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Sharing Public Knowledge: Spotlight on the Harwood Institute Project

by The Berks Alliance

Jun 09, 2023

In early 2022, the Harwood Institute issued a report commissioned by Centro Hispano entitled “Reading Thriving, Together: A New Agenda for Education and the Community.” The report found that there was strong interest in the community in creating a brighter and more inclusive future, by creating a greater sense of shared purpose. Based on a series of interviews with a broad spectrum of city residents, the report underscored the “promising sparks of change”. But the challenge was to engage the broader community, creating the sense of engagement and opportunity for everyone, to demonstrate that by working together things could get done.

With the support of the United Way, the Wyomissing Foundation and the Berks Alliance, Centro Hispano and the Harwood Institute began the process of engaging the broader community in this conversation. The report identified nine areas of focus.

For over 30 years the Harwood Institute has worked with community partners across the country to develop locally inspired strategies to strengthen local resources to foster engagement and change. For the past six months, over fifty-five local residents have worked with staff from the Institute to engage the local community in conversations about the challenges that they face, the opportunities that they see and strategies for strengthening the community.

Initially centered on the education system as the target area, the partners identified three areas of interest: Early Childhood Education; After School and Out of School Activities and English as a Second Language. While the primary focus of this work has been on the role of education in this effort, education must not be seen as solely the responsibility of the local public schools, but of the entire community.

These community leaders have engaged literally hundreds of people in conversations—asking what they want to see in a more inclusive and vibrant community, what are the challenges and the opportunities and how can people become more involved in creating the community they want to live in.

Now, there is an opportunity to share what they have been hearing, what they have been learning. A chance to share this public knowledge. Ultimately these conversations and the ensuing discussions will help foster strategies and opportunities to help transform our community.

Join us for this opportunity to share this public knowledge.

When: Jun 22, 2023 12:00 PM EST

Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpfuGorDwpEtEyJKiiV3SW836AxPvW6EPz

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