Overview
The East Gainesville Initiative (EGI) has been fighting poverty and assisting citizens throughout the community since 2002 through educational outreach, community empowerment, and access to technology.
Mission Statement
Mission Statement
Partnering for a positive change as we add value to the lives of our students and enrich our community.
Our Values
Values supported through Santa Fe College's core mission
We believe in:
- Sustainable solutions that look beyond immediate returns
- Supporting measurable, meaningful socioeconomic change
- Involving the entire community
- Encouraging and fostering a love of lifelong learning
- Empowerment and change
- Meaningful communication
- Interaction and pro-activity
- Management and Accountability
Our Goals
Goals of EGI
To foster and support educational outreach efforts and programs that will empower the residents of East Gainesville and the surrounding communities
To promote community building events and community ownership that will empower local residents to make a difference in their own communities
To provide outreach and training opportunities that will directly or indirectly address poverty in Alachua and Bradford Counties
To reduce the digital divide by addressing the socioeconomic gap between those who have access to computers and the internet and those who do not
To strengthen existing programs and community efforts in East Gainesville by partnering with local schools, agencies, businesses and social services that focus on educational empowerment
To advocate for and support early intervention and childhood programs for youth in Alachua and Bradford Counties
To facilitate full participation by community members and faith based partners to successfully address community issues, as community involvement is pivotal to this plan's process and overall success
To successfully begin implementation of EGI's five-year strategic plan designed and developed collectively the college and local community members
Strategic Plan
Santa Fe College's East Gainesville Initiative is the natural expression of the college's interest in and commitment to the success of East Gainesville's residents. Through the strategic planning process, we have identified the following areas of focus to guide our efforts:
- Educational Outreach
- Faith Based Connections
- Technology & Transportation
- Workforce Development
- Literacy
- Access, Success, and Retention
Strategic Planning Process
To maximize the effectiveness and focus of the East Gainesville Initiative, Santa Fe College has invested in a strategic planning process built around input from Santa Fe's internal stakeholders and from the community at large.
For the internal stakeholders phase, focus groups were held with the following constituencies:
- Career Service Employees
- Faculty, Technical and Professional
- President's Cabinet
- Students and Student Government
- Black Students Union
- EGI Co-Chairs and Sub-Committee Chairs
- East Gainesville Residents and other community members
From these focus groups, a set of values and priorities emerged, which begin to form the guiding principles the EGI will use in fulfilling its mission and vision.
Having given its internal stakeholders a chance to contribute, the EGI strategic planning process moved to the community at large and held a focus group with East Gainesville residents and others concerned with and committed to the success of families in the East Gainesville community.