Virtual Series

April 1: Community Voices Panel: Shifting Power

The final of four virtual events focused on adaptive factors of aligning sectors. This event on Thursday, April 1, featured three communities.  

Elevating community voices helps ensure that lasting change is driven by and for the community. This is particularly true for improving health locally, as the health care, public health, and social service sectors are aligning to work together in new ways.  

On Thursday, April 1, community members and leaders from Lake County, Colorado; Gastonia, North Carolina; and Proviso Township, Illinois described how they are intentionally empowering and elevating the voices of members of their communities as they work to align sectors. This engaging panel featured diverse perspectives from organizational leaders and community members who will offer practical takeaways and lessons learned along the way.

Participants learned how to shift power so that community members are invested in setting priorities and shaping solutions, how elevating the voices of the community is central to addressing racial equity, and much more. 

Speakers

• Lake County Build a Generation (Colorado): Katie Baldassar (Executive Director) and Vanessa DeLira (Community Connector)
• Proviso Partners for Health (Illinois): Lena Hatchett, PhD (Co-Founder and Executive Lead) and Christopher Epps (Garden Manager)
• Healthier Highland (North Carolina): Vincent Wong (Director of Community Services, City of Gastonia) and Donyel Barber (Community Health Coordinator, Kintegra Health and Gastonia City Councilwoman) 
• Moderator: Tiffany Manuel, PhD, president and CEO of The CaseMade, which equips emerging leaders in all walks of life to build a world where everyone thrives.