Theory of Change
Building Community on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis
The John Boner Neighborhood Centers Theory of Change is predicated upon the belief that improved outcomes for children, families, and communities requires both a “whole-family” and a “whole-systems” approach.
Together these methodologies address poverty at the individual, family, and community level through individual, community, collective, and systemic interventions. The “whole-family” approach is based upon a two-generational model where services are integrated for children and parents across the educational and developmental domains of early-childhood, school-age, and high school and postsecondary, through adulthood and tied to the social sphere in a family-focused domain. Children thrive and prosper when they have strong, healthy, and economically stable families.
Families flourish when they have access to exceptional educational opportunities for all members, strong economic supports, and deep networks of social capital that build resiliency. Our “whole-systems” approach is based upon the principles of asset-based, resident-led, comprehensive community development. Communities become agents of transformation and places of vibrancy when residents define their vision, build their capacity, and address changes holistically within their community and the systems in which they interact.
