Riley Hill, Wake County, North Carolina : an action-oriented community diagnosis including secondary data and qualitative data collection
Creators: name: Smith, Antoine
name: Kil, Natalie
name: Merritt, Shara
name: Nitirat, Pornruedee
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2002

description: The following is a document describing the qualitative results of an Action Oriented Community Diagnosis (AOCD) in the Riley Hill community of Wake County, North Carolina. Riley Hill is a traditionally rural and African American community bordering the towns of Wendell and Zebulon. The community diagnosis was performed by a graduate student team from the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from November 2001 to May 2002. The students were assisted with entry into the community by their assigned preceptor, Kimberlee Clifton R.H.Ed., CHES, Teen-Link Program Coordinator for Lincoln Health Community Center Inc. and Riley Hill community member. Qualitative information regarding community strengths and limitations was obtained through interviews and focus groups from service providers and community members conducted in the Riley Hill community. The collected data was then analyzed based upon community perspective, and is presented in the appropriate sections of this document. Following the completion of the AOCD process, the data was presented to a planning committee composed of community members and service providers who assisted in the development of a Community Forum. The Riley Hill community forum was centered on the utilization and initiation of services at the Riley Hill Family Life Center (RHFLC). The Family Life Center is the only resource/recreation center located within the community. The center is currently in the process of addressing many of the issues identified by local residents and service providers. The planning committee, based upon qualitative data obtained from the AOCD process, and input from FLC program directors, decided to focus on the how areas of Education, Recreation, Health, and Job Skill training were addressed by the FLC. The Community Forum took place on May 13th, 2002 at the Riley Hill Family Life Center. The forum contained an initial presentation by the students presenting the AOCD process and the explaining the themes, which would be discussed during the forum. Following this presentation, participants were broken into self-selected groups on the chosen topics. A small group member facilitated each of the small group sessioins. Following the SHOWED method, these groups were intended to elicit information and promote dialogue between community members and service providers regarding the FLC’s role in the community and the application of the chosen themes to currently available or needed services within the Riley Hill community. After completion of the Community Forum, information gathered from participants was assembled and presented to FLC board members and program directors. The results will be used to formulate action steps for the initiation or revitalization of FLC programs, specifically programs addressing the issues identified by forum participants and qualitative AOCD information. In addition to describing the results of the AOCD process, this document details the findings of the Riley Hill community forum and includes several implications resulting from findings from the AOCD process in general, and the interactions between the students and the Riley Hill community.