Who We Are

We are community activists who have spent the last 30 years trying to improve conditions in low-income communities, especially communities of color. Over these years, we have started grassroots non-profit agencies, worked within government systems, and taken on positions from community worker to social worker to international educator to Executive Director. We have worked locally, regionally, nationally and abroad. We have tried many different strategies, and have experienced many successes and some failures. We've also witnessed many other people's successes and failures, and spent a great deal of time trying to learn from our own experience and the experience of others.

Over the years, we have come to the conclusion that the usual ways of doing things just don't work. Our experiences, and our observations of other people's experience, have led us to a particular philosophy about community change. It's probably not unique to us, but it is very different from the way most people in the field see things. We call it "team based community change," and it is the basis of all our work.

TEAMS' focus on cultivating community leadership includes assuring increased access to decision-making and resources, and the generation of financial capital. The goal is to move people out of poverty, not just to make them more comfortable living in reduced circumstances. As a vehicle to accomplish this capacity development, we have created a unique methodology--the Support Action Team model. This model is based on more than 30 years of experience in community-focused work in the U.S. and Central America, combining best practices in mutual support, community building, and peer learning.

We start with recruiting and training ordinary talented low-income residents who want to make a difference for themselves, their families, and their communities. Rather than setting a specific policy or program agenda, the goal is first to develop and support residents' personal capacity for self-determination as individuals and as a group. From this supportive base, residents develop their skills and take action to improve their lives, their families, and their neighborhoods.