I am writing this from “down under” where Anglicare Tasmania and Communities for Children recently hosted over 500 leaders in Launceston, Tasmania to develop strategies which are designed to put children and their families at the centre of community well-being.
Nigel Richardson, of Child Friendly Leeds, shared his community’s plan to make Leeds the best city in the United Kingdom for children and youth. The Child Friendly Leeds initiative focuses on five outcomes to improve the lives of children and youth:
- All children and young people are safe from harm
- All children and young people do well at all levels of learning and have skills for life
- All children and young people enjoy healthy lifestyles
- All children and young people have fun growing up
- All children and young people are active citizens who feel they have a voice and influence
Child Friendly Leeds has developed a Plan on a Page which details their vision, outcomes, priorities, obsessions and how they know that they have made a difference. Each week the City of Leeds shares progress on their city’s top three priorities: safely and appropriately reducing the number of kids in care; to reduce the number of youth either in education, employment or training; and, to improve school attendance. They call these three priorities “Leeds Obsessions.” A weekly online "obsessions tracker" shares updates on the community’s progress. This civic movement is changing the lives for the better in Leeds.
On the other side of the globe, Anglicare Tasmania has a vision for the children of Launceston and the Tamar Valley. Communities for Children is an emerging civic movement looking to improve child and family outcomes.
What has been particularly inspiring to all of us here in Tasmania, is the recognition that we are part of a growing global movement of 500 leaders sharing stories of Collective Impact efforts from Canada, the US, the UK, New Zealand and around the world who share a common commitment to make the world a better place for the next generation.
Learn More:
- Learn more about Tasmania’s Communities for Children
- Discover Child Friendly Leeds, its Plan on a Page and its weekly obsession tracker
- See how the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction is making their city the best place to raise a child
- Visit the Collective Impact Forum for more examples of Child and Youth focused Collective Impact Initiatives
