Northwest Dayton Timeline

The program launched with the announcement from Blue Meridian Partners that they were investing in our community. The goal was to use community input to identify impactful programs, projects and collaborations that could make a significant difference in the quality of life for residents.

With backbone support from Learn to Earn Dayton, the NWDP support structure was established, the steering committee determined roles, and the team developed community engagement strategies, in partnership with CityWide Development Corporation.

Learn to Earn Dayton hosted the first convening on October 18, 2021, including representatives Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, Dayton Public Schools, The Dayton Foundation, Mathile Family Foundation, PhoenixNext, CityWide Development Corporation, Omega CDC, Preschool Promise, and the Steering Committee.

A critical element of the Partnership’s work was ensuring resident-driven engagement, feedback, and leadership. Over four months, Steering Committee members, Learn to Earn Dayton and Preschool Promise staff and engaged volunteers canvassed 13 neighborhoods in Northwest Dayton.

With a conversational approach, canvassers learned the aspirations of neighbors, sought feedback on areas for change, and connected residents to available resources. We are so grateful to the hundreds of residents who honestly shared their perspectives regarding what they see as assets or challenges within the community.

Family nights welcomed residents to enjoy food, fellowship, and fun as part of an opportunity to share their insights and participate in the community conversations.

Based on a deep exploration of the data, priority themes such as recreation, safety, education, and livability emerged as critical areas to explore in the next rounds of conversation.

Over four days in February, 75 residents participated in focus groups. Residents learned about organizations currently serving the community, and shared feedback about what gaps still exist. This round of engagement was vital to understanding what are the barriers to a high-quality life in Northwest Dayton.

With support from backbone organizations and data consultants, the Steering Committee closely reviewed all they had learned to develop a mission and vision statement for the Northwest Dayton Partnership:

MISSION: Improving quality of life for residents by coordinating efforts to facilitate community engagement and achieve shared goals.

VISION: Healthy, vibrant, and healthy community

Ready to dig into the themes that had emerged from the canvassing and the community conversations, 112 stakeholders (including 86 residents) signed up to participate in four working groups: Early Childhood Education, K-12 Opportunities, Homeownership, and Community Culture. Working Groups focused on the challenges, the resources available, and the gaps that still exist in their area. Steering Committee members facilitated the process as the working groups created their own vision for their focus area within the larger mission.

The Working Groups were beneficial not only for the tasks they accomplished, but because of the deep relationships developed among neighbors, the lessons learned in the process, and the opportunity for residents to embrace leadership roles as they advocated for their community and developed strategies for change.

Recognizing that while overall resident engagement was strong, parents were not well-represented in the conversations. The NWDP and L2ED hosted three Parent Listening Sessions (at elementary, middle, and high schools). Parent feedback was vital to ensure the goals of the Working Groups were aligned with the needs of current parents.

As the first year wrapped up, a Community Celebration/Block Party was hosted

to thank all the residents who participated and to share the recent updates and provide opportunities for future engagement.

We reconvened to launch focus area collaboratives, driven by thoughtful engagement from 125 residents, 24 stakeholders, and 28 CIF grantees. The themes followed those that emerged from the work groups -- Early Childhood Education, K12 Education, Community Culture, and Housing.

Through this process, we refined the community ideas into a set of formalized strategies that identify necessary resources, partners, timelines and expected outcomes. Each collaborative was co-led by a lead organization/agency with subject matter expertise and a NWDP Steering Committee member who co-convenes the collaborative made up of relevant community organizations and interested residents.

The Steering Committee and Learn to Earn Dayton worked to translate the two years of work into a concise plan document, sharing the history, mission, and approach of the Northwest Dayton Partnership, as well as Theories of Action for each priority area and strategies and budgets.

Power of Place: Resident Vision for Northwest Dayton was released at a community celebration event on June 22 and endorsed at a joint meeting of The Dayton Foundation and Learn to Earn Dayton. This document centers resident voice, shares priorities for action, and serves as a compass for emerging partnerships and future strategies to serve the neighborhoods.