RESEARCH

OUR COMMUNITY CENTERED APPROACH

We use Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), participatory mapping, and freedom dreaming to understand the strengths, support systems, coping strategies, and aspirations of our community members. Check out our projects below.

PROJECTS

Healdsburg Multicultural Center (2025)

  • This report showcases the community's aspirations for the forthcoming Healdsburg Multicultural Center, shaped by a community-led research endeavor. In response to a profound need for a multicultural and inclusive space of belonging, the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Sonoma County spearheaded this initiative, bringing together the following partners — On the Margins, Corazón Healdsburg, Alliance Medical Center, Goring & Straja Architects, and Carducci Associates.

    Through a participatory process involving surveys, listening sessions, and design workshops, 129 residents shared their voices and perspectives, shaping the Healdsburg Multicultural Center from its conceptualization to its architectural design. Analysis of the collected data revealed key themes and priorities, giving rise to ten "Design Mandates" that serve as a roadmap for the center's development.

Community Wellness promotional poster for the Windsor Project 2023-2024, featuring diverse people collaborating, colorful geometric designs, and text highlighting the initiative's focus.

Community Wellness Windsor Project (2024)

  • This report details a community-driven initiative to envision a safe, vibrant, and green space that fosters belonging in Windsor. The project, grounded in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), prioritized the voices and aspirations of BIPOC and marginalized Windsor residents, particularly those in the Central Windsor census tract, identified as a priority due to its lower Human Development Index. The report also highlights the historical and socio-political context of Windsor, acknowledging the ancestral land of the Southern Pomo people and the legacy of systemic inequities. A literature review revealed that Windsor displays a complex demographic landscape. While the town boasts a higher overall quality of life than both the U.S. and California, as evidenced by its HDI score, disparities exist between its census tracts. Windsor East stands out with the highest HDI, educational attainment, and median earnings, while Central Windsor faces challenges in these areas, coupled with a lower life expectancy. The data also revealed concerning trends in student well-being, with increasing mental health issues, substance use, and declining school engagement as students progress through grades. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address educational inequities and support the well-being of Windsor’s youth, particularly in areas like Central Windsor. Through a robust data collection process involving community events, listening sessions, interviews, phone banking, and surveys, 652 community members articulated their vision for a multi-faceted wellness center that caters to the diverse needs of the community. The data collection process started July 2023 and ended in February 2024.

Colorful logo with flowers, leaves, hearts, and text 'Nuestra Comunidad Sana + Our Healthy Community' surrounding design.

Nuestra Comunidad Sana (2023)

Colorful text reading "Art, Emergence, & Radical Love" on a black background.

  • In 2022, the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Sonoma County commissioned On the Margins to conduct Nuestra Comunidad Sana | Our Healthy Community. Nuestra Comunidad Sana is a community-based project organized by four non-profit organizations: the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Sonoma County, Nuestra Comunidad, La Familia Sana, and Alexander Valley Healthcare.

    These four organizations, hereinafter referred to as “The Collective,” sought to answer the following question— Where and when do intergenerational families gather to experience joy and a sense of belonging in Cloverdale? On the Margins was asked to collaborate with The Collective given its experience using asset-based community development (ABCD), community-based participatory research (CBPR), participatory mapping, and freedom dreaming as a practice. These approaches were used by On the Margins to find answers to The Collective’s question.

    The objective of Nuestra Comunidad Sana is to use a grassroots approach led by Cloverdale community members, with particular attention to historically underserved and marginalized communities, to envision a safe, vibrant, green, community space of belonging for all residents of Cloverdale. Nuestra Comunidad Sana encourages engagement and full participation of community partners in every aspect of the research process, from question identification to analysis and findings dissemination. To accomplish its objective, The Collective explored the assets, support systems, coping strategies, and hopes and dreams of Cloverdale community members.

    This report describes participants’ desired vision of a safe, vibrant, and green community space of belonging in Cloverdale. Future directions for The Collective include project activation, construction, advocacy, fundraising, and implementation of community input and feedback. This project is important because a community space of belonging, designed by and for the people, can improve physical and mental health outcomes, life expectancy and nurture an inclusive, safe community of belonging for all Cloverdalians. Next, we discuss the demographic composition in Cloverdale to highlight the existing inequities and disparities that exist in the region.

Art, Emergence, and Radical Love (2022)

  • In May 2022, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation’s Performing Arts Program commissioned Kimzin Creative (KC) and On the Margins (OTM) to facilitate a community-led and asset-based process with Sonoma County artists to understand their lived experiences, creative visions, hopes, and dreams. The aim of this project was to encourage Sonoma County artists to dream about what the arts can be, and how the Hewlett Foundation’s partnership and resources can help to seed those ideas. To accomplish this aim, the facilitators relied on emergence as a theoretical and practical framework grounded in the voices and lived experiences of Sonoma County artists. In this report, we begin by outlining the methodology of our project, which describes the emergence process used by KC and OTM. We then present findings from the data collected to illuminate key concerns facing artists in Sonoma County as well as their strengths and dreams. The findings also provide information about: (a) the conditions that best enable contributing artists to exercise cultural self determination, and (b) what Sonoma County artists want and desire for their communities. We conclude with the recommendations of eight contributing artists for how $500,000 in funds and resources from the Hewlett Foundation are deployed in service of the arts in Sonoma County.

Colorful "Sueños de Sonoma" text graphic with decorative elements.

Sueños de Sonoma (2021)

  • The methodology of the Sueños study relied on “freedom dreaming” conversations with 88 individuals from Sonoma Valley. The shared dream of the participants is an accessible hub where multiracial, multilingual and multigenerational communities gather comfortably and creatively to express themselves, share stories, and cultivate authentic relationships and healthy traditions. The hub centralizes resources such as mental health services, rental assistance, housing navigation, case management and legal services. The hub houses a variety of practitioners, clinicians and client navigators who offer assistance, support and referrals. In addition to adult-focused services, the hub also has drop-in child care, a youth/teen center, an institute for career advancement and leadership development, and an organizing program to build community momentum and power. The hub maintains close relationships with other organizations and agencies in the community to create a continuum of services in conjunction and collaboration with existing support.

Black and white image of a smiling woman at a desk in a classroom setting, holding a pen, surrounded by papers and bottles.
Black and white image of people sitting in chairs at a community meeting. A woman holds a paper and listens attentively. The setting appears to be indoors with posters on the wall in the background.
Three women smiling and posing in front of photo boards at an event.
People having a discussion in front of display boards with photos and diagrams in a large room, possibly during a presentation or workshop.
Two young participants writing on a comment board covered with sticky notes. This activity was part of a Community Based Participatory Action Research Project led by On the Margins.
A group of people at an indoor event looking at displayed materials on easels. This activity was part of a Community Based Participatory Action Research Project led by On the Margins.
People examining posters with architectural designs in a community meeting with a focus on educational spaces. This activity was part of a Community Based Participatory Action Research Project led by On the Margins.
Alma Bowen and Dr. Daniela Dominguez discussing something while looking at a laptop in a black and white photo. Alma is pointing at the screen, and Dr. Dominguez is listening intently. They are sitting at a table with a coffee cup and other items.
Group of women sitting together, one smiling. They are participating in a Community Based Participatory Action Research Project led by On the Margins.
Dr. Daniela Dominguez is giving a presentation with a word cloud poster in background. This activity was part of a Community Based Participatory Action Research Project led by On the Margins.
Group photo of coalition members from Healdsburg's Multicultural Center Project. They are at a professional event, wearing name tags and smiling in front of wall displays. Black and white image.
Group of people sitting around tables in a meeting room in Windsor, engaged in a listening session for the Windsor Community Wellness Center Project. This activity was led by On the Margins.
People attending a conference or exhibition for Healdsburg's Multicultural Center Project, viewing and discussing display boards with printed materials in a hall.
Two researchers discussing a board with sticky notes, one holding papers and smartphone, the other holding a clipboard. "Comment Board" text visible. This activity was part of a Community Based Participatory Action Research Project.
Dr. Daniela Domínguez explaining architectural plans displayed on easels to another person at a community meeting, with chairs and people in the background. This activity was part of a Community Based Participatory Action Research Project.
Community leaders sitting at a conference table engaged in discussion, with laptops and drinks on the table. One person is gesturing while speaking, and others are listening attentively.