The Banyan Difference
Banyan’s impact happens on an individual, family, and community level. At Banyan, individuals are transformed, not just youth in youth programs, but parents and community members as we all come together to understand that we have developmental assets that can be amplified as well as learning additional life skills that can strengthen our grip for the future.
The Banyan Effect
The “Banyan Effect” is a study of benefit and impact. Through a partnership with Rice University, Banyan accessed the data from the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey conducted by Harvard University and undertook its own abbreviated version of the study. Researchers determined that Banyan builds collective efficacy, the “social cohesion among neighbors combined with their willingness to intervene on behalf of the common good.” This contributes to the transformation in the Phillips neighborhood of south Minneapolis.
The study looked at various indicators of collective efficacy— residential stability, residents’ impact on their community, social interaction with neighbors, and level of trust with neighbors—making comparisons between the responses of Banyan families, low income neighborhood residents, and middle income neighborhood residents.
One key finding is that Banyan families, despite living in a low-income neighborhood, embody the same staying power as residents within a middle class neighborhood. The longer a family is associated with Banyan, the more likely a family will stay in the neighborhood (the Banyan Effect). In fact, participation with Banyan has a stronger effect on staying in the neighborhood than home ownership.
The data indicates that Banyan families operate at a higher level (as a result of increased social capital) than their low-income neighborhood peers, and are grounded in the neighborhood, likely because Banyan is a crucial part of their neighborhood experience.
Possibly the strongest finding is that Banyan families are interested in staying in Phillips five years from now. This is important because it not only increases the residential stability of Phillips, but also allows for more opportunities to connect with others to build bonding and bridging social capital. Neighborhood stability also provides a stable platform for collective efficacy to increase. In short, the base for collective efficacy and passing of social capital is present. This provides a strong foundation from which Banyan will take the next step in expanding the Banyan Effect, creating measurable transformation in the neighborhood!
“I love how Banyan supports families and kids. My kids really enjoy coming here and the educators do a great job.”
“I am so grateful for Banyan. I trust Banyan and the staff here with my children, which is very important to me.”
“Sometimes I think of moving to the suburbs due to the drug and homeless issues but, then I think of Banyan and my neighbors, friends and family and I say – I CAN NEVER LEAVE PHILLIPS.”
“I’m glad I came to Banyan this summer or else I would just be at home bored watching TV instead of doing fun things like crafts.”
“I’m thankful that we have had Banyan to guide us through this college process. We have never done this before, and don’t know anything about college or financial aid. It was good to know that our son had Banyan to help him understand things and explain the steps.”
“Banyan teaches you to stand up for what you know is right, to handle the situation in a respectful manner.”
“I give to Banyan because I know that my gift will go a long way both in impact with the community as well as effectiveness with a well-run organization.”