A Making Connections Match
Peer matches are a resource- and time-intensive strategy that allows teams from different jurisdictions to get together and work together to resolve a pre-identified issue.
In 2006, the Annie E. Casey Foundation facilitated a peer match between two Making Connections sites: Oakland, Calif., and White Center in Seattle. The goal? Teach residents and community partners in Oakland about White Center’s Trusted Advocates program, which utilizes respected local leaders to engage minority groups in community change. This report recaps how the peer match evolved, why the Trusted Advocates model works and exactly what information the two sites exchanged.
Making Connections is an ambitious 10-site, long-term initiative devoted to advancing the premise that supportive communities can help empower families and enhance outcomes for children.
The Making Connections site in Oakland, Calif., was struggling to engage residents across multiple ethnic and cultural communities. Few residents could describe the initiative’s bigger picture or how it related to their lives. To address this challenge, the jurisdiction requested a peer match with White Center — a Making Connections site in Washington — to learn more about their innovative Trusted Advocates program.