Boys and Girls Club of Waterman Gardens - Arts and Letters

Our Community and Relationship Enhancement [CARE] Team engages in research that utilizes the Community-Based Participatory Research [CBPR] paradigm to work with communities that have historically been marginalized in society due to a number of factors including but not limited to ethnicity, social class, and sexual orientation. CBPR seeks to work collaboratively with community members in a manner that is truly participatory thereby sharing power and resources. CBPR takes a perspective of recognizing community expertise in addition to academic expertise. Ideally, this work demonstrates co-learning, insuring that all members learn from each other. Finally, CBPR is typically action-oriented. It is our belief that research should lead to work that makes differences in the community. Our work typically connects our research teams with community-based organizations [CBOs] providing service to community members. Our expectation is that the research students will engage in service AND research. We are particularly interested in partnerships with CBOs that address factors that impact mental health. We are also interested in collaborative efforts that empower youth, families and communities. The Boys and Girls Club serves a public housing complex and provides diversified, developmentally appropriate program activities focusing on the physical, emotional, cultural, and social needs and interest of boys and girls. our team members help facilitate these activities as volunteers and as researchers.