We prepare young residents to collectively shape a different future for the places they call home.


Why We Work Here turns high school classrooms into collaborative studios where students launch projects with community partners that promote greater democracy, sustainability, and economic opportunity.

Over the course of the program, students identify the unique assets of their community and establish the relationships needed to develop and execute transformative ideas.

 
 

Through Why We Work Here, students develop: 


Why We Work Here projects are designed to address the causes - not symptoms - of issues and improve the local social and economic landscape.

As importantly, the Why We Work Here process renews a community-wide culture of learning and innovation, and nurtures relationships among individuals and institutions to effect change – key characteristics of a community that is ready to determine its own future.

 
 

We work with local partners to make the practice of creating equitable and resilient places a sustainable, community-driven endeavor.

We do this by providing: