You are invited to join the Neighborhood Connect program!
Do you want to make a real difference in your neighborhood?
Neighborhood Connect is a program led by the Prevention Research Center (PRC) at UMass Chan Medical School and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Neighborhood Connect prepares Worcester residents to lead improvements that build healthy, thriving neighborhoods where they live, work, and spend time. Participants learn how to work together to influence community decisions about features of their neighborhoods, such as sidewalks, parks, benches, and gathering spaces, because every neighborhood deserves the chance to grow and thrive.
Neighborhood Connect is your chance to help shape a healthier, more vibrant Worcester right where you live, work, and play. Our goal is to prepare people to lead improvements to the environment that helps Worcester neighborhoods thrive.
Participants in Neighborhood Connect will:
- Participate in 6 Zoom sessions and use materials on a website,
- Explore a neighborhood and determine what is important to you,
- Make a plan for neighborhood change and put it into action,
- Complete 3 surveys in 1 year. Receive a $20 gift card for each survey.
How we will evaluate Neighborhood Connect
Neighborhood Connect is a research study and one of our goals is to evaluate whether or not it is helpful to participants and leads to neighborhood change. Participants will be asked to help us evaluate Neighborhood Connect by completing three surveys. Participants will be compensated for their time taking the survey. They will be asked to complete a survey at three points during approximately 12-15 months, for a total of $60. The timing of the surveys is as follows:
- After signing the consent form,
- After the group session ends,
- Six months after the group session ends.
Where we’re enrolling participants:
Neighborhood Connect works with different areas of Worcester during different enrollment periods. Participants are enrolled by neighborhoods at different times, including:
- January – March 2026
- Great Brook Valley / Upper Lincoln Street / Green Hill / Burncoat / Greendale and Beaver Brook / Columbus Park / Coes Pond area
People who live, work or have any other affiliation, such as attending a church or civic group, in a given neighborhood are eligible to participate.
Now Recruiting from January – March 2026!
We are currently enrolling residents from:
– Main South/Piedmont Street area
– Quinsigamond Village/Route 20 area
If you live in one of these neighborhoods and want to be part of something exciting, we want to hear from you!
Fill out our interest form with your contact information here: https://redcap.link/NCinterest
Learn more about the project in our official announcement:
https://www.umassmed.edu/prc/resources/neighborhood-connect/
Neighborhoods should reflect the needs and priorities of the people who live, work and spend time there. Change happens when neighbors come together. Join alone or with friends today and shape the future of Worcester.
We are creating healthy, thriving communities together!
