DIY ingenuity seems to be everywhere. If you have a leaky dishwasher, a broken tail light, or want to build a raised garden, all you have to do is watch a âhow toâ video online. Before you know it, youâll think youâre a plumber, mechanic, or gardener! And if you successfully pull off projects like these, youâll also feel satisfied and proud (speaking from personal experience: Iâve done all of them). Not just because you saved money, but also because you taught yourself a new skill. And most of the time, you can transfer or adapt those new skills to other areas of your life.
Lately, Iâve been reflecting on collaboratives, coalitions, and other groups that unite around a specific mission. Iâve asked myself, âWhat makes some groups effective while others fail?â There is obviously more than one answer to that question. But based on years of supporting community-led efforts at Healthy Places by Design, at least one essential practice is evident to me: prioritizing and creating a culture of learning.
Over the past four and a half years, I have worked with Impact Alamance and Healthy Alamance to build and support a group that has put a culture of learning into action: the Alamance Wellness Collaborative (AWC) in Alamance County, NC. This coalition has been meeting regularly since 2015 and continues to thrive. AWCâs mission is to âpromote and advocate for the development and improvement of safe and accessible environments that support a culture of active living and healthy eating for all in Alamance County.â
During AWCâs first year, Healthy Places by Design spent a lot of time getting everyone in the group on the same page about what it means to work on policy, systems, and environmental changes. While this was already a familiar concept to some of the groupâs members, reviewing it helped ground everyone in shared language and understand why their collective efforts would go beyond programs and individual behavior change. Once there was understanding about the concepts, it took a bit more time for the Collaborativeâs members to consider how they could implement changes. After all, many were government employees and couldnât âadvocate.â Sticking with a learning process in order to reconsider their roles in creating change required more patience and additional learning. The Collaborative continues to acquire transferable skills that include implementing tobacco-free parks policies, laying the groundwork for increased connectivity, re-visioning the streets, and hearing lessons from inspirational communities like Franklin, TN.
In the not-to-distant past, it wasnât uncommon to hear decision makers in Alamance County say, âThatâs not how we do things here.â That sentiment, which is not at all unique to Alamance County, can be a barrier to creating a culture of learning. But in Alamance County, that mentality is shifting. Maybe itâs because of how AWC members have energetically shared their insights, or maybe itâs simply out of necessity. (Remember how I said that learning a new skill can not only feel good, but can also save you money? Itâs no different for a community.) Some of the most experienced decision makers who have years of success under their belts are still open to seeing new perspectives, hearing examples from similar communities, and considering how to apply them in Alamance County.
In 2018, Healthy Places by Design invited national walking expert Mark Fenton to lead a walking audit. He provided compelling examples and generated enthusiasm for making Alamance County more walkable through policy changes and pilot projects. This year, Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns delivered a straightforward argument for why it makes economic sense to create a more vibrant Alamance County. Although the presentation styles of these two experts resonated with different audiences, those differences helped reach a more diverse group of elected officials, professionals, and community leaders who then went back to their day jobs with new ideas.
They thought âWe could do that!â Or, âThat was nice, but how would we do that here?â They pitched âWhat would Alamance County look like ifâŚ?â to one another. They considered how to adapt the examples to their context. They called peers to brainstorm. They wanted to know more about how the AWC could help advance these efforts. Theyâre exploring field trips to neighboring communities. AWC members are now leading in ways they werenât before. And all the while, theyâre still meeting monthly to advance the Collaborativeâs mission.
With every new skill that AWC members and community leaders learn, they strengthen a culture of learning and deepen their capacity to make Alamance County a healthier place to live. DIYers are everywhere: sometimes they come in the form of national experts, and sometimes they look like engaged residents rolling up their sleeves together.
The most important thing is to keep seeking out those âhow toâ experts, remembering that you could be one too.