Community Empowerment (CE)

Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC) is a leader and innovator in the field of Community Empowerment (CE), our initiative to build grass roots organizations and leadership among the residents of our communities. Our unique methods are based upon partnering with residents and providing them with access to technological tools.

CPDC encourages residents to build relationships with each other and with the businesses and institutions in their surrounding neighborhood. We focus on projects such as civic action, voter registration, cross-generational volunteering, and input/direction for their placed-based community development programs.

With guidance from CPDC, residents assess the needs of the community in order to develop initiatives that accomplish three significant goals:

• To take an active role in the well-being of their community
• To help families to improve the quality of their lives
• And to improve family finance through financial literacy classes, online business classes, low cost access to high-speed Internet, and computer literacy.

How it works

CE seeks to determine the needs of a community and works to meet those needs through a partnership with the community members. CE initiatives include:

• Residents work with CE staff to develop curricula for classes. Residents then teach each other, creating an environment where neighbors learn from, and rely upon, one another for support.
• CE leadership training helps residents form incorporated resident associations, thus giving them a legal voice that allows them to formally represent themselves to management, owners, and local government. Further, it instills a focus on problem solving.
• CPDC's housing provides in-home access to the Internet. The right mix of partnerships provides hardware, software, and the training necessary to fully utilize this invaluable tool.
• High-speed Internet connections in every home facilitate techno-advocacy. Information, presented online, defines issues and key players, and targets those to whom opinions should be forwarded.
• CPDC's resident groups drive the use of technology in their communities including forming their own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It is rare that a resident group shows enough capacity and potential future operating growth to obtain this status; The Edgewood Technology Advisory Board has achieved this.
• CPDC's rapidly growing online community , currently 645 families, creates a virtual dialogue where a neighborhood watch exists, association resources are shared, and advancement is promoted through career networking.

Read More about our Community Empowerment Program...

For more information about CPDC’s Community Empowerment programs, how you can help or get involved, please contact CPDC.