Protect Our Block

Protecting communities. Investing in people. Building collective power.

Protect Our Block is a community-centered initiative dedicated to protecting marginalized neighborhoods from systemic harm while investing in the people who live, organize, and lead within them. Grounded in lived experience and collective action, Protect Our Block works at the intersection of education, advocacy, leadership development, and policy engagement to address the social conditions shaping safety, opportunity, and justice in our communities.

Our Mission

Protect Our Block exists to defend, strengthen, and empower communities that have been historically overlooked, over-policed, or under-resourced. We work to equip young leaders and community members with the tools to critically engage with social issues, develop solutions rooted in community knowledge, and advocate for change that is both sustainable and just.

Our mission is rooted in the belief that those most impacted by social inequities must be central to the work of solving them.

Our Vision

We envision communities where safety is not defined by surveillance or punishment, but by access, opportunity, dignity, and collective care. Protect Our Block seeks a future in which marginalized neighborhoods have the power, resources, and leadership necessary to shape policies and narratives that affect their lives.

Our History

Protect Our Block was founded in response to the growing disconnect between policy decisions and the realities faced by marginalized communities on the ground. Emerging from grassroots organizing and youth leadership spaces, the initiative was created to challenge extractive models of reform and instead prioritize community-led solutions.

From its inception, Protect Our Block has emphasized education, leadership development, and coalition-building as essential tools for long-term change—recognizing that protecting a block means protecting its people, its culture, and its future.

What We Do

Protect Our Block operates through programs and initiatives designed to build community power and develop emerging leaders.

Community-Centered Leadership Development

Participants engage in structured learning experiences that connect interdisciplinary theory with real-world social challenges affecting their communities. Programs emphasize critical thinking, ethical leadership, and collaborative problem-solving.

Issue-Based Case Work

Participants work in small teams to analyze prompts connected to current events and broader social issues such as public safety, housing, education, technology, and justice. Prompts vary across cohorts and may range from technological and policy-focused questions to philosophical and ethical challenges, but all are grounded in contemporary community concerns.

Advocacy & Policy Engagement

Protect Our Block supports participants in translating ideas into action by developing recommendations, strategies, and narratives that can inform advocacy efforts, public dialogue, and policy conversations.

Our Learning Model

Protect Our Block believes that sustainable solutions emerge from diverse perspectives working collectively. Teams are intentionally formed to reflect diversity in:

• Geographic background
  
  

• Lived experience
  
  

• Academic and professional interests
  
  

• Community involvement and organizing experience
  
  

Participants are supported by advisors who provide guidance and feedback while preserving participant autonomy, reinforcing leadership, accountability, and collaborative ownership.

Culminating Presentations & Recognition

Programs often conclude with a public-facing presentation or showcase where participants share their analyses and recommendations with community leaders, organizers, and professionals. These moments serve not as competitions, but as opportunities for visibility, accountability, and dialogue across sectors.

Our Values

• Community-Led Change – Solutions must come from those closest to the issue
  
  

• Equity & Justice – Addressing root causes, not just symptoms
  
  

• Collective Power – Leadership is shared, not hierarchical
  
  

• Critical Inquiry – Asking hard questions and challenging assumptions
  
  

• Integrity & Care – Leading with responsibility, respect, and purpose
  
  

Who We Serve

Protect Our Block is designed for young people and community members who:

• Come from or work closely with marginalized communities
  
  

• Are interested in social justice, policy, advocacy, or organizing
  
  

• Value collaboration and community-centered leadership
  
  

• Seek to transform lived experience into meaningful impact
  
  

Our Commitment

Protect Our Block is committed to creating inclusive, accountable spaces where community knowledge is respected, leadership is cultivated, and action is rooted in care. We believe protecting a block means more than preserving physical space—it means investing in people, relationships, and futures.