6-Point Community Initiative

Addressing the “whole social crisis” affecting our communities

Be The Change International is partnering with FreshMinistries to implement the 6-Point Community Initiative, which includes multiple programs and partnerships that interlock and build upon one another to create solutions to address the “whole social crisis” affecting our communities. 

• Learn more about the 6-Point initiatives

• Help us reach our goals

Our focus

The 6 Points our initiatives focus on are:

1. Education
2. Health
3. Housing
4. Security
5. Family Strengthening
6. Economic Development
   
   

In economic development, this means leveling the playing field so all people have a fair chance at making a living. We encourage family development by helping parents and their children learn strategies for healthy interactions. We work to bring affordable housing and homeownership to residents to help build safety and security in which our youth may grow and thrive. We support the education and enrichment of underpriviledged youth, and our overseas programs help countries cope with the burden of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Working with partners that share our goals of restoring hope and community, we bring people and organizations together to find commonly supported solutions.

Our partners range from small nonprofit agencies in the inner city to church dioceses and agencies of the federal government at home and abroad. With all potential partners, we look for shared values and seek out both innovative and tested approaches to helping people in need and those who have lost hope.

A Portable Model

Although currently implemented in Jacksonville, FL, USA, we believe the 6-Point Community Initiative model can be brought anywhere in the world.  Its 6 points are vital components everywhere, and improving them can help people in any community live healthy, happy and productive lives.

Self-Sufficiency as a Model

Being self-sufficient is a highly valued concept in modern society. And yet great disparity in education, housing, resources and family support persist. We work to change that disparity with every initiative we create and implement: the core-city business incubator brings positive minority role models and access to jobs into our inner-city neighborhood, the IDA matched savings program allowed low-income working parents to set a good example for their children as they practiced disciplined savings toward a goal while our housing initiative provides safe, affordable homes for core-city families. Our Jacksonville Hospitality Institute offers free adult job skills training for employment in the growning hospitality industry to unemployed and underemployed individuals seeking to improve their lives.
 

Working as Partners

FreshMinistries and BTCI works with local, state, national and international community partners as well as government agencies. Often,we are the lead agencies in managing a partnership project, such as the Individual Development Program or the HIV/AIDS programs in Africa.

At other times, we are partners with other lead agencies working toward compatible goals, such as the annual Jacksonville Prosperity Campaign. In these relationships, we offer technical support and advice, as well as assistance with planning, financial management and organizational development. For example, FreshMinistries helped the Clara White Center obtain a $600,000 federal grant to build a culinary training center for its homeless center in Jacksonville. Recognizing that other partners bring different skills, knowledge and relationships to the table, FreshMinistries has found that working together leads to breakthroughs that will be more effective than when groups “go it alone.”

Working as an Incubator

FreshMinistries and BTCI incubate new initiatives and build them into self-sustaining, independent partners. We offer like-minded organizations in the early stages of development technical, administrative, communications, accountability and financial help to grow.

We assist these programs in an incubating environment until they are stronger and have developed and trained their staffs and boards of directors, becoming less reliant on FreshMinistries and BTCI. Initiatives that no longer require our “hands-on” guidance are “launched” into self-sustaining programs and join our web of partners that work with us toward our common goals.

Interwoven solutions

Motivated by principles of equality and fairness, FreshMinistries and BTCI coordinate activities with groups representing varied backgrounds, with the fundamental belief that people can cross boundaries to work together and create a sustainable, humane and tolerant society. Programs are need-driven and are based on what communities and neighborhoods define as their priorities.

Working at a grassroots level, we see to it that a cross section of the communities we serve are represented and involved in the programs’ designs, have a sense of ownership, and that programs can be replicated in other communities.