• Build bridges of communication and understanding among people who live and work in the area
• Learn about each other's cultural, religious, racial, and ethnic uniqueness and foster a shared sense of richness in our diversity
• Facilitate public conversation and leadership on issues of common concern
  
• Identify differences or potential conflicts between the various groups, and
  
• Find ways to resolve disputes peacefully and with respect for all sides

Funded through a grant from the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, this project is led by the Korean American Coalition and the Multicultural Community Service, two community based organizations that serve the diverse residents of our local neighborhoods.

The program has four stages:

1. Fact Finding: Determine the nature and extent of interracial problems in the community through in-depth interviews with individuals representing the various stakeholder groups, such as residents, merchants, youth, civic and religious leaders, and the police.

2. Focus Groups: Gather small homogenous group of stakeholders to discuss and document perceptions, real stories, and specific examples of conflicts and problems, and try to determine the underlying causes of intergroup tensions that may exist in the community.

3. Intergroup Dialogue: Bring together representatives of different stakeholder groups and conduct facilitated discussions to gain better understanding about each other, and to develop an interracial team of leaders who commit to working together.

4. Implementation: Collaboration team will identify and agree upon one problem to address together, develop an action plan to resolve the issue, and implement the plan.

By the end of this pilot project, we hope to have brought together parties who may never have worked together before, and sustain the relationships by fostering understanding and trust. We also hope that this team of leaders will replicate its successes and continue to work together proactively to help prevent and/or resolve future conflicts in the neighborhood.

We invite all interested individuals and groups, including the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, business associations, high schools, faith-based organizations, and others, to join us and contribute to building one neighborhood. For more information on this project, please contact Songbae Lee at (202) 296-6401 or Rosemary Fennell at (202) 205- 9220. Thank you.

Updated June 11, 2002