The Family Success Institute took on an ambitious project, launching a series of Community Action Forums to provide opportunities for New Jersey community members to come together. Recognizing that the people who know their communities best are those who live, work and grow within them, we proudly organized more than 40 Forums.

Convened by trusted local leaders, these Forums provided safe spaces for dialogue, allowing residents to voice concerns and frustrations while actively working toward solutions to address barriers to success for each specific community. This website hosts a library of files, including video, audio and data collected from the Forums – allowing us to hear directly from residents about how to improve opportunities and support for families.

Building on this work, the Forums are being followed by a series of Advocacy and Leadership Training Forums held across the state. These ongoing gatherings continue to bring communities together, grounded in the belief that those closest to the challenges are also closest to the solutions. Drawing on insights from the original Forums, these sessions are designed to equip community members with the tools and confidence to lead, advocate and create meaningful change from within. Because advocacy and leadership are not top-down processes – lasting change is driven by the voices, experiences and strengths of the community itself. The testimony from these meetings can be found in this library as well.

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