City governments play a vital role in shaping the health and wellbeing of their residents. From air quality, to access to secure housing to economic stability and beyond, cities have the capacity to significantly influence the factors that contribute to or detract from their residents’ overall health and quality of life.
This is why NLC’s Cities of Opportunity initiative operates from the foundational belief that city leaders can be health leaders.
To support city governments in realizing their vital role as health leaders, NLC is launching two new cohort-based technical assistance programs through the Cities of Opportunity initiative: the Community Health and Wellbeing Accelerator and the Community Engagement Academy. These programs will provide technical assistance for those who wish to create a healthier future for their communities grounded in trust, transparency, and effective communication. Both programs take a comprehensive approach to improving health and wellbeing through city government systems change.
If you are ready to build a legacy of health and wellbeing for all in your city, read on to find the right program for you and submit your application by June 30.
The Community Engagement Academy
This program will select six cities to embark on a year-long journey, working towards developing community engagement solutions which go beyond a successful series of town halls. Cities participating in this program will develop sustainable systems for improving and maintaining relationships with all residents, centering their voices in decision-making.
The Community Engagement Academy is perfect for cities who are committed to finding new and innovative ways to:
Prioritize Transparency and Collaborative Communication
Building trust-based relationships with residents requires thoughtful, bi-directional communication between both the city and the resident population. In other words, the flow of information between the two groups should be perpetual and should flow both ways. It is as essential for residents to understand the city’s reasoning behind a decision or set of priorities as it is for city leaders to understand the issues and motivations that lie at the core of the public’s interests.
Center Resident Voice in Information-Gathering and Decision-Making
Decision-making processes in city government should not only consider resident perspective and experience — they should require them at every stage of the process. Different situations may call for different levels of engagement with the public, but it is critical that resident voice is brought into the conversations which lead to any major decision the city makes, in policy or programming.
Build Practices and Relationships Into Government Operations
The work that a city does to integrate resident voice into decision-making is complex and time consuming. The Community Engagement Academy offers cities the opportunity to think through ways to create institutionalized pathways within city government operations to collect resident input and engage with local partners on a regular basis, so that each initiative doesn’t have to start from zero each time. Integrating community engagement into every step of city government work will expedite that connection and support a city’s ongoing engagement with community members.
The Community Health and Wellbeing Accelerator
The Accelerator connects six cities with an overarching framework to approach health and wellbeing for the local community that integrates all parts of city governance. Participants will tackle the root causes of health and wellbeing challenges in their communities by choosing to work through one of the following domains: economic opportunity, housing, city planning and design, or health and human services.
The Community Health and Wellbeing Accelerator is ideal for cities who have identified health and wellbeing as a priority for their work and want to learn more about:
A Proven Framework for City Alignment Towards Improved Wellbeing
The Cities of Opportunity initiative operates from a proven framework for promoting health and wellbeing in city government which utilizes seven Core Capacities: Race and Equity Lens, Strategic Data Capacity, Increased and Diversified Funding, Cross-Departmental Alignment, Effective Multi-Sector Partnerships, Comprehensive Policy Agenda and Authentic Community Engagement. Selected teams will have the opportunity to engage with this framework and envision how it may apply to the challenges their communities are facing in health and wellbeing. With this framework as their guide, they will be able to build a custom plan for using all of the resources at their disposal to achieve their goals.
Work Across City Departments to Carry Out a Shared Goal
Achieving city-wide success in any effort requires a united front. To improve health and wellbeing outcomes by attacking challenges at their root cause, it is necessary for city departments not only to be on the same page, but to share a mission in their work.
Engage Leadership as Partners in Pursuing the Mission of Improving Resident Wellbeing
City leadership’s commitment to health and wellbeing can mean all the difference in achieving broader policy and systems change. The Accelerator features an executive leadership track to support just that — Mayors, City Managers and those holding similar positions will be integrated into the technical assistance process through regular virtual sessions related to their city teams’ projects.
Submit Your Application
Applications for these two opportunities are due June 30. Download the RFP and complete the application process now to ensure your community is in contention.
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