Building Healthy Communities through Collaborative Solutions

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Building Healthy Communities through
Collaborative Solutions
A Partnership Conference With Tom Wolff
Ph.D. Racine Mayors Office on Strategic
Partnerships Racine, WI June 2011

• Tom Wolff Ph.D.
• Tom Wolff Associates
• 24 S. Prospect St.
• Amherst, MA. 01002
• 413 253 2646
• tom_at_tomwolff.com

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Stand and Declare

• Collaboration with representatives
• from all parts of the community is
• fun and easy
• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree

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Stand and Declare

• In collaborations where we share information
  these exchanges lead to community changes in
  programs, policies, and practices

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Stand and Declare

• In collaborative efforts in our community we
  always engage those most affected by the problem
  as equal partners at the table and they willingly
  join us and participate actively.

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What are collaborative solutions?

• Doing together that which we cannot do alone
• A collaboration is a group of individuals and/or
  organizations with a common interest who agree to
  work together toward a common goal.
• From S.Fawcett et.al

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Why collaborative solutions have been encouraged?

• To create social change
• To encourage social innovation
• Expand interventions to the whole community
• To do more with less when there are budget cuts
• To address limitations of the health and human
  service systems
• To promote civic engagement
• To build healthy communities

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Concerns with Health Human Service System

• Fragmentation
• Duplication of effort
• Focus on deficits
• Crisis Orientation
• Failure to respond to diversity
• Excessive professionalism
• Detached from community clients
• Competition
• Limited and inaccessible information
• Loss of our spiritual purpose
• Failure to engage those most directly affected

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Experiences in Coalitions and Partnerships

• Please describe two partnerships or coalition
  experiences that you have had that have been
  positive and two that have been negative.

Positive Experiences Negative Experiences
Why? Why
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Unique characteristic of community coalitions at
their best

• Holistic and comprehensive
• Flexible and responsive
• Build a sense of community
• Build and enhance resident engagement in
  community life
• Provide a vehicle for community empowerment
• Allow diversity to be valued as foundation of the
  wholeness of the community
• Incubators for innovative solutions to community
  problems

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Collaborative Solutions

• 1. Engage a broad spectrum of the community
• Especially those most directly affected
• Celebrate racial and cultural diversity
• 2. Encourage true collaboration as the form of
  exchange

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The Continuum of Collaboration

• Definitions
• Networking Exchanging information for mutual
  benefit.
• Coordination Exchanging information and modifying
  activities for mutual benefit.
• Cooperation Exchanging information,
  modifying activities, and sharing resources for
  mutual benefit and to achieve a common purpose.

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The Continuum of Collaboration- cont.

• Collaboration Exchanging information, modifying
  activities, sharing resources, and enhancing the
  capacity of another for mutual benefit and to
  achieve a common purpose by sharing risks,
  resources, responsibilities, and rewards.
• From Arthur Himmelman

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The Continuum of Collaboration Worksheet

• Instructions Given the definitions of
  networking, coordinating, cooperating and
  collaborating, identify the following
• With an x identify which functions are most
  frequently used in your collaborative efforts
• Discuss how you might like to change this mix
• With an o identify where you would like to be
  (which functions you would like to use more
  frequently, etc.)
• Discuss and note what your collaborative needs to
  do to make this happen
• Use Frequently
  Use Sometimes Hardly Ever
  Use
• Networking _____________ _____________ ___________
  __
• Exchanging Information
• Coordination _____________ _____________ _________
  ____
• Exchange Information
• Alter Activities
• Cooperation _____________ _____________ __________
  ___
• Exchange Information
• Alter Activities
• Share Resources
• Collaboration _____________ _____________ ________
  _____
• Exchange Information
• Alter Activities
• Share Resources

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Collaborative Solutions cont.

• 3. Practice democracy
• Promote active citizenship and empowerment
• 4. Employ an ecological approach that emphasizes
  individual in his/her setting.
• Build on community strengths and assets

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Slum Housing
From John McKnight
Mental Illness
Crime
Neighborhood Needs Map
Teenage Pregnancy
Drug Abuse
Rat Bites
Domestic Violence
Lead Poisoning
Welfare Dependency
T r u a n c y
Slum Housing
Alcoholism
Gangs
Illiteracy
Unemployment
AIDS
Pollution
Broken families
Boarded-up Buildings
Dropouts
Child Abuse
Homelessness
Abandonment
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Neighborhood Assets Map
Public Information
From John McKnight
Fire Depts.
Libraries
Public Schools
Personal Income
Parks
Capital Improvement Expenditures
Cultural Organizations
H o s p i t a l s
Associations of Business
Public Information
Individual Businesses
Police
Individual Capacities
Vacant Bldgs., Land, etc.
Religious Organizations
Gifts of Labeled People
Higher Education Institutions
Citizens Associations
Social Service Agencies
Home-Based Enterprise
Energy/Waste Resources
Welfare Expenditures
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Types of community assessment questions

• Traditional
• What are your needs?
• How can we (providers) meet those needs?
• Asset-based assessment questions
• What are your communitys strengths?
• How can you contribute to helping us find a
  solution?

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Collaborative solutions cont.

• 5. Take action
• Address issues of social change and power
• Build on a common vision
• 6. Engage your spirituality as your compass for
  social change
• Align the goal and the process
• Be the change that you wish to create in the
  world. (M. Gandhi)

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• Appreciation
• Acceptance
• Compassion
• Interdependence

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Story of the Cleghorn Neighborhood Center
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CNC Story

• Moving from social service to social change
• Start with door-to-door visits
• Build leadership with adults and youth
• Take action - advocacy
• Build community
• CNC as an illustrationof the six principles

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Factors Affecting a Coalitions Capacity to
Create Change

• Having a clear vision and mission
• Action planning for community and systems change
• Developing and supporting leadership
• Documentation and ongoing feedback on programs
• Technical assistance and support
• Securing financial resources for the work
• Making outcomes matter
• From Roussus and Fawcett

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Working with Conflict in Coalitions

• Conflict is inherent in Coalitions
• It is useful to recognize different types of
  conflict and conflict behavior
• Power, Accountability, Unity diversity, Mixed
  loyalties, Division of labor, Interpersonal
  conflict
• Expression and negotiation of conflicts is
  healthy coalition behavior. It leads to better
  results.
• Use a variety of approaches to prevent, minimize
  and resolve conflicts
• From Beth Rosenthal in Wolff and Kaye From the
  Ground Up

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Guiding Principles for a New Social
ContractFrom The Boston Foundation

• Incorporate those directly affected by policies
• at the heart of dialogue and community
  building
• Value racial and cultural diversity as the
• foundation for wholeness
• Promote active citizenship and political
• empowerment
• Build on community strengths and assets

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Barriers

• Turf and Competition
• Bad history
• Failure to Act
• Lack of a Common Vision
• Failure to provide and create collaborative
  leadership
• Minimal organizational structure
• Costs outweigh the benefits
• Not engaging self-interest

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REACH 2010 BostonRacial and Ethnic Approaches to
Community Health
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Boston Blueprint for Action

• Health Care and Public Health
• Health Insurance.
• Data Collection
• Patient education
• Health Systems
• Cultural Competence-.
• Public Health Programs
• Research Needs
• Environment and Societal Factors
• Neighborhood investment
• Jobs and economic security .
• Public awareness .
• Promotion of key community institutions

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Social Capital
A Health Equity Framework
Education
Transportation
Employment
Food Access
Socioeconomic Status
Health Outcomes
Racism
Environmental Exposure
Health Behaviors
Access to Health Services
Housing
Public Safety
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Ottawa Charter- Prerequisites for health

• Encompassing a very broad set of variables - the
  fundamental conditions and resources for health
  are
• peace,
• shelter,
• education,
• food,
• income,
• a stable ecosystem,
• sustainable resources,
• social justice and equity

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Jamaica Plain Youth Health Equity Coalition

• Why focus on youth
• Were doing it already!
• Youth issues community issues family issues
• Narrows the focus (but not much)

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Jamaica Plain Youth Health Equity Collaborative -
Goals

• Involve residents, organizations and youth
• Examine health disparities
• Identify causes including social determinants
• Common language and framework
• Define and implement programs

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• Healthy youth have/are
• High Quality Education That Helps Them Achieve
  Their Dreams
• Meaningful Living Wage Jobs
• Safe and Connected Community Environment
• High Quality and Affordable Housing
• Engaged in High Quality and Comprehensive Health
  Care
• High Quality Food Access and an Environment that
  Promotes Physical Activity

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Bucket Meetings

• Case Study
• Employment inequities for low income African
  American/Latino youth role of institutional
  racism
• Employment Health impacts for low income African
  American/Latino youth
• Possible Action Steps/Strategies

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Youth Retreat August 2009
Undoing Racism Activity
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Current Focus Youth Employment

• Job Development
• Communications
• Job Training

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Youth Report 2009
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March and Rally February 2010
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Panel Exemplars of Success

• Presentation of successes
• Presentation of struggles
• Consultation Clinic on the dilemmas that local
  coalitions face

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Consultation Clinics at Your table

• Having listened carefully, what suggestions do
  you have as coaches for the coalition that just
  presented

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Engaging the Community
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Agency-Based and Community-Based Approaches
Issues Agency-Based Community-Based
Approach Weakness/Deficit Strength/Asset
Definition of Problem By Agencies, Government By Local Community
Role of Professional Central to Decision Making Resource to Community Problem Solving
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Agency-Based and Community-Based Approaches
Issues Agency-Based Community-Based
Primary decision makers Agencies, Govt Community
Potential for Community Ownership Low Hi
Communitys Control of Resources Low Hi
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• Who might you engage?
• Who else cares about your issue in your community?

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Benefits of Involving Grassroots Organizations
and Leaders

• Can reach high risk and hard to reach
  populations
• Work with formal and informal leaders
• Know what works in their communities
• 4. Community organizations are community
  archivists

(continued....)
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Benefits of Involving Grassroots Organizations
and Leaders (continued)

1. Promote ownership and participation
2. They are the best architects of solutions
3. Build local leadership
4. Create positive norms in the community
5. Promote community ownership

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THE FORMAL SECTORS
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THE INFORMAL SECTORS
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Degrees of Involvement Ladder of Participation
Community initiated shared decision making with
agencies Community initiated and directed
agencies support Agency initiated shared
decision making Consulted and informed Assigned
roles Tokenism Decoration Manipulation
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Stakeholder Analysis

• Capacities, skills, resources?
• Potential role?
• Self interest? Why should they join?
• How will you recruit?
• Barriers to recruiting?
• Who?
• When?

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• The main reason that someone volunteers is that
  someone they know asks them!

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Four Ways to Commit Resources to Increase
Community Engagement

• Mini grants
• Leadership development
• Community outreach workers
• Community organizers

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Retention _ The 6 Rs of Participation

• Recognition
• Respect
• Role
• Relationship
• Reward
• Results

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Sustainability

• What do we believe about sustainability?

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Stand and Declare

• What We Believe About Sustainability

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Our team is too busy with its present agenda to
spend more than a small amount of time thinking
and planning for sustainability.
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Community institutions will welcome taking over
our programs when our funding runs out.
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Our team must always be around in the future if
the state is to achieve our agenda.
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Myths of Sustainability

• Sustainability is best thought about in the
  waning months of your funding
• Everything we do must be sustained

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Myths of Sustainability

• It is all about finding the money
• Communities have the money to fund and sustain
  all pilot projects that show themselves to be
  effective and of value to the community

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Sustainability Outcomes

• I. Activities in the community (external)
• Practices sustained
• Strategies sustained
• Policies sustained
• Funding policies
• System changes
• Changes in Community Norms

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Sustainability Outcomes (cont)

• Relationships and Partnerships
• Changes in relationships
• New Partnerships

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Sustainability Outcomes (cont)

• III. Functions of the Collaborative Team
  (internal)
• Monitoring of collaborative activities
• Acts as a catalyst for change
• Gatherer/convener
• Collaborative problem solving
• Including new program development, coordination

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Sample Legacy Statements

• Violence Prevention Sustainability Statement
• Ongoing process to maintain transformation of a
  geographic community from one that suffers from
  and reacts to violence to one that prevents
  violence (in all its forms) and supports lasting
  peace
• Institute for Community Peace

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Sustainability Planning Process

• Building Blocks
• Existing Vision
• Mission
• Goals, objectives, activities
• Skills
• Evaluation
• Shared Understanding of Sustainability
• Vision
• Specifics of your legacy
• How will it impact the community

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Sustainability Planning Process (cont)

• Assessment
• Inventory of present program components
• Decide on criteria for sustainability
• Having an impact? (Results justify continuing)
• Costs and benefits?
• Is there still a need?
• Community support is strong
• Potential funding
• Prioritize Which activities you need to
  continue?

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• Planning and Implementation
• Four Approaches to Sustainability
• Institutionalization of changes
• Policy change
• Finding resources to sustain the effort
• Community ownership/capacity building

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Institutionalization Guiding Questions

• What strategies/programs do you hope to
  institutionalize?
• Who could adopt them?
• How will you engage them?
• If you spin off programs, what are the
  implications for the collaborative?

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Coalition Task Force Process

• Identify stakeholders
• Define the problem
• Investigate options
• Design a response
• Secure resources
• Implement the plan
• Evaluate and adapt
• Spin off
• Source B.L.Hathaway Growing a Health Community
  American Journal of Community Psychology, Vol.29,
  No 2, 2001

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Policy - Guiding Questions

• What policies will help you to your goals?
• Large policies
• Small Policies
• What must be done to achieve these policy changes?

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Community Ownership - Guiding Questions

• What norms do you wish to change?
• Who can influence these norms?
• How do you engage them?
• What part of the collaboratives activities would
  you like to have owned by others?

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Four ways to build capacity

• Mini-grants
• Leadership development
• Community outreach workers
• Community organizing

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Guiding Questions Finding resources to sustain
the effort

• What resources are needed to sustain your
  collaborative activities?
• Which can be continued with hard resources?
• Where will you find them?

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Guiding Questions Finding resources to sustain
the effort

• Which of the following techniques might you use?
  Grants,
• Seek government ,
• Local, State, Federal
• Foundations
• Fees,
• Fees for service
• Which can be sustained by in kind resources?
• Who can you turn to for in kind resources?
• Space, Staff, Etc.

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Follow up

• How can I take all this material on
  sustainability back home?
• What is most relevant?
• What does not apply?

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Collaborative Leadership
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Skills for Collaborative Leadership

• Be inclusive, promote diversity
• Practice shared decision making
• Resolve conflicts constructively
• Communicate clearly, openly, and honestly
• Facilitate group interaction
• Nurture leadership in others and encourage
  top-level commitment

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Attributes of Successful Collaborative Leaders

• Ability to share power
• Flexibility
• Ability to see the big picture
• Trustworthiness
• Patience
• Abundant energy and hope

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Dos and Donts of Collaborative Leadership

• DO remember to delegate
• DONT try to juggle too many balls
• DONT take it personally
• DO maintain an action orientation
• DONT hog the spotlight
• DONT avoid conflict
• DONT forget to celebrate the small victories

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Action PlanningBuilding the Future
Issue/Strategy And Action to be taken Who When What I / We Need



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• Be optimistic, it feels better.
• Dalai Lama

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Web Resources

• Tom Wolff Associates
• www.tomwolff.com
• Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice
• www.gjcpp.org
• Community Tool Box
• http//ctb.ku.edu

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New from Jossey Bass/John Wiley- available at
www.tomwolff.com