In early March, Nexus made the difficult decision to sunset the Community Engagement Institute (NCEI). Although NCEI as a program and a platform will no longer exist, community engagement will always be woven throughout all our work. We will continue to evolve this work as we move into the future. Authorship is a central strategy at Nexus, and we remain committed to a world where all community members are engaged in and have authorship of their lives and their futures.
Over the years, in partnership with community, NCEI has co-created numerous valuable tools and documented countless learnings. We are committed to keeping these tools and learnings accessible to those who need them. We will determine how best to keep these tools and learning accessible through input from key stakeholders and through our 2024 strategic planning process.
The Neighborhood Leadership Program (NLP), part of NCEI, will sunset at the end of May. NLP was founded in 1995 at Amherst H. Wilder and most recently settled at Nexus Community Partners in 2020. The current NLP 2023-2024 cohort will complete their program and graduate in April 2024. Nexus is exercising great care as we work with NLP staff to transition the program to a suitable home in the near future.
To the members of our advisory committee, Tapping the Potential participants, Engaged Learning Series attendees, NLP fellows and alumni, and everyone in between–you helped build this body of work and knowledge base. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this work over the years.
We invite you to learn more about the 10+ amazing years of Building the Field of Community Engagement and NCEI through the timeline below, which highlights the growth, learnings and impact this work has had over the years.
If you have any questions about the history, impact or learnings from Building the Field of Community Enagement or Nexus Community Engagement Institute, please reach out to Theresa Gardella at tgardella@nexuscp.org. If you’d like to share a story or experience of BTF, NCEI, or any of our tools, click here and let us know!