Why Do We Need Communities Now?
Take a moment to picture your neighborhood.
Imagine a family with children who live on your block, in your building, or attend school with your children. Now, picture an interaction or behavior between the parent and child—perhaps the child is playing in the street and the parent is nowhere to be found, or the parent sees the child and appears to be very angry—causing you discomfort or worry that it might have negative consequences for the children. Wouldn’t you want to do something to help? But, would you?!
While many people might argue that there are already well-established agencies, organizations, and an array of professionals that exist to target these and many of society’s issues, we believe that we all have the ability to do something if taught basic skills, techniques, and tools to feel comfortable enough to act.
As many of us are aware, the US is fortunate to have a public system of child protection. However, those professionals already work at full capacity to protect children and keep families together. We believe it is time to bring concerned individuals, neighbors, friends, and families back into the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Our goal is to thoroughly affect large-scale, enduring systemic change. Responding to families in trouble must blend the provision of formal government child protective services with leadership from the broader community.
