Below we highlight our 1) Program Impact as well as how we are leveraging our program to drive broader 2) Systems Change.

1) Program Impact

We evaluate our program impact by focusing on members’ civic wellbeing, i.e., their capacity to 1) critically evaluate, 2) navigate, and 3) change systems. This involves measuring member growth quantitatively through pre- and post-program surveys and qualitatively through stories of member impact. One of the beautiful things about community-led change is our impact is as diverse as our members. We have tried our best to share some anecdotes below, but also highly encourage you to listen directly to Lashaunda’s member keynote speech from our 2021 Fall Housing program here.

Critically evaluate:

In our housing-focused program, our surveys show a statistically significant improvement in members’ understanding of housing issues. 97% of members built key skills, including empathy, systems thinking, and power mapping. Members consistently share that our programs have helped them recognize how their lived experiences are being shaped by policies and power structures that they weren’t aware of, in turn increasing their sense of self-efficacy.

Example: Building trust, recognizing structures - In Lashaunda’s keynote, she explains how engaging with local community partners helped humanize the system, highlighted the structural constraints that need to change, and showed her how those working in institutions can be allies in promoting equity.

Navigate:

97% of members report they’ve built relationships with their cohort peers, and 90% of members report building working relationships with local community partners. These ties are reflected in the stories GenUnity staff hear back, as members consistently share leveraging the learnings and relationships from our programs to better navigate securing critical resources for themselves and their families.

Example: Navigating the system - Ashley and Ruby were both single mothers experiencing housing insecurity when they joined GenUnity. Working with GenUnity partner organizations, they identified and secured resources for their families and shared their learnings on tenants’ rights and resources with neighbors - helping them to avoid displacement during the pandemic.

Change:

Our housing-focused program surveys show a statistically significant improvement in members' preparedness to address housing issues, with 97% of members reporting that they have gotten more involved in the community since joining our programs. To date, members have driven change by introducing new legislation, by piloting new projects in collaboration with local governments and nonprofits, and by changing practices in their workplaces.

Examples:

• Driving community-informed policies: Through our 2020 Housing program pilot, Gloribel learned about housing discrimination research being conducted at Suffolk Law School. She helped connect those researchers with her representative, Adrian Madaro, and drafted and introduced new legislation to combat bias against voucher holders and black renters.
• Aligning doing well with doing good: Eric, a member in our 2021 Fall Housing program, is also a VP at a regional bank. Through the program, he identified and is advocating for tactical ways his bank can promote equity in housing, including: offering mortgage applications in Spanish and introducing homebuyer programs tailored to support black and brown families.
• Integrating new ideas and talent into public service: Brit is volunteering with the City of Boston’s Office of Housing Stability to increase transparency to tenant support resources. Anna, formerly an urban planner, is now working at the Boston Planning and Development Agency to support their community engagement efforts.
• Advocating for community interests: Miles is a musician and resident of Brighton. Drawing on his learnings from our Housing program, he organized peers to advocate for the preservation of a community arts space that was going to be replaced by a new development. His advocacy persuaded the developer to commit to relocating the new arts space in a nearby location.

2) Systems Change Impact

Entering our third year, we are starting to harness the impact of our programs to advance our systems change strategy. We have begun sharing the stories of our members on social media and reaching a wider audience with our thought leadership through opinion pieces in the Boston Globe and Fulcrum, panels (BostInno), and interviews (CityBiz).

See links to media, thought leadership, and news coverage on Our Story.