Discovering New Audiences for Neighborhood Tours

(from Neighborhood Leader, Spring 2006 issue)

Dear Neighbor,

Neighborhood Tours have been an important part of Neighborhood Leadership Cleveland (NLC) since we began the program back in 1994. For most people who go through the program, the tour is one of the highlights of their NLC experience.

Tour participants enjoy learning about other neighborhoods, and they take pride in presenting their own neighborhoods. Many are surprised to discover the assets that exist even in so-called "disadvantaged" neighborhoods.

I think it's time to share these discoveries with other audiences. Why not start with teachers, police officers, social workers, and others who provide essential services in our neighborhoods? Very often they do not live in the neighborhoods that they serve. A tour for those service providers, organized by neighborhood residents and focused on neighborhood assets, would go a long way toward establishing a climate of mutual respect—so often missing these days—between neighborhood residents and the people who serve them.

And how can we even think about regionalism when so many city and suburban residents have never set foot in one another's neighborhoods? I'm glad that the Voices and Choices initiative is starting a community-wide conversation about our regional assets, but is anyone talking about the assets of places like Glenville, Mount Pleasant, and Clark-Metro? Neighborhood tours for Voices and Choices participants could help them see that our region's assets are not limited to downtown and University Circle.

Who is better qualified to organize and conduct these tours than the grassroots leaders who have graduated from Neighborhood Leadership Cleveland? A plan to pilot tours in one or two neighborhoods would no doubt be a strong candidate for a Neighborhood Connections grant.

If you would like to submit a Neighborhood Connections proposal to organize tours of your neighborhood, please contact Lee Gleason here at the NLI office. She will explain the application process and help you connect with other interested NLC graduates.

Let's share the neighborhood tour experience that so many NLC participants have enjoyed over the years.

Warmest regards,

Don