Guiding Principles of Mission Promise Neighborhood
The following guiding principles are what ground the work of Mission Promise Neighborhood and our evaluation (what questions we ask, how we develop measures, and how we look a the data that will come our way.) It is what’s behind the mission of MPN. As we continue to engage in the MPN work, the Evaluation Team will have their eyes on these guiding principes through the evaluation design.
Empowerment: We recognize that power and resources are unevenly distributed in society. MPN seeks to level the playing field by promoting meaningful participation of people and community-based organizations towards the goals of increased individual and community control, improved quality of life, and social justice.
Social Capital: MPN strengthens the existing social capital of our target communities by increasing their access to networks of people and resources that are helpful and valuable in navigating society’s mainstream institutions.
Community Epistomology: Our community is already abundant with social capital. We recognize that our communities are not deficient, but rather possess a wealth of cultural knowledge, skills, abilities, and networks of people ̶ assets that are just, valid, and relevant.
Social Inclusion: We aim to create awareness that structural inequalities exist and are not accidental. We recognize that structural inequalities may lead to disparate life outcomes and opportunity gaps for families and individuals across the social spectrum. MPN seeks to not only fill in these gaps, but also increase access to society’s mainstream institutions for our target communities and cultivate a demand for change that is lead by the community.
Collective Impact: We believe that creating large-scale social change comes from coming together as a multi-pronged driving force. This includes building a centralized infrastructure, a broad set of integrated services, and a structured process that leads to a common agenda, shared measurement of outcomes, and continuous communication among all participants.
