Community-Led Solutions

investing in people

Local initiatives, local results

WCS coordinates efforts and resources that enhance community and economic opportunities that address neighborhood stakeholder-identified root causes hindering children from arriving to school every day, engaged, and ready to learn.

Our approach to community and economic development encourages strategically using local resources that enhance economic opportunities, while improving social conditions in a sustainable way. This stabilizing strategy has a long-term effect on addressing the root causes impacting students’ ABC’s (attendance, behavior and course performance).

Community-Led Solutions Driving Long-Term Investment

Residents on the Move

In Summer 2021, Whole Child Strategies launched a partnership with Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) to help create more access to healthy food for Klondike and Smokey City residents. Thanks to gifts from anonymous donors and local foundations, Whole Child Strategies and MATA began offering KSC residents free bus rides two days a week — Tuesdays and Saturdays — to the Downtown Farmer’s Market, Cash Saver, and Catholic Charities. Since its launch, Residents on the Move has helped thousands of people access healthier food options, according to MATA estimates.

While the community is responsible for the immediate success of this program, the story behind this important long-term investment is even more exciting. Whole Child Strategies Outreach Manager Reginald Johnson explained how years of working with Klondike and Smokey City residents in Neighborhood Council meetings sowed seeds for this major win in neighborhood-led change.

Community-Led Solutions that build strategic relationships

Smokey City Community Town Hall

Who sets the vision – and ultimately the practical agenda – for change in our neighborhoods? And shouldn’t that vision be shaped by the authentic, lived experiences of the people who live, work, or go to school there?

Those are the kinds of questions that we have been excited to hear from our team of Klondike and Smokey City resident-champions and the neighbors and stakeholders who have worked diligently as part of the area’s Neighborhood Council. We consider them evidence of a kind of evolution – a new way of imagining what’s possible for the Klondike and Smokey City neighborhoods, but also of reclaiming the power and potential of the people in those neighborhoods to build strategic relationships and drive transformation.

Voices Heard.

The power of resident-led action was at the heart of a special invitation extended by our neighborhood champions in early 2021. With support from the Whole Child Strategies Outreach Team, the resident-champions invited District 7 Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas for a tour of Smokey City in order to deliver their message about the community’s most pressing needs

But seeing the problem is just the first step. Councilwoman Easter-Thomas and the resident-champions made plans to host a fall convening where community members and other stakeholders would have the chance to offer perspectives on potential solutions and help identify areas for immediate intervention.

In early September 2021, the Smokey City Community Town Hall offered community members an opportunity to give input on the vision for the neighborhood. Breakout sessions led by each of the volunteer resident champions allowed for in-depth discussion on solutions for retaining safe and affordable housing, and increasing mental health and education supports for community members.

Voices Activated.

The next, crucial step is to see that the power of resident experiences and perspectives reaches those with the power to make lasting change in Memphis. In 2021, Whole Child Strategies stood with a growing group of nonprofit and community leaders to call for a resident-focus approach to city budgeting.

As part of the Coalition for a Moral Budget, our champions and community leaders are advocating for city investments that prioritize vital services and supports for the people of Memphis. Building on our work in 2021, KSC champions are calling for a city budget that focuses on education, public transportation, supporting people, supporting communities, supporting workers, and building culture and engagement.

Community-Led Solutions to boost employment

Memphis Medical District Collaborative

For the residents of Klondike and Smokey City, improving their overall quality of life meant defining action steps to address economic insecurity and build pathways to employment. Whole Child Strategies supported their efforts by entering into a partnership with the Memphis Medical District Collaborative in 2022 to help bring information about training and hiring opportunities to area residents. Participants in the free MMDC training are guaranteed an interview with either Methodist, Le Bonheur, or St. Jude, and would have the opportunity to make no less than $15 per hour working full-time positions. For more information, visit www.mdcollaborative.org.

Community-Led Solutions for Neighborhood Safety

Smokey City Neighborhood Watch

The prevalence of disruptive and dangerous criminal activity, especially violent crime, is one of the most important problems that residents face every day. Residents of Smokey City have identified crime as a critical barrier to overall neighborhood cohesion and are exploring strategies to improve community safety with the help of Whole Child Strategies and our partners. The Smokey City Neighborhood Watch is a community-led initiative aimed at addressing the impact of crime on residents as well as the root causes that lead to criminal behaviors.

Community-Led Solutions by Young Leaders

Neighborhood Council Peace Rally

Planned and implemented by young people in Klondike and Smokey City, the 2018 Neighborhood Council Peace Rally brought hundreds of community members together to encourage community cohesion and connection. The idea for the rally came in response to gang shootings and the violence experienced in the community.

Community-Led Solutions to Advance Health and Wellness

Community Grief Counseling

Loss can happen to anyone — whether it’s loss of a loved one, a friend, a job, or even the loss of one’s own health. During the pandemic, Whole Child Strategies partnered with Church Health and other local organizations to organize a series of widely popular grief counseling sessions to help people deal with the enormous feelings of loss and anxiety brought on by the times. But the need for mental health supports persists as many of the barriers that Klondike and Smokey City residents seek to address — from crime and community violence to economic insecurity or blight — can also have a serious impact on one’s mental and emotional health. As a result, they have identified mental health support as an important resource for neighborhood health and have led the call to continue making grief counseling options available in the community.