Socially Connected Communities
Healthy Places by Design builds and supports a movement to advance action that results in more socially connected and equitable communities.
Healthy Places by Design builds and supports a movement to advance action that results in more socially connected and equitable communities.
Bridging across divides and creating a shared sense of belonging in communities is essential to sustain a broader socially connected community. Approaches that honor the diversity of members in the community require bringing people together across differences to avoid othering and siloing of subgroups. Creating a sense of belonging involves helping all community members feel safe and valued.
Join us to learn about the status of disconnection in our country and communities, as well as evidence-based strategies and community examples to foster bridging and belonging while honoring diversity. Calista Small, Research Manager with More in Common will share highlights from the recently released report, The Connection Opportunity: Insights for Bringing Americans Together Across Difference. Kira Hamman, Senior Director of Programs with Urban Rural Action will share how the Uniting for Action program is bringing highly polarized and once divided communities together.
Register for the webinar today! And hold time on your calendar on May 28 to join the post-webinar Discussion Group from 4-5 pm ET where you can engage in deeper discussions with presenters and peers. A link to join the discussion group will be provided during the webinar.
Register for the May 28 Webinar
Download the newest Resource Guide on Cultivating Community Hubs for Social Connection! It provides an array of useful links on the topic, as well as highlights from the webinar.
Download All of the Socially Connected Communities Resource Guides
We are excited to release a first-of-its-kind set of Transformative Narratives for Socially Connected Communities!
Narratives convey the deep values and beliefs about the way we view the world and the ways in which our communities operate. They can often be more powerful than facts or data in influencing public opinion and community practices. Dominant narratives can either help or hinder efforts to create equitable and socially connected communities. Transformative narratives align values, and can shift harmful narratives and influence action to achieve social connectedness and wellbeing.
Explore the Transformative Narratives for Socially Connected Communities, co-produced by Healthy Places by Design and the Narratives for Health Initiative. We extend sincere thanks and appreciation to the narrative builders across the country who contributed to this important resource! Learn more about narrative concepts, applying narratives, guidelines for shifting narratives, and more in the Narratives for Health Guide.
Transformative Narratives for Socially Connected Communities
See the Stronger Together Narratives which were developed by partners in Watertown, WI to fit their local community context.
Let's explore ways to use narratives to impact your work! We provide tailored support to help you and your partners build capacity and utilize narratives to fit your community’s needs.
Healthy Places by Design’s Socially Connected Communities Network aims to inspire action that results in more socially connected and equitable communities by exploring ideas and strategies that reduce social isolation and strengthen social ties, especially for those who are most marginalized. The Network has four components designed for a variety of learning styles and to address the continuum of community-led change. Click on the icons below to learn more about the Network components. And sign-up to stay up-to-date and receive our Socially Connected Communities Network e-newsletter.
Bi-monthly webinars provide opportunities to learn about socially connected communities. These one-hour webinars will present key and emerging content and community examples on focused topics, and explore intersections between social connection and community/societal wellbeing topics. The webinars are for community-focused change agents (i.e., government, nonprofit, community, philanthropy), members of existing and emerging local- and state-level coalitions/partnerships, and anyone else working to reduce social isolation and loneliness, and strengthen the social fabric in communities.
Discussion Groups are hosted immediately following each bi-monthly webinar and provide a space for attendees to dive deeper with the webinar speakers and other attendees who are working to improve social connections in communities. The purpose of the discussion group sessions is to explore ways to apply ideas and strategies learned in the webinar within their communities.
A link to join the post-webinar discussion group is provided during each live webinar. Interested participants are encouraged to put a hold on their calendars from 4-5 pm EST on each webinar date.
Resource Guides are a companion piece to the webinars and discussion group sessions that provide a summary of key points and useful links. Co-developed by Healthy Places by Design and webinar guests, the Resource Guides provide easy access to key information about social connections sub-topics for anyone interested in improving socially connected communities.
Access the Socially Connected Communities Network Resource Guides
Peer Connection Sessions are affinity-style virtual meetings where people who are working in similar ways or focused on similar sub-topics can connect for learning, exchange, and problem solving. Healthy Places by Design hosts and facilitates Peer Connection Sessions based on emerging interests.
Contact us to share ideas for future Peer Connection Sessions.
Social connection is vital to healthy and equitable communities. Social isolation is rooted in community design, social norms, and systemic injustices that keep people and neighborhoods apart. People in our country and around the world experience soaring rates of social isolation and disconnectedness, with profound impacts on the health and wellbeing of communities. The good news is that strong social connections can boost a person’s survival rate by 50%, and there are viable solutions for improving opportunities for social connection in communities.
Healthy Places by Design issued the Socially Connected Communities: Solutions for Social Isolation report – a first of its kind to raise the issue from individual to community solutions. Read the report and access companion pieces including a report overview, video, Action Guide for Philanthropic Leaders, and Action Guide for Local Government and Community Leaders.
As a thought leader in the field, we also publish blogs and additional resources co-produced with partners.
Action Guide for Philanthropic Leaders
Action Guide for Local Government and Community Leaders
Essential Resources on Socially Connected Communities
Healthy Places by Design supports action that leads to more socially connected communities. Learn more from the communities we’ve partnered with:
Supporting Black Health through Socially Connected Communities, Charlotte, NC
Supporting Social Connections in the Mat-Su Borough, Alaska
The Action Guide for Building Socially Connected Communities is an interactive toolkit designed to provide local leaders and change makers with a road map for promoting meaningful social connection and belonging for community flourishing. The Action Guide was developed by the Foundation for Social Connection, Harvard University's Human Flourishing Program, and Healthy Places by Design, with support from Einhorn Collaborative. We invite you to partner with local leaders and members within your community to co-create effective, sustainable social connection action plans using this guide.
