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CI

 

Community Initiatives

...is a network of individuals and partner organizations dedicated to building healthy
and whole communities.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A Healthy Community is...a place that has good schools, good  jobs, plenty of parks, bikable/walkable routes, efficient  public transport, sustainable growth,  access to  quality healthcare, a vibrant arts and cultural life, a  locally-driven economy, and where people from different backgrounds join to solve problems, work, laugh, and do life together. 

A community that is continuously creating and improving those physical and social environments and expanding those community resources that enable people to mutually support each other and maximize everyone's potential 

What Determines Our Health?         
There are basically 5 major determinates of health other than our genetics. (Read More..)

Healthy

What is a healthy community?

...A place that has good schools; good jobs; plenty of parks; bikable/walkable routes; efficient public transport; sustainable growth; access to quality healthcare; a vibrant arts and cultural life; a locally-driven economy; and where people from different backgrounds join to solve problems, work, laugh, and do life together.

...A community that is continuously creating and improving those physical and social environments and expanding those community resources that enable people to mutually support each other and maximize everyone's potential.

What Determines Our Health?    (Read More..)

Whole

What is whole? 

Whole simply means containing all components; complete; not divided or disjointed; acting together; restored; healed; well; sound; healthy; entire; not broken or fractured; unimpaired; integral…

Acting from and for the whole is challenging:  As humans, part of our default mode is naturally self-centered - we tend to see and interpret everything through this lens of self.  Our daily and civic discourse usually reinforces this default mode.  Our “discussions,” a word whose roots mean to “break apart,” can reinforce conversations where we hold onto and defend our self-centered view.  It is when we move into a mode of Dialogue that we can begin to see the Whole. (Read More About Dialogue...)

Community

What is a community?

A community is a group of people, often living in a defined geographic area, who are connected by culture, values and/or norms, and who share common struggles and dreams. "Community" includes neighborhoods, towns, regions, workplaces, schools, faith and interest groups, associations and virtual networks.

How do we get healthy and whole communities?  It is people working in groups - collaboratively - that has the greatest potential, the most leverage, for creating the conditions (see determinants) that lead to health and wholeness.  It is an ongoing process and commitment made up of intentional choices and actions.  CI exists to help people work together to build healthy, whole communities.  (Read more About CI.)

Communities around the globe face common, vexing issues: improving economic conditions and reducing poverty; revitalizing neighborhoods and the natural environment; tackling chronic diseases largely caused by unhealthy lifestyles; cultivating sustainable food systems; providing access to quality healthcare, and addressing persistent inequities along racial and ethnic lines. Community Initiatives believes it is at the community level, and within the context of community, that we have the greatest opportunity to:

  • Develop innovative and comprehensive solutions to these and related complex challenges;

  • Implement policy changes that promote and facilitate healthy behaviors;

  • Build authentic and trusting relationships across political, sectoral, class, racial and ethnic divisions;

  • Establish enduring patterns of collaboration based upon a culture of caring and shared commitment to reciprocal stewardship; and

  • Create and sustain the conditions that are foundational to our collective health and well-being.

Acting from these beliefs, CI offers a unique blend of content and policy expertise, together with the skills and tools essential for genuine collaboration.

About Our Services
 

News & Updates

Welcome!  Thank you for visiting our website.

Following are some examples of CI’s exciting projects and our ongoing commitment to healthy, whole communities:

YUSA UNVEILS LEADING PRACTICES -- Continuing our work and valued relationship with YMCA of the USA, CI recently lead research and writing of this Leading Practices Report capturing and reporting on the emerging work and lessons of the 120 plus Pioneering Healthier Communities across the nation.  Learn more about Pioneering Healthier Communities (PHC) by visiting their web site at this link.

CI AND CARES PARTNERSHIP TAKES OFF –We have teamed up with the University of Missouri’s Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems (CARES)to combine our unique skill sets and experiences in the effective use of information in support of collaborative planning and decision-making processes with CARES leading technology in applying GIS mapping, reporting and issue management tools to generate dynamic reports, such as demographic  and health characteristics within discreet geographic areas.

Working closely with CARES and other partners, CI is providing training and technical assistance to use these capabilities in local, statewide and national initiatives -- enhancing collaborative action and supporting healthy living and communities.  Click here to learn more about CARES.

CI TEAM EXPANDS – We are very pleased and excited to welcome two new associates in the CI Network: Roxanne Medina-Fulcher and Sue McCormack. To learn a little more about Roxanne and Sue (and the wonderful talents of all the CI Associates), please visit “Our Team”.

Please enjoy your visit!

Monte Roulier, CI President