Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative (GINI)

www.greatindyneighborhoods.org

Great Indy Neighborhoods, a three-year set of initiatives, was established to support Indianapolis neighborhoods. The goals are to encourage neighbors to work together across traditional boundaries to:

• Organize and get involved in their neighborhood;
• Decide collectively on the priorities for their neighborhood; and
• Act on those priorities to implement change in their neighborhood.

How does it work?
Through Great Indy Neighborhoods, neighbors collaborate on issues affecting the area in which they live and work, such as education, employment, safety and beautification. Great Indy Neighborhoods provides support through staffing, planning and seed funding – but the neighborhoods and the people in them make it happen.

How will this help my neighborhood?
We are supporting neighborhoods across the Near Westside to Identify and develop neighborhood leaders; connect neighbors to one another and other resources in and around our neighborhood;  and communicate the strength of the neighborhoods and the good work of the people that live, work, worship, and play in our neighborhoods.

The IUPUI Office of Neighborhood Partnerships has been involved in the process from start to finish. Many of our ongoing partnerships were able to be seamlessly integrated into the GINI visioning process. The 5-year Community Health Plan developed by the COPC Health Promotion Committee was used to document community goals around health.  The Westside Education Taskforce committee served as the education and social service committee for the effort. 

Now that the final plan is written and being implemented, the IUPUI Office of Neighborhood Partnerships is assisting that effort with new programming that includes placement of the Community Partner Scholars and the Faculty Community Scholars. 

Links to the complete GINI neighborhood reports can be found at the neighborhood websites: Near Westside www.nearwestindy.com and West Indianapolis www.westindianapolis.org