The Center for Community Building and Civic Engagement(CCBCE), housed in the Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Communities, was originally established in September 1999 from a grant funded by the Research Excellence Fund at Eastern Michigan University.
The centerpiece of the Center was a Research Action Seminar (RAS), which was established as its research arm. the RAS provided the organizational structure, the process, and the time for faculty to develop interdisciplinary teams and research agendas.
Since then the Center has grown to include several projects through grant funding which, to reflect its numerous activities, resulted in the renaming of the Center as the “Center for Community Building and Civic Engagement. ” Some of the past and current projects at the Center include the establishment of the Community Outreach Partnership Center funded by HUD: the Community Practice in Mexico Program funded by Michigan Campus Compact: the Community Leadership Fellows program and the strenghtening Organizations/Building communities both funded by the Department of Justice: and the "TeenBiz" Teens in Business through the Arts, funded by Washtenaw County Workforce Development Board and Department of Justice, Pfizer, Borders, Reinhart Realtors and Surovell Realtors.
The Center seeks to build capacity in the community as well as to enhance the research capacity of faculty to conduct externally funded research in the areas of community building and civic engagement.
Adhering to the mission of the Center, these projects involve the development of partnerships to build capacity between EMU and the culturally diverse populations in southeast Michigan including the Latino community of southwest Detroit, the African American Community in Detroit and Ypsilanti and the Arab American community in Dearborn and Detroit environs.
Mission
The mission of the Center for Community Building and Civic Engagement is to develop a series of partnerships between Eastern Michigan University and local governmental agencies, nonprofit community service organizations, faith-based multi-purpose organizations, and other groups involved in community development, community problem solving, and community services. Click here for a list of Community Partners.
Goal
The goal of the Center for Community Building and Civic Engagement is to build strategic alliances and operational linkages between EMU and the greater community. Through applied research, technical assistance and related partnerships, it aims to promote the capacity of the community to sustain itself, develop its range of assets, and strengthen its human and social capital. The central premise is that the university, the community, and other facets of the public and private sector working together will produce a mutually beneficial, robust and healthy environment for all concerned.
