UNI is dedicated to two major initiatives:
Communitty Development & Human Development

Community Development

We Believe:

. . . That human and community development must be intertwined. We support families who want to live in healthy, attractive communities where their children are safe, valued and successful. We lead young people in improving their neighborhood, rather than tearing it apart. We teach adults skills to boost their earning power so they can invest further in their homes.

. . . In creating neighborhoods where successful people want to live, allowing children at all economic levels to flourish in a stable, stimulating, healthy environment with many positive role models and strong neighborhood advocates.

. . . In working collaboratively. Our collaborative creates rapid change on many community issues at the same time. By building a critical mass of positive influences, we turn around the psychology and image of the community. UNI’s role in the collaborative is focused on parks, community centers and clean and safe alleys. We help create community organization structures that empower residents to maintain community standards and influence the development of their neighborhoods.

. . . In green development as the future of the central city. When central city neighborhoods become safe and pleasant places to live, people will move back to the city to lower their carbon footprint and enjoy life in a walking community where they can meet their neighbors at the bakery, the restaurant, the bank, the church, the park, and the community center.

Human Development

Consistent with our neighborhood focus, we strategize for maximum impact on the development of both children and adults. For example, in a community that has a 60% dropout rate for teens and where only 54% of all adults have a high school diploma, we offer programs that will move the entire population to a higher level of educational attainment.

Here is what this looks like at our All Saints Neighborhood Center location:

Preschool in collaboration with a Head Start agency so that children will start school with intensified “hard wiring” of the brain that takes place in the early years to maximize their capacity for life-long learning
After-school and summer programs that enrich, challenge, and support learning
Transitional support services to bring young adults into advanced training or education
Bilingual GED programs, English as a Second Language classes, and bilingual computer training to help adults pursue life goals while also equipping them to be more effective parents in shepherding their children through school

By focusing on neighborhood delivery, we get synergistic advantages:

Children are challenged by each other to attain at higher levels
Adults who are most in need have no barriers of transportation or social discomfort in “going back to school”
Adults feel supported by a community movement toward addressing educational needs