When we’re all teachers, everyone learns. Accelerating health equity, addressing social determinants of health, and advancing community-led action are built on individual and organizational exchanges that require two-way interaction. These exchanges can happen anywhere—in council chambers, institutions, businesses, and even in the streets. But too often, local forums, meetings, and engineered “community engagement” (however that […]
Last month, a group of around 500 people and I participated in a webinar covering the launch of the fearlessly groundbreaking Walking Towards Justice Series. It was organized by America Walks and moderated by Charles Brown, Senior Researcher with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center. The first episode of the series addressed race and residential […]
It is impossible to achieve and sustain a Culture of Health without practicing a Culture of Learning. The complexities of the community transformation process require us to be curious and proactively seek new knowledge and fresh perspectives. Of various learning definitions, styles, and approaches, Active Living By Design (ALBD) views collaborative learning as a key […]
I recently watched “Resilience,” which talks about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress. The combination of having a high ACE score and little-to-no protective relationships has been shown to increase the risk of a whole host of poor health outcomes like heart disease, obesity, liver disease, an increased risk of substance abuse and mental […]
I was recently at a conference with a nationally-recognizable keynote speaker who I had heard a few times over the past few years. I looked forward to hearing new stories, data, and insights the speaker had gathered and how they tied to the decades of work this person has devoted to the topic. However, despite […]
A Culture of Learning is one of six Essential Practices in Active Living By Design (ALBD)’s Community Action Model. In order to create meaningful and sustained community change, we believe that these practices should be interwoven throughout each action step within the model. Our experiences over the years with a variety of community partnerships has […]
Active Living By Design is about to launch a fresh model for community-driven change to reflect the evolution of our field’s growth. It reminds me of how far we’ve come. Early in my career, I was talked into wearing a Minnie Mouse costume at a health fair hosted by the local health department. My small […]
In 2016, I hope the news is filled with stories about connectivity. I don’t just mean more networks of sidewalks, bike lanes, trails and parks, or school gardens and local farms connected to community kitchens and small groceries. While that type of connectivity is important for healthy communities, I’d like for something more to prevail […]
Ten years ago, professional planners and nutritionists rarely sat at the same table, let alone shared a common vision. The recent release of the Growing Food Connections (GFC) Policy Database symbolizes the great strides that have occurred from collaborations across the planning and food/nutrition sectors to achieve policy and practice changes that support healthy communities. […]