Our Mission
Our mission is to generate, share, and apply the knowledge needed to strengthen ties between families and communities. We believe that help is most acceptable, efficient, and effective when it is built into everyday life. We are particularly interested in the everyday experiences of children, youth, and adults in neighborhood institutions, such as schools, workplaces, religious organizations, civic groups, and courts. We seek to provide the knowledge necessary to enable these institutions to ensure respect for individual dignity, enhance "natural" social assistance, build a sense of community, promote civic participation, and foster family and neighborhood responsibility. We also strive to understand ways that public policy supports or hinders families and neighborhoods in these tasks and to offer alternatives that foster the creation of neighborly and family-friendly communities.
