Commons Good: Stewardship and Starting Points

At a time when public health department budgets are being cut and their authority is being challenged the City of Dearborn, Michigan is taking a different path and investing in the expansion of public health in the region with a new public health department. The city leadership sees public health as essential for each Dearborn resident to thrive and ensure that no one is disadvantaged due to socia...

In this episode we’re talking with Maya Bhola, All-America John Parr Youth Award winner out of the city of Miramar, Florida. This award recognizes extraordinary civic engagement and leadership on the part of a young person in their community. Maya is the Founder of “Let’s Picture It”. An inclusive mental health group that allows community members to openly discuss emotions and life challenges. As...

In this episode we’re talking with Justice Horn, All-America John Parr Youth Award winner out of Kansas City, Missouri. This award recognizes extraordinary civic engagement and leadership on the part of a young person in their community. Justice was recognized for his racial justice advocacy, law enforcement reform, tenant/houseless equity, and environmental sustainability. Justice serves as LGBTQ...

In this episode we’re joining forces with the Build Healthy Places Network -- whose work sits at the intersection of community development, finance, public health, and healthcare. They intentionally position partnerships between these sectors to leverage community-centered investments to reduce poverty, improve health, and advance racial equity. We’re grateful to be talking with Debra Oto-Kent and...

In this episode we’re talking with Khuram Hussain, Ph. D about what it looks like for colleges as anchor institutions to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion for greater well-being across their campuses and in their communities. Hear how the art of dialogue, the inclusion of under-heard voices, and a focus on systems change is creating better outcomes for students, staff, and community. Listen...

In this episode we’re talking with Katya Fels Smyth about what it means to see and create change from a fuller frame. We too often see people as what is broken and our attempts to “fix” the human beings, allow problems to just get deeper. There is another way of thinking about how we orient ourselves, our public systems and our society that could give us all a fair shot. Listen in to hear more abo...

“The City of Miami Gardens was incorporated in 2003 out of a quest for self-determination that unfolded as a six-year citizen advocacy campaign to form a new municipality in north Miami-Dade County where residents had grown increasingly concerned about declining quality of life.” As the city continued to develop, Live Healthy Miami Gardens was seeded in 2014 as a Collective Impact Initiative to dr...

The Commons Good podcast team is sitting down with the All-America City (AAC) 2020 finalists to learn more about the work and the individuals helping to steward it forward. In this episode of the All-America City mini-series we have the opportunity to connect with Portsmouth, Ohio Councilman and Shawnee State professor, Sean Dunne. Portsmouth is situated in southeastern Ohio at the confluence of t...

People’s foundation for physical and mental well-being starts with access to fresh air, clean water, and nutritious food. Meeting these basic needs allows us to be healthier today by avoiding hunger, exhaustion, disease, and injury. It also means we are more likely to thrive tomorrow by supporting our ability to withstand adversity. The mid-20TH century was a turning point in the American food sys...

In this episode we’re talking with Michael Greer about the arts and it’s essential role in our social and civic fabric. We might also consider it’s role in our economy. The arts industry employs more than 5 million people and drives 900 billion in economic activity across our nation. The choices we make in the next six months about how we support and find our intersectionality with the arts will i...

Mason City, Iowa sits in the top third of the state, almost directly at the center off I-35. A town of just over 28,000 and the boyhood home of playwright and author Meredith Wilson, creator of the Music Man. This city has continued to invest in the arts as an essential ingredient in their civic life. The pandemic and calls for racial justice created a hard stop and opportunities—opportunities to...

Logansport sits at multiple crossroads—the confluence of two rivers, the east-west railways of the Wabash, and the first North/South road in Indiana. As the railways have quieted across the rural landscape, they’ve transformed rails to trails -- where community members gather sun or snow, wheels and walking. A treasure, made even more valuable by a pandemic. Logansport’s ability to reimagine and a...

The Commons Good podcast team is sitting down with the All-America City/County (AAC) 2020 finalists to learn more about the work and the individuals helping to steward it forward. In this episode of the AAC podcast mini-series we have the opportunity to connect with Annie Martinie (Danville Regional Foundation) and a few days later to learn more from Maggie Richardson (The Health Collaborative). T...

The Commons Good podcast team is sitting down with the All-America City/County (AAC) 2020 finalists to learn more about the work and the individuals helping to steward it forward. In this episode of the AAC podcast mini-series we have the opportunity to connect with Tab Brockman and Chris Jung from Hopkinsville, KY.The All-America City/County awards celebrates and recognizes neighborhoods, village...

David Gibbs joins us to talk about racial equity and the role of our systems and structures as key drivers of the persistent inequities communities and community members face. He introduces Stock and Concealed stories and their role in maintaining our commonly held narratives and the status quo. Then David walks us with him into South Fulton, Georgia to meet the community partners setting the tabl...

The Commons Good podcast team is sitting down with the All-America City/County (AAC) 2020 finalists to learn more about the work and the individuals helping to steward it forward. In this episode of the AAC podcast mini-series we have the opportunity to connect with Alice Keene of Pitt County, North Carolina. The All-America City/County awards celebrates and recognizes neighborhoods, villages, tow...

The Commons Good podcast team is sitting down with the All-America City (AAC) 2020 finalists to learn more about the work and the individuals helping to steward it forward. In this episode of the AAC podcast mini-series we have the opportunity to connect with Alexandro Simental, El Paso, Texas. The All-America City awards celebrates and recognizes neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, counties,...

The Commons Good podcast team is sitting down with the All-America City (AAC) 2020 finalists to learn more about the work and the individuals helping to steward it forward. In this episode of the All-America City podcast mini-series we have the opportunity to connect with Erica Lewis-Huntley and David Eoff of Rancho Cucamonga, California. The All-America City awards celebrates and recognizes neigh...

The Commons Good podcast team is sitting down with the All-America City 2020 finalists to learn more about the work and the individuals helping to steward it forward. In this episode of the All-America City podcast mini-series we have the opportunity to connect with Mindy Tate of Franklin Tomorrow and Mayor Ken Moore of Franklin County, Tennessee. The All-America City awards celebrates and recogni...

100 Million Healthier Lives is working to advance a shared ecosystem for health, well-being and equity that connects people, organizations, and networks around the world. Listen in as Shannon Welch and Tricia Zahn share their experiences using the Community of Solutions Framework to create a culture of health and well-being; building capacity for measuring progress; spreading and scaling proof poi...

The Commons Good podcast team sat down with the All-America City (AAC) 2020 finalists to learn more about their efforts and the individuals helping to steward the work. In this episode of the AAC podcast mini-series we hear from Jane Ellery on behalf of the community of Muncie, Indiana. The All-America City awards celebrates and recognizes neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, counties, tribes a...

The nation is rapidly becoming a majority people of color. In cities and towns across the country many people are embracing the concept of equity and intent on achieving racial and economic equity for all. At the same time, as the word is used more, the concept of equity is in danger of becoming diluted, just another catchphrase of civil society, leaving the true promise of racial and economic inc...

Health happens in communities, in the spaces where we congregate, live, and work; where children go to school and play; and where we seek care and services. North Sound Accountable Community of Health (North Sound ACH) is an independent nonprofit organization committed to building vibrant and healthy communities. Liz Baxter and her team convene a diverse network of individuals and organizations to...

Health care in the United States is fractured and fragmented. Too often, mental health and addiction are treated separately from physical health, making it challenging for people to get timely access to quality mental health and addiction services. 2018 marked the longest sustained decline in U.S. life expectancy since 1920. For the past three years, Americans have died younger and younger, primar...

The Local Voices Network (LVN) is fueled by ordinary people sharing their voices in small-group, in-person discussions led by experienced conversation hosts in the community. LVN hosts organize these conversations in gathering spots such as libraries, community centers, and kitchen tables, where participants will have a unique opportunity to listen, learn, speak and be heard. LVN provides a new wa...