The EDGE Nebraska City Advisory Board, made up of community members, is committed to the mission of giving kids and families in Nebraska City an EDGE. Recently the board identified “5 in 3” … 5 areas that EDGE Nebraska City will unapologetically focus on for the next 3 years. These five areas will guide us as we support our mission of “Working to reduce poverty rates in our community by 2036”. By selecting 5 areas it provides us with a filter to take all new ideas for programming through and keeps us focused as we continue to grow and expand. The 5 Areas for 3 Years include:
Outreach
- Provide poverty education for the entire community.
- Expand and engage the audience for all programs.
Literacy
- Focus efforts on building a foundation of strong literacy skills for all students in Pre K-5 in Nebraska CIty that have a high Free/Reduced lunch rate.
Program Progression
- Follow Class of 2030 through school and continually offer programming at each grade.
- Focus on EDGE Strategic Plan Goals of: Civic Engagement, Goal Setting, Communication Skills and Future Story when adding programming.
Relationship Building
- Look for opportunities to build relationships with both children and their parents through EDGE Events.
- Remain mindful of the “2 generational approach” when working to help break the cycle.
- Provide framework for other groups and individuals to build relationships with families through mentoring, group events or informal settings.
Sustainability
- Build organizational and financial infrastructure to sustain current and future programs.
So how will we accomplish all this? As a community of course! The work of building community involves every segment of Nebraska City. We look forward to working with our entire community while focusing on these areas. We will continually look for ways to reach the larger community build relationship and make our programs stronger. Sometimes this means partnering with existing organizations to help further their work instead of developing a new program. We are always open to suggestions on how EDGE can work in Nebraska City so reach out to us if you have a passion for our work.