| George Mason University of Fairfax, Virginia, in partnership with Northern Virginia Community College, will further the development of the Urban Alternative of the Columbia Heights West neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia. The Columbia Heights West neighborhood is one of the two poorest and most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Arlington. The Urban Alternative will also expand these ideas to other neighborhoods in Arlington and nearby northern Virginia. The central concept of the University's Urban Alternative is a learning community -- learning through leadership and governance, partnership activities, and networks.
Activities to be undertaken include: development of micro-enterprises; conduct of community-based English As A Second Language programs; award of small grants for teams of local residents for partnership and capacity building; and creation of a Neighborhood Leadership Institute to train and mentor potential leaders from the community.
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