In my writing and approaches, I’ve created certain phrases that I’ve begun to use frequently in order to try and describe what I do. Here I try to explain them.
Healthy and Resilient Communities (and Cities)
This is a phrase that I have created (modified from other uses, such as healthy organizations and trauma resilience) to try and describe the vision I have for communities. Specifically related to violence, it is a community that can prevent, end, and heal from violent conflict. However, it takes a lot of developed capacity and coordinated effort to be capable of doing all three of those [see image below for more on this]. For example, a community that ends violent conflict isn't just a community that runs interference between people killing each other - it's a community that creates a way of being that violence is not seen as an appropriate or necessary response to challenges.
How do we become healthy and resilient?
This is where the jargon can have a heyday. We need cross-sector collaboration in multi-stakeholder processes. We need innovative and adaptive approaches in action and learning. Building capacity necessitates asset-based development as a starting point while utilizing adaptive leadership for collective impact (see: Living Cities). And the jargon is right.
But stepping away from the jargon, we need people working together who have different skills. We need open minds and creativity, risk takers and planners. We need the “root cause” folks in the same room as the “fix it now” folks – we need the bandaids and ambulances as well as the family doctors for preventive medicine. We need the business leaders to help support stable economies, and developers and planners to make sure that people can have safe, healthy, and equal access to public services, non-profits to effectively fill in missing gaps, faith groups to articulate the moral voice, etc.
Socio-Economic and Racial Bridging
Many of our communities and cities in the U.S. struggle from deep segregation along class and race lines. I operate on the premise that social change necessitates more border-crossings in our communities; relationship building that creates a whole-community vision, rather than partial community visions about and by people who are like us. One of my current operating theories of change suggests that appropriate, practical, and effective policies are born best when the policy-makers have relationships with those who are most affected. Such work is rooted in relationship building, but must also actively seek to address the structures that perpetuate divisions. This includes intra-group education and awareness raising, as well as institutional and system-wide change. My work doesn’t necessarily directly address such bridging as a particular project, but rather the understanding of the need undergirds all of the work I do.
Facilitating
The by-line for my work is “facilitating change and justice.” This is very different from creating change and justice. My passion in the region is to “facilitate and encourage that which is already present and emerging.” I’m using facilitate in its root sense from “facil[e]” – to make easy. When I facilitate, I am hoping to make “the work,” often others’ work, easier.
South Bend and the Michiana region have a long history of standing up for justice and building healthy and resilient community. My work is premised on the idea that we must learn from, and build on this history for any new or renewed efforts in the region. This is not the time for a new idea from the outside (per se), but a time to build on the strength and wisdom that is already present, to partner and collaborate together for sustainable change.
Whether it’s helping individuals, an organization, or a group address a boiling conflict, whether it’s helping communities discuss contentious issues, whether it’s organizing a coalition for social justice, or whether it’s creating a strategic plan for a business – I don’t come in dictating the path for change. Rather, I listen closely and partner with those involved to build on their existing knowledge and capacities for a more sustainable solution for everyone.
Key Paths
Below is an articulation of the multiple interconnected paths necessary for building healthy and resilient communities. While not exhaustive, it begins to demonstrate the diversity of sectors and actors needed in building and sustaining such a community.
Healthy and Resilient Communities (and Cities)
This is a phrase that I have created (modified from other uses, such as healthy organizations and trauma resilience) to try and describe the vision I have for communities. Specifically related to violence, it is a community that can prevent, end, and heal from violent conflict. However, it takes a lot of developed capacity and coordinated effort to be capable of doing all three of those [see image below for more on this]. For example, a community that ends violent conflict isn't just a community that runs interference between people killing each other - it's a community that creates a way of being that violence is not seen as an appropriate or necessary response to challenges.
How do we become healthy and resilient?
This is where the jargon can have a heyday. We need cross-sector collaboration in multi-stakeholder processes. We need innovative and adaptive approaches in action and learning. Building capacity necessitates asset-based development as a starting point while utilizing adaptive leadership for collective impact (see: Living Cities). And the jargon is right.
But stepping away from the jargon, we need people working together who have different skills. We need open minds and creativity, risk takers and planners. We need the “root cause” folks in the same room as the “fix it now” folks – we need the bandaids and ambulances as well as the family doctors for preventive medicine. We need the business leaders to help support stable economies, and developers and planners to make sure that people can have safe, healthy, and equal access to public services, non-profits to effectively fill in missing gaps, faith groups to articulate the moral voice, etc.
Socio-Economic and Racial Bridging
Many of our communities and cities in the U.S. struggle from deep segregation along class and race lines. I operate on the premise that social change necessitates more border-crossings in our communities; relationship building that creates a whole-community vision, rather than partial community visions about and by people who are like us. One of my current operating theories of change suggests that appropriate, practical, and effective policies are born best when the policy-makers have relationships with those who are most affected. Such work is rooted in relationship building, but must also actively seek to address the structures that perpetuate divisions. This includes intra-group education and awareness raising, as well as institutional and system-wide change. My work doesn’t necessarily directly address such bridging as a particular project, but rather the understanding of the need undergirds all of the work I do.
Facilitating
The by-line for my work is “facilitating change and justice.” This is very different from creating change and justice. My passion in the region is to “facilitate and encourage that which is already present and emerging.” I’m using facilitate in its root sense from “facil[e]” – to make easy. When I facilitate, I am hoping to make “the work,” often others’ work, easier.
South Bend and the Michiana region have a long history of standing up for justice and building healthy and resilient community. My work is premised on the idea that we must learn from, and build on this history for any new or renewed efforts in the region. This is not the time for a new idea from the outside (per se), but a time to build on the strength and wisdom that is already present, to partner and collaborate together for sustainable change.
Whether it’s helping individuals, an organization, or a group address a boiling conflict, whether it’s helping communities discuss contentious issues, whether it’s organizing a coalition for social justice, or whether it’s creating a strategic plan for a business – I don’t come in dictating the path for change. Rather, I listen closely and partner with those involved to build on their existing knowledge and capacities for a more sustainable solution for everyone.
Key Paths
Below is an articulation of the multiple interconnected paths necessary for building healthy and resilient communities. While not exhaustive, it begins to demonstrate the diversity of sectors and actors needed in building and sustaining such a community.
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