

Help us find financial, programmatic, and volunteer support to fuel the CBNE “bus.”

8 / OFFER TO DONATE

Donate financially to the work of community empowerment.

9 / VOLUNTEER

Volunteer to help as a Program Team member, a participant on a neighborhood Action Team, a website manager, an event coordinator, or a Board Member.

10 / CONNECT

Connect CBNE with other agencies, associations, or departments who have the potential to partner with us to build a regional multiagency collaborative model for empowering communities.