2001 - 2005

2001: U of U President J. Bernard Machen launches the West Side Initiative

Neighborhood assets compiled

By Community Ambassadors

Our diversity enhances our cultural understanding!

• Historical richness
• Lovely older housing stock
• Neighborhood House, one of oldest charities in Salt Lake
• Multiple-generation residents
• Active community participation
• Political awareness, community councils, neighborhood watch
• Neighborhood clinics, recreation centers, senior centers
• Boys and Girls Clubs
• Northwest Recreation and Sorenson Unity Centers
• IHC, Northwest, school-based clinics
• Adults empowering youth – it' our future
• Neighborhood Housing Services
• Libraries
• Socio-economic equality
• Giving and cooperating, not competing
• Neighborhood parks and open space
• Jordan River Parkway trail and open space corridor
• Peace Gardens
• Skate-boarding park
• Riverside Park and others

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2001 Accomplishments

• Irene Fisher conducts over 200 interviews with residents, community organizations, schools, and businesses to learn how the University can best connect with Salt Lake' west side.
• The UNP Advisory Board is formed with Maria Garciaz and Scott Matheson as co-chairs.
• The Community Ambassador program is launched with Karina Baca, Gerald Curtis, Charlotte Fife-Jepperson, Jackie Hayes, Luseane Hoko, Carolynn Hoskins, Leon Johnson, Dani Phifer, and Clif Uckerman.
• University Neighborhood Partners receives its name.
• Salt Lake City donates office space at 1060 South 900 West for the UNP House.
• Youth, Education and Success Working Group (YES) begins work to guide development of youth partnerships.

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2003: First Partners in the Park Kicks Off

"University Neighborhood Partners has been the foundation of not only my community service but it has also been a bridge for me to access higher Eduaction. As a UNP Youth Community Advocate, participating in events like Partners in the Park, has provided me with the opportunity to bring awarness about resources available to underserved communities. It has allowed me to build a network of support with fellow volunteers and local organizations. And, it has guided me on my journey to higher education. My favorite thing about Partners in the Park is that it brings families toghether to particiate and to improve our community and its members."

~ Elizabeth Barajas, Youth Community Advocate

Salt Lake City' west side is home to an abundance of beautiful neighborhood parks. Community Ambassadors
and other local partners had shared these gems with UNP staff in the early months of UNP. When the UNP House opened in Jordan Park, we turned our efforts to Salt Lake' west side parks as the perfect venue to reach out to the broader community. In 2003 we launched the first Partners in the Park series, and that summer there was an event almost every Tuesday night!

In the first year a local organization and a University department would team up to co-sponsor each event. That

year more than 20 groups partnered to host Partners in the Park. A few community councils also joined in to combine with National Night Out, so three events were held that inaugural night!

Attendance in the first year ranged between 50 and 100 people each evening. In contrast, in 2017 the smallest event saw over 300 people, while the largest hosted nearly 600. Much has changed over the years but the overarching goals remain the same: connecting with residents, involving different university departments and west side organizations; providing fun social and family experiences, celebrating partnerships, valuing diversity, and sharing resources and knowledge.

Over time Partners in the Park has become significant for UNP. Five events are held each summer at various parks across Salt Lake' west side. UNP functions as the facilitator and works with partnering support from the University' Alumni Association, Career Services, Health Sciences, and other departments. Rocky Mountain Power, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, and Smith' also provide annual funding support for the events. Finally, the UNP Community Advocate Network continues to be essential to Partners in the Park as facilitating volunteers working to ensure that things run smoothly. We look forward to the further evolution of Partners in the Park over the next 15 years.

"Partners in the Park nos a cambiando la manera de pensar de mi familia quieren seguir ayudando a su comunidad en lo que se pueda. Partners in the Park siempre tiene informacion que uno busca o necesita desde los niños asta los padres, ellos tiene la informacion."

~ Cecilia Hernandez, Community Advocate

"Tengo 9 anos sirviendo a mi comunidad Uno de los Eventos muy Importante para mi es Partners in the Park en donde tengo la oportunidad de tocar puerta en puerta invitando y motivando a las familias a que asistan a este evento donde se les da la oportunidad de aprender, conocer y convivir con otras familias e hijos para lograr una buena comunicacion y al mismo tiempo aprenden como ayudar a sus hijos y como lograr que asistan a la Universidad para que tengan un mejor futuro.

"Con este evento podemos lograr que todos nuestros hijos se graduen de highschool y vallan a la universidad, porque invitamos a las diferentes organizaciones para hablarles de Nutricion, Salud, Educacion a toda la comunidad."

~ Maria Barajas, Community Advocate

2003 Accomplishments

• Renovations to the UNP House are completed. UNP opens and begins work with community.
• Leap to the U is launched.
• Youth Book Exchange is launched at the UNP House.
• Dr. Doris Watson recieves the first UNP Community Scholar in Residence award.
• Housing and Urban Development COPC three year grant of $400,000 awarded to UNP.

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2004: UNP Hartland Partnership Center Opens at the Hartland Apartments

The UNP Hartland Partnership Center opened in September 2004 in a three-bedroom apartment at the Hartland Apartments (now named The Seasons at Pebble Creek) and served as an educational and community center. The original Hartland apartment complex (located near 1700 South and Redwood Road) was once home to nearly 800 adults and children from all over the world, 75% of whom were non-native English speaking individuals from immigrant or refugee backgrounds.

After a successful partnership of five years, the Hartland Apartments were purchased by new management company and UNP, as well as hundreds of families, were forced to move. UNP had the opportunity to acquire a building that is next door to the apartments and began a capital campaign to raise the funds to purchase and renovate the building.

Moving day from the apartments to the newly purchased building was exciting and full of potential and increased capacity. Partners could now work out of one 10,000 square foot building that could be accessed by the wider Glendale community. Some of the immediate partner additions were University of Utah BirthCare HealthCare, Hartland Community 4 Youth and Families, Kare
Weavers and Dancers, Somali Bajuni Community, and Somali Community Self-Management Agency.

The Hartland Partnership Center has continued to allow UNP to be responsive to community-identified priorities and made room for new partnerships to emerge that reflect a growing scope of work and relationships. Additional resources that have become part of Hartland over the past 13 years include the Walk-In Center, Bridge Clinic West, Startup Incubator, Our CASA College Lounge, Youth Voices, and a brand new Head Start classroom.

As UNP continues to build new connections and develop new and deeper relationships with stakeholders that guide the focus of partnerships, the UNP Hartland Partnership Center continues to remain a place where magic happens and residents, community organizations and higher education meet to collaborate, create, and cultivate lasting relationships and change.

"My family moved into the seasons apartments in 2009, and were still fairly new to the American culture. My mother was always worried about being outside by ourselves. She didn’t want my siblings and I getting into any trouble. After a few months living in the Seasons apartments she found out about Hartland Youth Center. She wanted a place for us to stay safe and get help with our homework. I could see that she was really happy, because she didn’t have to worry about us getting into trouble and being able to learn and do our school work. I loved going to the Youth Center to make friends and learning something new. It' a place that kept me out of trouble and I’m grateful."

~ Japhet Sengiyumva

"My personal experience with the UNP has been amazing. My family is one beneficiary, our son is enrolled at the UNP Head Start full time which gave us peace of mind and not to worry about picking him up in three hours as most preschools do. We are very grateful for that. As we all also know that South Sudanese community was the first one to start using the UNP center on the weekends and its not just being the first one to use it but it has been the life line of most activities and services we have been giving to our community members since 2012. Without UNP we wouldn’t be able to make the differences that we have made up to this point. Millions thanks to UNP staffs and the University of Utah for extending their services to our communities."

~Anet Akot

2004 Accomplishments

• The Glendale Community Partnership begins research on the Glendale neighborhood.
• UNP Advisory Board cochairs transition to Maria Garciaz and Peter Voss.
• The Glendale Community Partnership publishes research reporting on "Understanding Community Participation in the Glendale Neighborhood."
• The United for Kids space opens at Northwest Recreation Center.
• First Westside Leadership Institute is taught.
• Dr. Luke Garrott receives the 2004-2005 UNP Community Scholar in Residence award.

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2005: The Hartland Resident Committee is Founded

"The Resident Committee taught me to see the community from a strength perspective instead of a deficit. Every time we met we talked about how to best support the community and that made me want to be more involved. We shared ideas, food, and each other' unique cultures. And, my favorite part, everyone around the table received the utmost respect and were encouraged to get involved."

~ Abdirizak Ibrahim, Founder, Somali Self-Managment Agency

Hartland Resident Committee members are community leaders, organizers, educators, parents, and youth who are all united for a common purpose: to improve the community in which they live through education, leadership, and capacity building. These members come from all over the world, representing the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. In 2004, when UNP opened the Hartland Partnership Center in the Hartland Apartments, it was evident that in order for the center to succeed, community leaders had to be engaged and invested. The center coordinator at the time, Kimberly Schmit, and AmeriCorps VISTA Sharif Kaharaba went door to door to build relationships with the leaders and asked for their involvement and support. Since that day, over 40 different community leaders have been engaged.

The Resident Committee plays a key role in developing and supporting culturally responsive programs at UNP' Hartland Partnership Center. In order to engage the community in a space that encourages cultural exchange, the committee spearheaded an annual community festival each spring where people share their cultural heritage through food, clothing, performances, and music, and celebrate each other' achievements. A Resident Committee member even created an anthem song for the celebration titled Hartland. In 2017, the committee celebrated its 9th annual community festival.

Through this community engagement process, UNP has learned that in order to develop successful and sustainable partnerships for the community, building a sincere and trusting relationship with community leaders is necessary and vital. It is also important to co-create partnerships with the community so that ownership is shared.

"Getting strategic information could likely become the beginning of the solution even if resources are becoming scarce. The information collected at Hartland Resident Committee meetings has had a positive contribution in my community, including in my own life. Recently I had challenges with housing applications and with a job search. At the Walk-In Center, all my challenges were effectively addressed. The opportunity of being a Resident Committee member is valuable for different supports."

~ Gabin Kunda, Hartland Resident Committee

"The Resident Committee has helped me tremendously and has impacted my life and my community. The experience I got from the committee allowed me to support my community better. I was able to start my own nonprofit organization and I wholeheartedly believe I got the courage to do that from the committee. Resident Committee brought together leaders from around the world and we were able to unite for a common purpose."

~ Gilberto Rejon Magaña, Founder, Hartland Community 4 Youth & Families

Joel Glenn Wilson, Hartland Resident committee Member, In Memoriam 1958 to 2017

Glenn is remembered as a man full of life, kindness, knowledge, and with an incredible ability to find lightness and humor. As we continue every day in building and deepening relationships through partnerships, we do so in honor of Glenn; forever grateful for his example to slow down – take the time to listen, time to gather our thoughts, time to cherish relationships, and the time to be present.

2005 Accomplishments

• The Westside Studio is created and begins work.
• West View Media begins distributing its community newspaper to west side neighborhoods.
• UNP hosts its first Community Day at the University of Utah.
• UNP Hartland Partnership Center receives the Synergy in Action Network' award for Outstanding Service to the Community.
• UNP is featured as one of three success stories at the University of Utah President' Dinner.
• Adelante is founded at Jackson Elementary School.
• UNP receives the Outstanding Community Service award from Salt Lake Neighborhood Housing Services.
• Dr. Maged Senbel receives the 2005-2006 UNP Community Scholar in Residence award.