The Partnership brings together the skills of organizations dedicated to social justice and strong communities: Cook County Bureau of Health Services, Healthy Schools Campaign, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, and West Town Leadership United.

The community-based organizations involved in the project are known for their organizing skills rather than for a pre-existing focus on health issues. Throughout the project, the groups’ organizing acumen made it possible to effectively recruit members, engage parents and communicate health information. Community leaders report that the project’s new focus on health did not compete with other campaigns; in fact, it complemented their fundamental goal of increasing community engagement.

As Idida Perez, executive director of West Town Leadership United, explained: "If people don’t feel healthy or confident about themselves, then they’re not going to get involved." She found that the reverse is also true: when people feel increased confidence and energy from healthy eating and physical activity, they are motivated to get involved in health-promoting advocacy.

The strong leadership and effective organizing abilities of community leaders created a relationship with university partners in which both groups were able to draw on each others’ skills to solve problems. This differs from traditional community-university relationships in which research is directed by the university partner and community groups play more of a supporting role.

For example, in embarking on data-driven assessment based in formal evaluation protocols, community leaders gained new information about their neighborhood. In preparation for conducting the surveys, parents and community leaders completed Institutional Review Board (IRB) training and offered valuable insight into the barriers that exist to community involvement in formal research. Project director Guillermo Gomez has since joined discussions with other national leaders on ideas for reforming the IRB process so that it is more equitable and accessible to community members.