top of page

Training and Networking
At a Glance

Neighbor 2 Neighbor equips residents and neighborhood organizations

with the tools they need to make their neighborhoods better.

3. Neighborhood Delivery Service

Neighbor 2 Neighbor will customize and deliver training events right to your neighborhood.

We offer a wide range of training opportunities that are available directly to your neighborhood group — We come to you!

4. Online Learning Opportunities
IMG_0433.JPG

Quarterly Neighborhood Leadership Forums

"The Forums are a great way to meet other neighborhood leaders and discuss important issues relevant to our neighborhoods"

~ Anonymous

Mayor John Cooper’s Office of Neighborhoods and Community Engagement and nonprofit Neighbor 2 Neighbor have partnered to  offer Quarterly Leadership Gatherings for local neighborhood leaders and other key stakeholders across Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County.

The purpose of the in-person gatherings is to provide an opportunity for neighborhood leaders to get to know each other, discuss issues relevant to local neighborhoods, and provide feedback and recommendations to the Mayor’s Office. Each 90-minute gathering will be held on Saturday mornings at different meeting locations throughout the county.

Conference for Neighborhoods

"I can't decide which was more valuable -- the people and contacts that I met or the information I learned in the breakout sessions"

~ Ellen Britton, Caldwell Abbay Hall

C4N Nashville is a one-day training and networking event for anybody who wants to make a positive difference right where they live.

Held annually in the Spring, this event brings together residents, residents, government officials, and other neighborhood stakeholds to focus on our neighborhoods and how we can make them better for everyone.

PAST THEMES

2018     What Kind of Neighborhood are YOU Building?

2019     Great Neighborhoods Don’t Happen by Accident
2021     Ignite Your Neighborhood Passion
2022     Mission: Possible

2021-0924-N2N-GNDF-Logo-C.gif

Good Neighbor Day Festival

Now in its ninth year, the Good Neighbor Day Festival celebrates the importance of being a good neighbor and making a positive difference right where you live. The festival brings together neighbors from throughout the metropolitan area for a day filled with music, food, and fun.

Every year, the festival moves to a different location within Davidson County. This year, the Donelson / Hermitage / Old Hickory area will host festival.

FESTIVAL COMPONENTS

  • Good Neighbor Parade

  • The Front Porch features local musicians

  • Chili Cook-Off features local amateurs representing neighborhoods

  • The Neighbor Games featuring local neighborhood groups

  • Marketplace showcasing local artisans, businesses, and nonprofits

  • Fun Zone

  • Plus a Whole Lot More

2022-0910-N2N-CNDPR-Photo-10_Morgan-Yingling.jpg

Photo by Morgan Yingling (CFMT)

Biennial Conference on Neighborhood Disaster Preparedness

"The best Saturday morning you'll spend all year!"

~ Lauren Gates

Our metropolitan area has experienced tornadoes, derechos, a bombing, train derailment and major flooding. We also experience extreme heat and cold weather events. The next disaster or significant emergency could be just around the corner. Is your neighborhood prepared?

Neighborhoods that are prepared are also more resilient. This means that they have the capacity to move forward and recover much more quickly. 

This 3.5 hour conference will help participants identify the most-likely disasters and emergencies that may strike their neighborhoods; what happens in the aftermath of a disaster and how neighborhood groups can be most effective; and, how neighborhood groups can help neighbors prepare for disasters and other emergencies.

CONFERENCE AGENDA

  • Group Exercise: Identifying Major Threats

  • Panel Discussion: The Neighborhood Experience

  • Panel Discussion: What Happens When Help Arrives

  • Panel Discussion: Strategies for Disaster Preparation

Emerging Neighborhood Leaders Academy

"This course was enlightening, refreshing, and highlighted how to organize and carry out a cohesive and effective neighborhood group."

~ Ramona Gholston, Pages Branch

Leadership takes many forms. Sometimes it is more formal, such as holding an office in a neighborhood organization. At other times leadership is less formal and involves using your personal influence as a member of a group to make a difference.

The Emerging Neighborhood Leaders Academy is designed to help residents build knowledge and skills necessary to succeed. Together, we will explore the roles a neighborhood organization can play in the community, the history of our metropolitan government and how it works (and doesn't), how to organize and facilitate an effective neighborhood meeting, ways to create a community of engaged neighbors, and the many resources available to neighborhood groups.

This is a weekly six-session course. Each session last 90 minutes and allows for both in-person and virtual participation.

unnamed (18).jpg

The Planning School

"There were so many facets of policy and zoning that I never knew existed. The class showed me the importance of having an informed perspective on land-use."

~ Anonymous

As Davidson County’s growing pains continue to increase, residents often feel overlooked and omitted from development decisions directly impacting their own neighborhoods. Frustrations are magnified when the process seems like one big secret. 

The Planning School helps residents better understand and engage in Metro’s planning and zoning process. Designed by neighborhood leaders, with support from government officials and other key stakeholders, The Planning School provides residents with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to achieve greater impact.

Policy & Zoning 101

This four-hour primer is for residents who just want a basic understanding of the who, what, why, and how questions. We will cover the following topics:

  • How Did We Get Here

  • Building Blocks of a City

  • Identifying the Stakeholders

  • Life Cycle of a Project

  • What is Policy and Zoning

Policy & Zoning 201

This eight-hour course (two four-hour sessions) is for people who want a deeper understanding of Metro’s planning and zoning process. The following topics will be covered:

  • What is ‘Policy?’

    • Community Character Manual

    • Transects, Elements, and Intent

    • Land Use Policy

  • What is ‘Zoning?’

    • Land Use, Massing

    • Zoning Code

    • Specific Plan (SP) Zoning

    • Zoning Terms

    • Overlays, Subdivisions

  • Community Plan Amendment

  • Zoning Appeal

  • Process for a Zoning Change

  • Online Tools and Resources

    • Parcel Viewer

    • Development Tracker

    • Municode

We also strongly recommend that participants take the course, How to Speak Effectively at Public Hearings.

Effective-Resident-Engagement.jpg

Effective Resident Engagement

Neighborhood associations are unique in the civic landscape, They are local, independent and have community betterment missions.  Therefore, neighborhood associations have the ability to further the public good. It's important to engage residents as partners in change so that all residents have the opportunity to participate in important decisions and take action to improve their community.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

  • Understanding of what resident engage engagement is, why it's important and what it looks like in action

  • Learn critical skills and capabilities that are needed to more impactfully engage residents

  • Identify specific steps that should be taken in order to engage residents in addressing issues that affect them.

This is a weekly three-session course. Each session last 3 hours. Due to the nature of the subject, participation is in-person only.

dreamstime_m_153623247.jpg

The Art & Science of Meeting Facilitation

One of the greatest challenges for the chair of any neighborhood organization is the facilitation of meetings. This year, our Neighborhood Leadership Certification Program will focus on the art and science of meeting facilitation. 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

  • Describe the role of a facilitator

  • Differentiate the role of the facilitator and leader

  • Plan and conduct effective meetings

  • Demonstrate key facilitation skills including focusing the discussion, summarizing, and allowing for equal participation

  • Demonstrate facilitation tools including S.W.O.T./S.O.A.R. analysis, brainstorming, decision grid, and the five whys

  • Structure discussions to achieve a specific end

  • Describe methods for preventing and responding to challenging situations

This is a weekly four-session course. Each session last 3 hours. Due to the nature of the subject, participation is in-person only.

Public-Hearing.jpg

How to Speak Effectively at Public Hearings

New Course

It is not enough to "just speak your mind" at a public hearing. In order to impact decisions you must know how to make an effective arguement that addresses relevant factors under consideration. 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

  • Understand the nature and role of public hearings

  • Comprehend the rules of meeting decorum

  • Identify relevant details that will pursuade your audience

  • Make an effective arguement that addresses releant factors

  • Practice speaking and receive feedback

This is a one-session four-hour course. Due to the nature of the subject, participation is in-person only.

bottom of page