Dear Community,
We return from a short hiatus with renewed conviction that the work of building, studying, and strengthening communities has never been more important. This issue features four articles spanning the breadth of community psychology practice from critical theory to program evaluation, and from participatory storytelling to systems-level capacity building.
A rapid review examines decolonial and critical approaches to community wellbeing and mental health, making the case for culturally responsive, social justice-oriented strategies that center marginalized communities' own knowledge. A community-based participatory action research study uses digital storytelling to show how a public living room in a highly deprived area fostered belonging, trust, and measurable improvements in mental health and self-worth, reminding us that warm, nonjudgmental spaces can be transformative even as funding for community initiatives declines. An outcome evaluation of a CBT-based hoarding program finds significant improvement in living conditions when one-on-one case management is combined with peer-led group intervention. And a five-year evaluation of a Maternal and Child Health capacity-building program tracks how three state teams grew capacity through cross-agency collaborative partnerships involving shared resources and joint projects.
What connects these contributions is an attention to structure and context — who defines wellbeing, where interventions happen, and what partnerships need to be in place for programs to succeed. Together, they reflect our field's commitment to both rigor and relevance.
To access the complete issue, click GJCPP Volume 17, Issue 1.
Sincerely,
Olya Glantsman
Olya Glantsman
Olya Glantsman, Ph.D.
DePaul University
Director, MS & BA/MS in Community Psychology Programs
Coordinator, Undergraduate Concentration in Community Psychology
Editor-in-Chief, Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice
editor@gjcpp.org
Based on a work at www.gjcpp.org. 
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