The 1 person you're missing at your coalition table

Maybe I've worked with your coalition directly and maybe I haven't and maybe we haven't even met -- whichever group you are, I know someone you are most likely missing at your coalition table: a local historian.

Here’s the thing -- none of us can do work in our communities effectively without being grounded in our communities. And understanding local history is a big part of that.

I have the fortune this year of being part of the Seeding Disruption fellowship in DC through my work on school mental health in the city. And our very first set of readings and discussions last month were a deep dive into DC history -- from the Native American communities that first lived here to redlining to the fights over desegregating city swimming pools to the stories of specific high schools. What struck me most in reading all this history (for the first time, I might add) is that the history of DC feels like a tale of divisions: between black/brown and white, between native DC residents and transplants, between communities “below the river” and “above the river”, between local and federal, between public schools and charter schools. These divisions still show up in DC today and shape our work in a myriad of ways. How can we do our work effectively without being grounded in this?

One of our facilitators made a joke at one point in the conversation, noting that given the number of folks in the room who worked in and with DC schools, certainly we’d heard this history before. Everyone looked around the room at each other like, “Um, that’s a joke, right?” And sadly, yes, it was a joke. But it shouldn’t be!

An understanding of local history ought to be part and parcel of training and professional development at any community-facing organization and a local historian ought to be a permanent fixture on any community coalition, health focused or otherwise.

In some of our work in DC, we've seen DC public schools add to their New Educator Orientation a local history focused set of outings and conversations, which is a powerful way to ground those new to your area in a sense of place, history, and community.

And having a local historian at your community coalition table is a powerful way to make sure that your plans and actions are not disregarding the history of your community or failing to learn from that history.

So, if you don’t have a historian on your coalition -- what are your next steps?

And if you do have one -- you’re one of few, so please tell me everything! How did a local historian come to be on your coalition, what do they bring to your conversations, and what can we learn from your experiences? Hit reply and let me know.

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4 ways to center humanity in your work

Our political and business leaders may be failing to center humanity right now, but that doesn’t mean we should too - in fact, I think that means we should be even more intentional about centering humanity.

Our work is in community, where we are striving to advance health and well-being. To do this, we have to intentionally, explicitly center humanity in a world where political and technological headwinds are working against us.

How do we do this? Here are some ideas:

In your coalition meetings, take the time for an icebreaker or two, both meaningful and silly, that allow people to actually get to know each other on a deeper level. Here’s the most powerful icebreaker question I’ve come across. At a coalition meeting just yesterday, we asked folks what they’re working on right now that they’re most excited about, and it led to some wonderful conversations. And at a meeting I was at last week, they posed a series of questions and had us move to four corners of the room based on whether we agreed or disagreed (see here for more on this technique). We talked in our small groups about why we landed where we did and then shared with the other groups too, widening our perspectives (and sometimes even changing our minds).

In sharing stories and data with your community, make it specific to THEIR school, neighborhood, workplace, etc. This has come up a lot in my work in school mental health - both for those who work in schools and families of students, information is most relevant and engaging if it is specific to their school. Taking the time to parse out the data and highlight stories that are school-specific pays off in spades when those you are trying to reach actually pay attention to what you’re sharing and are motivated to take action based on it.

In the way you talk about systems and technology/AI with your community, recognize that it is the choices of humans in power, in corporations, in programming technology that create the systems and technology/AI we have. Sometimes we discuss these things as if they are born into existence on their own, rather than shaped and created by human beings.

In terms of the end goals you are working towards, know that humans need and thrive on social connections and community and in terms of how you work, know that trust and relationships are paramount.

Do these ideas resonate? Where do you feel like your coalition, organization, or even just you, as an individual, are succeeding in centering humanity, and where are you struggling? Drop me a reply and let me know!

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Find your low-lift solutions

Growing up, were you, like me, always told to work hard?

It’s advice I’ve come to question over the years.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have deep respect for a strong work ethic. I just wonder if we’ve gotten overly obsessed with the idea of working hard instead of working strategically, smartly, efficiently. Which sometimes means the work is actually…easier. Faster. More fun.

Let me give you an example, courtesy of our school PTA.

Last week, as I was running into my daughter’s school to drop off her picture day order form (which I forgot to put in her backpack that morning, oops!), I saw a flyer for movie night at the school that very night. I had totally forgotten about it, but once reminded, quickly scanned the QR code and got tickets.

The PTA holds these on a few weeknights during the school year, and we’ve been trying to go whenever we can. When you buy tickets, you get to vote for one of the three options (my daughters LOVE this opportunity to chime in with their preference), and the one with the most votes gets screened. Tickets are $2 to see the movie, $7 if you also want a slice of pizza, snacks, and drink. Proceeds go to support the school. They screen the movie on the projector or wall in the school gym or cafeteria and everyone brings blankets/fold up chairs/pillows to throw on the floor.

The kids love the chance to see their friends, see a movie, and eat pizza. As parents, we love the chance to see other parents, observe the dynamics our kids have with their friends, and just have an easy, close-to-home, fun family activity. For the PTA, these events help raise funds but require relatively little effort or cost - the school is there, the gym/cafeteria/parking lot are empty in the evening, there’s already a projector and sound system ready to go.

Win-win-win.

And no one - not the kids, not the families, not the PTA - has to work hard.

I think these kinds of low-lift solutions are magical.

The reality is that the best way to get more participation is to make things easier for everyone involved. This isn’t always possible - but when it is…pure magic.

Community members are more likely to show up if it’s easy for them. Coalition members or local organizations are more likely to keep organizing or running an activity or program if it doesn’t require too much of them and the impact feels more than worth the little bit of effort required.

So take a look around - are there low-lift opportunities for community connection or action that your coalition can put into place? Drop me a note and share your low-lift examples, whether you’ve already done them/experienced them or are planning them for the future!

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Counted Out - are the keys to transforming math education the keys to transforming community health?

Are you a math person?

This Pi day, the giving circle I’m a part of hosted a screening of the documentary Counted Out, which explores how, “in the 21st century, fueled by technology, data, and algorithms, math determines who has the power to shape our world.”

In the small group discussions following the screening, the facilitators began by asking everyone to share whether they consider themselves a math person or not, and let me tell you, it turned into something akin to a therapy session real quick. Lots of baggage out there around math.

As our facilitator pointed out, toddlers LOVE counting and categorizing everything. When does that change? When does that natural love for math get turned into fear? And what can we do about it?

To answer those questions, the film features “scenes of math transformation in action,” and I was struck by how similar these are to scenes of community health transformation in action.

Not in terms of the subject matter or who specifically is at the table, but in terms of the core lessons around how to better communicate, connect, and build capacity.

Here are some key ideas from Counted Out and the parallels I see in the work of community health coalitions:

Use their words and experiences to shape your message.

Counted Out asks viewers to consider, how do we use the language young people own so they can better access the language of math? One teacher described the importance of giving students the opportunity to express their experiences in life in their own words. Then, the teacher noted, it’s easier for them as a teacher to find a way to express a math concept in a way that uses the student’s words and helps them connect to it.

→ Here at PoP Health, we talk often about the difference between hearing and truly listening to what community members have to say. It can drive and shape our work in a myriad of ways, and the more we use their words and experiences in shaping and communicating our messages, the more our messages will resonate with them.

Make sure your examples improve understanding of real-world phenomena.

One of the interviewees in Counted Out shares a great example of a terrible math problem - one that’s intended to be a real-life application, but ends up just the opposite. “Chris drinks his milkshake at a constant rate. If he drinks one ounce per second…” a problem might begin. In the documentary, the interviewee notes that no one drinks a milkshake at a constant rate in real life! He argues that an example problem should improve students’ understanding of real life phenomena, not make it worse.

→ I think this is a great philosophy for the kinds of examples we share with community members too. If we’re oversimplifying in ways that worsen their understanding of the real life workings of the intersecting systems that impact their health, then we’re doing them a disservice. This is why I believe so deeply in orienting community towards root causes and systems.

Lighten up.

Perhaps my favorite quote from the documentary was a teenager saying “Math could just use some coffee. Lighten up.”

→ Just as the way math is taught is often too dry, so is the way we talk about community health! Bring in the humor, use silly gifs and visuals, tell a personal story, lighten up. Transport your audience.

Players, not spectators.

In Counted Out, there is talk of shifting to a mindset of students as players in the game of math education, not spectators.

→ This is the ultimate goal in community health transformation too - putting community members in the driver’s seat.

***

So, what do you think? Do these ideas ring true to you, whether with respect to math education or community health? How were you taught math? What worked and what didn’t? Drop me a line and let me know!

And to learn more about how to apply these and other lessons in the realm of community health, join me for a FREE webinar on April 2nd at noon - on action planning for community coalitions. Plus, exclusively for webinar attendees, you'll be able to book a free 30 minute assessment call with me to assess where your coalition is and what’s the right next step. If you haven't yet, be sure to register for the webinar at pophealthllc.com/webinar so you get the Zoom link.

I hope to see you there.

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What organizing IS and ISN'T

Unfortunately, everything is still on fire, and the public’s health (and SO much else) remains under threat.

I talked earlier this month about how taking action requires a) actually planning and committing to take action and b) organizing.

But what even is organizing?

Today, I want to share a little primer on what organizing IS and what it IS NOT.

Most of the content here is from a National Academies panel with Jamila Michener and Jonathan Heller during a workshop earlier this month on democracy and governance.

Organizing IS NOT merely mobilizing.

During this panel, an attendee asked an excellent question - we’re talking about organizing to protect and advance democracy and public health, but what about all those that are organizing against those goals? Couldn’t one argue that those who don’t share these goals have basically organized us out of a democracy at this point? In their response to this question, the panelists drew a distinction between organizing (where the process of organizing has to be a democratic one and develop the critical consciousness of those involved) and mobilizing (which is just about putting people into movement, even if it’s “astroturf” or other such entities telling the community what to believe).

Organizing IS NOT merely “individuals brandishing banners stating scatter goals”.

You’ve heard me quote Grant Ennis on this before, but it bears repeating. Historical protests that led to meaningful policy change did not involve “individuals brandishing banners stating scattered goals” but rather “organized citizens focused on political action” with banners that “listed their demands and the names of the groups they represented.” We need organizational weight and structure behind demands in order to sustain the efforts to make the demands reality beyond a single protest or set of protests/actions.

Organizing IS about both building and breaking power.

The panel I mentioned was titled “Building and Breaking Power” and I think this distinction is so important. I loved how they broke down these concepts. Building power in community looks like community organizing, developing coalitions, starting social movements. Breaking power where corporate interests (or, random unelected billionaires, as the case may be) have too much of it looks like profit minimization, regulation, enforcement - and, I would add, as I heard chanted at a recent rally, it looks like litigating, legislating, agitating, and resisting. Both building and breaking power involve negotiation and storytelling and making and pursuing collective demands.

Organizing IS about a lot more than just direct action.

Don’t get me wrong, direction action is important (I’ve been dusting off my long forgotten bubble letter/coloring skills and running my daughters’ markers dry these last couple weeks making signs for rallies), but it’s just one component of organizing. During the panel I mentioned, they shared many different concepts that make up the idea of organizing (from a forthcoming publication called “Let’s Talk: Community Organizing”). I’ve organized them into three groups below.

There are aspects of organizing related to internal change in those involved:

• Increasing their sense of control/agency/power;

• Increasing their ability to reflect critically and hold complexity (which relates to the prior point about how organizing isn’t merely mobilizing);

• Building their capacity - to identify problems, to identify change targets (that solve problems, unify the base, and build power), to organize, and to collectively solve problems.

There are aspects of organizing related to external change by other actors:

• Making demands and taking actions (including via campaigns/initiatives).

And there are aspects of organizing related to structural change in how the organizing is happening (this relates to the prior point about how organizing isn’t just individuals brandishing banners):

• Building a base, “expand[ing] the number of people impacted by problems in their community who are in relationship with one another and involved in collective action”;

• Developing leadership, “shifting from private shame about the problems they face to a public stance, and [building] leadership to solve these problems”;

• Forming an organization to coalesce and sustain power (this one is incredibly important - without the structure of an organization, it's extremely difficult to keep efforts coordinated and sustained).

I continue to feel that the only way out of the many messes our country is currently in is through meaningful, effective organizing. I hope this primer is a helpful lens through which to think about it.

And I hope PoP Health's upcoming free webinar on action planning for community coalitions and launch of a new initiative that aims to change the narrative and inspire organizing to build and break power (and make organizing itself easier and more effective!) help too - we'll be sharing dates for these launches soon.

In the meantime - keep taking action! I really love this distillation of different ways (and varying levels of effort) to do something in support of democracy - https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/.

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A New Year's wish + invitation

Thank you for being a part of our Community Threads family! Having this space to share with you all and reading your emails about what you’ve gleaned from these newsletters have meant the world to me this past year.

So as we close the chapter on 2024 and enter 2025, I wanted to share with you a new year’s wish + invitation:

We recognize 2025 is a new year with significant challenges - some old, some new. And we believe wholeheartedly that it is at the intersection of hope and action that we can work together to transform health in our communities.

In that spirit, here at PoP Health, we’ll be launching two new projects in 2025 - action planning workshops and technical assistance packages for community health coalitions + an initiative focused on putting political and economic power back in the hands of communities.

We’ll share with you along the way right here in our Community Threads newsletters. Please keep those replies coming - I love hearing from you!

In the meantime, as we find new ways to take action together, I remain ever grateful to you - thank you for reading.

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Movements need weavers and warriors

What a week.

In the last issue of Community Threads, I spoke about how voting isn’t enough - that we need to organize movements. That remains true regardless of who wins an election or which political party is in power.

We need to come together - in a highly organized, long-term, consistent way - to make collective demands for concrete changes. We need movements.

And movements need both weavers and warriors.

Weavers that bring separate threads together to create a collective fabric - that bring organizations and individuals together for a common purpose, that build stronger connections, that persuade more people to join together, that reach across aisles, that take collective action.

Warriors that fight for the changes they want to see - that go up against power, that resist what they know is not right, that protest against injustice.

I’ve always considered myself a weaver - everything from the name of this newsletter (Community Threads) to PoP Health’s logo (which emphasizes interconnectedness) go back to the ideas of working together for collective impact. It’s why I love working with community coalitions and collaboratives.

And yet, I find myself venturing more into warrior territory these days. PoP Health has a new initiative coming down the pike (in Spring 2025) that’s focused on putting political and economic power back in the hands of communities, as opposed to corporate interests. And it has me fired up.

It makes me wonder if those of us who have both weavers and warriors in us - and those spaces where weavers and warriors can come together - could be valuable to the work of organizing movements.

Because a few things are clear.

A lot of weaving in the community health space has involved admiring the problem, as opposed to solving it. A lot of weaving has focused so much on achieving consensus with everyone (even the corporate interests that are working against public health goals) that the end results have been weak and watered down actions.

On the flip side, a lot of warriors in the community health space have failed to widen their tent and expand their coalition. A lot of warriors have failed to coordinate and coalesce around concrete demands in consistent, sustained ways.

Movements need weavers and warriors (and those who see both in themselves). Who are you? A weaver, a warrior, both? And has your answer changed over time, like mine? Drop me a line and let me know!

Ultimately, successful movements need weavers that build agreement and collective, sustained action around the concrete demands of warriors.

As I said last time, history shows us it’s possible. Let’s get to work.

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Why voting isn’t enough

With election day fast approaching, I’ve been thinking a lot about voting. 

At an event I was at a few weeks ago, someone brought up the distinction between technocratic strategies and democratic strategies - that technocratic strategies focus on policy (which is necessary, but not sufficient, to transform health in our communities) while democratic strategies focus on politics (which is all about POWER). 

We can’t transform health in our communities without democratic strategies that center power.  And as Frederick Douglas said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand.” If we don’t demand change, power concedes nothing, and we’re left where we started. 

And up until recently, I thought about voting as one of the only ways I personally could demand change. 

Yes, I could call my legislators or sign a petition or join a protest, but those things never seemed all that effective to me. 

And I finally figured out why. 

I just finished the book Dark PR, by Grant Ennis (highly recommend, and you’ll be hearing more about it from me!), and he lays out both why “just voting” isn’t enough and why other political actions in the modern day “fall flat”. 

Ennis talks about “just voting” as a “harmful narrative”. 

“If we are deceived into believing that citizenship begins and ends with voting, we risk losing sight of the fact that a healthy democracy requires citizen association and political action in addition to voter participation. Democratic participation involves starting, actively organizing, and participating in citizen groups that continuously demand change. Democracy is in danger if we fail to understand that it requires much more than ‘just voting’.” 

And the citizen association piece is the key to why the political actions I had available to me (call my legislators, sign a petition, join a protest, and so on) always seemed ineffective. 

Ennis writes, “Citizens ‘just protest’ at the expense of meaningful citizen organizing and targeted political action.” It’s not that protests are always ineffective, but if we are mobilizing without organizing, if we are mobilizing without concrete and substantial demands, then we are engaging in “aggregate individual behavior” as opposed to a true collective movement. 

He contrasts how historical protests that led to meaningful policy change did not involve “individuals brandishing banners stating scattered goals” but rather “organized citizens focused on political action” with banners that “listed their demands and the names of the groups they represented.” 

Don’t get me wrong, I remain a proud voter, and think everyone eligible should absolutely vote in every election. And that changes are needed to make it easier to vote. 

But it’s not enough. 

And neither are individually calling our legislators or showing up to a one-off protest. 

We need to organize movements.  We need to make it so we call our legislators and sign petitions and join protests in ways that ARE effective because they are organized, collective demands for concrete changes that are long-term and consistent. History shows us it’s possible. 

More on movements soon. In the meantime, let’s vote! 

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The difference between cynicism and skepticism

Are you a pessimist or an optimist?

I’m optimistic (almost to a fault, my family would tell you).

But…I’m also pretty skeptical. Whether it’s someone trying to sell me on a business idea or life insurance package or supplements or pretty much anything - they’ll be met with a lot of questions and not-particularly-well-hidden skepticism (I’ve got no poker face, y’all - something I share with my daughter).

Doesn’t it seem somewhat counterintuitive to be both optimistic and skeptical? If you’re optimistic and believe the best in people, shouldn’t you also believe in the ideas people are putting forward? 

Well, in an issue of Well from the New York Times last month, they quoted the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab, Jamil Zaki, making a distinction between cynicism and skepticism, and it was a real “light bulb moment” for me - 

“Cynicism…is a lack of faith in people, while skepticism is a lack of faith in our assumptions.” 

Ding, ding, ding! When I read this, I immediately thought, YES, this is exactly it. I believe in people (ok, not every single person, but generally speaking, I believe most people have good intentions and are trying their best). But I reject many of the assumptions that underlie our society. 

Dr. Zaki suggests that a cynical worldview - believing people are “generally selfish, greedy and dishonest” - can make you feel safer and smarter, but can also have a negative impact on your health and lead to beliefs that are untrue. He “encourages readers to become “hopeful skeptics” who think critically about societal problems while recognizing how kind and generous others really are.” 

And this, I think, is at the heart of public health and the work of coalitions in pursuit of transformational change to the health and well-being of their communities. 

We should be highly skeptical of the assumptions that underlie our current policies and systems. 

But we should not lose our faith in people, or our faith in the idea that people can come together to change our policies and systems for the better. 

What do you think? Does this resonate for you? Are you a cynic or a skeptic or both or neither? And how do you think cynicism and skepticism “show up” in our work?

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"The art of gathering" and the importance of grounding people in their purpose

Have you facilitated a meeting before? Or hosted a party?

What runs through your mind when you’re planning a gathering?

Are you a “chill host” (hint: Priya Parker, in her book, “The Art of Gathering”, suggests you shouldn’t be!)?

Source: https://www.priyaparker.com/book-art-of-gathering

Do you ask yourself why you’re gathering people (and then why again and again, until you drill down to something meaningful) and use your answer to shape your event (hint: This will help you host a meaningful, memorable gathering!).

I was invited to speak at a Comprehensive School Mental Health State Policy Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina last month. At the start of one of the days, in small groups, the meeting facilitator had us answer what I think might be the most powerful icebreaker question I’ve been asked - “Who do you dedicate your learning here today to?”

The answers from the members of our small group were vulnerable, beautiful, and heartfelt - from stories of loss to children going off to college to reflections on one’s community. It was an invitation to not just think about our school mental health work and the impact it could have, but to ground ourselves in what this work means to us.

My answer surprised even me - as I thought about school mental health and who I’d want to dedicate my learning to, my thoughts gravitated to the people closest to me who had the least amount of support for their mental health as children - my parents.

This opening question is a powerful example of a point Priya Parker underscores in her book - don’t open with logistics. Get to those eventually, but they are a buzzkill as an opener. Instead, think about the deepest “why” of why this gathering is taking place and use that to plan a powerful opening. (Note: This goes for endings too, don’t end with thank yous! Get those in along the way, but to close, get people back to the core “why” of the gathering and inspire them to make a change - however small - as a result.)

Speaking of thought-provoking openers - while I was in Charlotte for this meeting, I wandered through the city and checked out the amazing public art sprinkled throughout, and this sculpture at the entrance to a park really caught my fancy, so I had to take a quick picture. What a way to invite people to think about their time in this outdoor gathering space.

“Life is an Open Book” by Brad Spencer in The Green, Charlotte, North Carolina

Every time we come together with others, whatever shape or form that takes, however casual or formal, we have an opportunity to elevate that gathering - from something mundane to something extraordinary. Take your shot. And shoot me a note to tell me all about it!

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