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TAKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO COLLEGE – AND MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR ALL! Being a good neighbor isn’t just an insurance company slogan. It’s the mission of Neighborhood College, a leadership/training partnership aimed at building stronger, safer communities. From Phoenix College to Mesa and Chandler-Gilbert community colleges, participants are learning how to operate a homeowners association, develop neighborhood newsletters, rid their communities of crime, and even improve their parenting skills. Classes are either free or low-cost and require only a few hours of initial training. Mesa Community College -- in partnership with the City of Mesa, the Volunteer Center, Mesa United Way, Mesa Chamber of Commerce, the University of Arizona and Mesa Public Schools -- offers classes in early childhood education, volunteer team-building, communication and conflict resolution. The curriculum changes according to the needs expressed by community members. Demand is increasing for its newsletter publishing classes. "Interest has been building in our Neighborhood Online class which teaches students how to build a free website for their neighborhood," says Marie Allen, MCC liaison to Neighborhood College. "Students learn how to put together a newsletter that provides safety tips, a calendar of events and anything else they think is pertinent to their neighborhood." WINNING WAYS The Southeast Valley Neighborhood Leadership College, a coalition that includes Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Town of Gilbert, and the Gilbert Police Department, helped Gilbert earn a national city livability award by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1998. "We’re a little different from the other Neighborhood Colleges because we do a little more with homeowners associations, and we’re a nonprofit organization," explains Barbara Sparks, coordinator. The college serves an expansive area, stretching from Prescott and Payson to Tucson. It offers a schedule of 15 to 16 classes annually and certificate programs for completion of five to 10 classes. "Most of our classes deal with homeowners associations and community building, but next year we’re considering some changes that would expand our community building classes," according to Sparks. INCREASING QUALITY, COMFORT OF COMMUNITIES "It has always been our desire to reach neighborhoods," she notes. " There’s so much apathy out there. We want to bring people together to increase the quality and comfort of their communities." In partnership with the Mesa-based Neighborhood College and the Gilbert Citizen Action Network, the Southeast Valley offers a community mediation service, “Solve it!” The service provides a way for people to deal peacefully with noisy neighbors, barking dogs and other irritations. Barbara Sheldon, a Southeast Valley alumni board member, says she began taking classes through the college when "it became apparent I needed to become more informed about laws governing homeowners associations." "As treasurer of a self-managed association, I kept the books for 537 homes," she says. "I needed information about reporting requirements, the nonprofit act and how it affected our association, and other information offered by the college." Volunteer professionals teach the classes, which range from the legalities of associations to landscape design. In Sheldon’s words, they "do what education should do: help solve problems." ‘HELP FOR NEIGHBORHOODS’ Across town, Phoenix College joined forces with the city of Phoenix, the Community Forum and Neighborhood Partners in 1993 to begin addressing some of the same issues. The result was “Help for Neighborhoods,” a series of workshops that deal with such concerns as how to resolve issues with landlords and renters, how to draw youth into neighborhood improvement projects, and understanding the liquor license process. "Last year, we expanded into two new communities: Gateway and South Mountain community colleges, and we hope to expand to all sectors of the Valley in the future," says Brenda Palmer, coordinator. Similar to Mesa and Chandler-Gilbert, "Our purpose is to bring Valley communities together and build a network of empowered neighborhoods that have a strong commitment to creating neighborly spirit and to resolving community issues.” Click here.