In a recent webinar exploring six patterns of social innovation, Tamarack Thought-Leader Al Etmanski spoke of his hope for a “resurrection of the ordinary” which he described as “recognizing ordinary people and their extraordinary power.”
Al’s phrase stuck a deep cord and reminded me that simple things that are easily overlooked, can often be powerful sources of profound impact. Community is one of those things: so ordinary and obvious that it is often assumed as a given. Yet, increasingly evidence is demonstrating the profound impact that face-to-face connection and strong circles of friendship have on our health, our ability to learn, our resilience and our life expectancy.
The choice to deepen community – to connect regularly with family and friends; to chat and share stories with neighbours; to take time to contribute to and enjoy local celebrations – is, on the one hand, is so incredibly ordinary. On the other hand, strengthening connection to our neighbours and choosing to invest in the strengthening of social ties within communities is proving to be an important strategy – and necessary prerequesite – for achieving meaningful impact on a range of complex community issues. In The Village Effect, author Suan Pinker states, “Suprisingly, face-to-face social capital in a neighbourhood can predice who lives and who dies even more powerfully than whether the area is rich or poor.” Citing a 2003 Harvard study of the social capital – reciprocity, trust and civic participation – of 350 Chicago neighbourhoods, she shares, “the highter the levels of social capital, the lower its mortality rates, and not just from violent crime but from heart disease too. Clearly the place makes a difference to your health.”
Rediscovering the capacity to deepen community in our neighbourhoods and cities is a skill and practice that we need to be more intentional about cultivating. Across Canada and throughout North America, municipalities and organizations are discovering the value of building this capacity. By investing in the leadership capacity of neighbours and working collaboratively with neighbourhood leaders, municipalities, together with non-profit, philanthropic and local business organizations are discovering they can have greater impact than could ever be achieved by independently delivering programs and services. Below are just a few of many examples of the power of deepening community:
Grey-Bruce Region, Ontario: The Power of Conversations to Deepen Community
In the spring of 2014, a team from the Grey-Bruce Health Unit launched a Community Conversations initiative in partnership with Tamarack. Part of a national Deepening Community campaign, the goals of the Grey Bruce project were: to reveal and strengthen community connections; to increase community engagement; to build consensus on opportunities for shared action; and, to nurture diverse community leadership.
Over the next six months, a total of 47 conversations were held with more than 400 citizens representing ten different sector perspectives across the region.
A survey of participants revealed that 89% of them were interested in participating in working together to strengthen their community after having participated in a conversation and their feelings of connection to each other increased by 8% after the conversations. The Grey-Bruce Community Conversations also generated many powerful insights from participants. Some comments include:
- “Good community takes work and participation.”
- “A community acts like a mirror, helping you to see yourself.”
- “Community is…dedicated people from different backgrounds committed to improving our community.”
- “Friends go in different directions but community, whether large or small, works together for a common goal.”
- “Strengthening connections is important.”
Later this month, a series of community celebrations are planned to share back the results of this project with participants and opportunities to strengthen capacity for community action will be highlighted.
Baltimore, Maryland: Creating Better Outcomes for Babies
Two neighbourhoods in Baltimore are making positive progress in improving health outcomes for their youngest residents, those under 1 year of age. In 2010, following the news that the City of Baltimore’s infant mortality rate was the 4th worst in the United States, a collaborative effort known as B’More for Healthy Babies was launched in two of the city’s priority neighbourhoods: Upton-Druid Park and Patterson Park.
Led by the Office of the Mayor, with co-leadership from The Family League of Baltimore and the Baltimore City Health Department, the goal of B’More for Healthy Babies is that “all of Baltimore’s babies are born at a healthy weight, full term, and ready to thrive in healthy families.
The project was launched in 2009 and collaborates with 150 community partners and residents to raise awareness and ensure that all are informed about the issues contributing to infant mortality, and have access to a range of programs and services to ensure all infants and their families are supported to achieve optimum health. In six years, B’More for Healthy Babies has already generated some impressive results. These include:
- A 24% decrease in infant mortality
- A 32% decrease in teen pregnancy
- A 10% decrease in low birth-weight
- A decrease in the racial disparity between white and black infants by almost 40%; and,
- A decrease in number of sleep-related deaths – which has been the biggest contributor to lower infant mortality in Baltimore
B’more for Healthy Babies is now working with Tamarack to develop a Community Engagement Strategy that will enable them to continue to sustain their positive progress and collaborate with neighbourhood residents to further embed the skills and knowledge of their project within these neighbourhoods.
