This hands-on course centers on the Linda Vista neighborhood, exploring community development, community organizations, and advocacy. It begins by defining community as geographically bounded and rooted locally, and development as empowering the community to manage its own wellbeing. The course emphasizes self-reflection, examining students’ own biases and positionality when engaging with the community. Students will interact directly with Linda Vista residents, starting with individuals and families, observing community spaces, and initiating conversations to understand their lives, aspirations, and challenges. Based on these interactions, student teams will choose a policy area of interest, research how it intersects with community issues, and analyze local community processes. Next, the course shifts to mapping community structures, organizations, and participation spaces. It focuses on community-based organizations and NGOs, examining whether they truly represent and serve community voices, and emphasizing their role as repositories of local knowledge. Finally, students will explore policy advocacy by studying local bureaucracies, policymakers, and tactics used to influence change. Engagement with government agencies at municipal and departmental levels will be emphasized. The course concludes by reinforcing key principles of community engagement: love, hope, and solidarity.