Beloved Community Block Clubs

A Beloved Community Block Club (BCBC) is a group of neighbors, living within a three-block radius or more, who recognize and understand the power they have to transform their own community by being, and building, the Beloved Community. This group of neighbors are committed to knowing one another in order to address common concerns, promote communication, improve safety on their block, socialize, and build community infrastructure and opportunities. The BCBC can then support other members of their neighborhood to accomplish three core actions: Communicate, Protect, & Improve.

The rebirth of Citizenship Schools (CS) will entail local, state, and national civic engagement, nonviolence conflict reconciliation training, restorative justice, conflict resolution, mindfulness, racial equity, value & vision, guidance (including 7 Habits of Highly Effective People), and how to become advocates on personal, community, and institutional levels. Initially, CE Members and BCBC Captains will go through training and then invite directly affected people who have received assistance and desire to become advocates to attend.

The Circle of Elders (CE) is a form of parallel, self-governance within neighborhoods that will serve as a bridge between BCBC and resources across the city to meet immediate needs and support individuals as they are trained to become advocates. As wise resource connectors, CEs would help facilitate a time bartering system, connect assets and needs within the neighborhood, and manage a job bank (matching needs with assets, facilitating Children's Rites of Passage, etc.). CE will also assist with addressing conflicts between individuals (from child support to domestic violence) as well as between BCBC lessening the need for police and court intervention and freeing law enforcement to focus on more severe threats. The CE will work with the court system and law enforcement, attend court for both juvenile and adult criminal cases when needed, as well as work with organizations such as mental health and educational institutions to address the problems that lead to the conflict. A city-wide CE will be made up of representatives from neighborhood CE's, government officials, and spiritual leaders and will help determine where funding is prioritized in the community.