Inclusive community-building programs aim to build a more cohesive community by organizing activities and events. These programs often lack resources and are overlooked by donors in favor of more traditional non-profit aid organizations. Our project was designed to take a program as a case study, Give Something Back to Berlin's Open Kitchen, and determine how inclusive programs build community, describe the environment the Open Kitchen fosters and its benefits, identify the factors that impact retention and transience of program attendees, and recommend viable adaptations to the Open Kitchen program. During this research we observed participants in the Open Kitchen's social cooking sessions and conducted semi-structured interviews with community members about their experiences with the Open Kitchen. This research led us to observe the benefits and replicability of the Open Kitchen and community-building programs at large. We received enthusiastic praise of the Open Kitchen, and many participants wished that a similar program existed where they lived. Through our research we determined criteria to evaluate a setting for feasibility of a community-based inclusive program, and observed the key characteristics of the Open Kitchen as an inclusive space. Based on our findings, we made recommendations for accessibility, outreach and preparation, program frameworks and how to get involved aimed at the three following groups: program developers and NGOs, researchers, and potential attendees of community-building programs.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Altheimer, Zane
• Mesick, Paige
• Thal, Sean
• Kelly, Alice

Subject

• Culture
• Inclusion
• Food
• Community

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-051323-164605
• 109986

Keyword

• Inclusive Programs
• Democratic Framework
• Community Engagement
• Social Cooking

Advisor

• Stanlick, Sarah Eliza
• Arslan, Gizem
• Foo, Katherine

Year

• 2023

Center

• Berlin, Germany Project Center - IQP

Sponsor

• Give Something Back to Berlin

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• 2 - Zero Hunger
• 10 - Reducing Inequality

Date created

• 2023-05-13

Resource type

• Interactive Qualifying Project

Source

• E-project-051323-164605

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2023-09-05