Our mission is to improve communities by increasing and improving the involvement of residents (i.e. building good governance) in all areas of community life,- including public accountability, cultural expression, economic development, and public safety.
TCI promotes maximum inclusion in every part of social life and in all sectors of the economy. This means we believe that residents are the most important factor in the quality of their communities. TCI believes that the healthiest communities are those whose residents are highly engaged, not only in civic life and economic development but also in cultural expression and community security.
Our two program areas
Community Transformation refers to building a community’s ability to identify and address the root causes of economic and social insecurity, including public accountability (corruption), crime, social conflict, and the lack of civic engagement. Many of our communities are experiencing major demographic, social and economic transitions. These changes often cause strains and tensions between traditional and new cultures, old and new residents, and diverse groups. This often results in mistrust, insecurity and conflict. Community transformation involves people, local organizations, local business, and local government coming together in partnerships to identify and address the causes of these problems and to improve the quality of life. The more citizens participate in their communities and the more they are engaged and empowered, the better their communities meet their needs. Citizens’ participation is key to good governance.
The Culture Economy refers to the part of the economy that is driven by cultural innovation, products, services and relationships. Through the culture economy people can participate directly in the local economy, in defining their local culture, and can contribute to transforming their communities. So besides being a key driver of economic development and quality of life, a vibrant culture economy is also a key to good governance.
For TCI, the culture economy and community transformation are two sides of the same coin. When people can contribute their cultural diversity to build a viable economy and society, and when their neighborhoods are safe places for their children and livelihoods, their communities are resilient and sustainable. We want to promote and improve citizens’ engagement in every area. Strengthening citizens’ engagement is what we’re about.
The Caribbean Institute for Sustainable Development 