Preparing Students To Become Homeowners And Neighbors
Neighboring Academy Highlights
DAUPHIN, PA – On February 19, 2025, 120 Capital Region leaders representing over 50 organizations gathered with our Neighboring Academy students from Steelton-Highspire High School at the first “Neighboring Summit” in Harrisburg, PA to explore "neighboring" as a promising practice for strengthening business and education partnerships in the Capital Region. Throughout the day, the Neighboring Academy was highlighted as an innovative workforce development initiative that puts high school students on pathways to homeownership to break inter-generational cycles of poverty. Plenary sessions and activities shared stories of neighboring as well as concrete individual, group, and system expressions to create mutually beneficial connections between business and education. Some sector representatives who engaged our students, included government leaders (E.g. Senate District 15, 103rd & 105th Legislative Districts); business leaders (E.g. LINK Bank, C&J Catering, PA American Water, UPMC); community leaders (E.g. Annie E Casey Foundation, Brethren Housing Association, Dauphin County Systems of Care); and education leaders (E.g. Harrisburg Area Community College, Penn State College of Medicine, Hamilton Health, Messiah University, Harrisburg School District; Susquehanna School District); and many others!
WHAT IT IS
A Pathway for Home Ownership
When we show students a pathway to home ownership, we’re imagining a kind of education that doesn't only prepare them to go to college or get a job but to responsibly join a neighborhood. We’re teaching principals of neighboring. We’re building a foundation for a thriving community and investing in their future!
The Neighboring Academy creates specialized learning environments in partnership with schools to guide students along a proactive path towards home ownership.
“Neighboring” refers not only to the interpersonal relationships we have with those around us; but also to the ways that systems & structures relate to form neighborhoods.
The Neighboring Academy breaks cycles of poverty by creating a pathway to homeownership that combines local neighborhood capital with 21st Century skills at Steelton-Highspire for high school students.
HOW IT WORKS
Specialized Environment.
Contextual Education. Timeless Values.
We create spaces for specialized instruction to break cycles of poverty by combining local neighborhood capital with 21st Century skills empowering students to become responsible neighbors and homeowners.
We use design thinking to develop student's 21st Century skills so they can leverage different forms of local neighborhood capital to make an impact in their neighborhoods.
We partner with businesses and workforce development programs to give students opportunities to develop their 21st Century skills in local real world environments as well as within specialized modular makerspaces constructed with technologies like shipping containers and 3D printing.
Contact the Neighboring Academy
For more information on how your school or business can begin planning a partnership with the Neighboring Academy, share your interest with us.
