Vital Village Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing (NOW) is built upon pillars of equity, dignity, and community-centered leadership. As NOW’s work has grown over the last several years, there has been an intentional focus on how to build and support local capacity to drive the transformation they want to see in their community. In the late spring of 2021 NOW partnered with 15 community champions from across the country to embark on a journey of reimagining funding structures to center, honor, and uphold the values of local communities and coalitions. The group began to explore cooperatives as a model for restructuring funding in a way that uplifted partnership rather than power. The practice of self-determination is a core principle of cooperatives movements and structures, which makes room for autonomy, while also celebrating the wide array of wisdom, knowledge, and talents that exist within our communities.
Is your organization already using social media to lift up community voices and resources? What tips and tools do you have to share with organizations who are looking to begin using social media? Learn more about how Vital Village Networks is using social media to empower the communities with whom we work.
Each fall, Vital Village Networks gratefully welcomes at least 2 Americorps VISTA members who support the local Boston work. Lucas joined Vital Village Networks for one year starting in the fall of 2019. Thank you for being a shining addition to our village, Lucas.
Q. Tell us about your role as an Americorps VISTA. What brought you to this program? What does your role as Community Mobilization Coordinator with Vital Village Network look like?
AmeriCorps stood out to me as a way to find and learn about organizations that focused on community and capacity building. As a Community Mobilization Coordinator, the biggest part of my job is consistency and communication, listening and learning from the community and working to connect organizations and individuals to help reach their goals. I have been able to see projects evolve to meet the challenges of physical distancing through continued dedication of community members and am so proud to have been a part of that.
Change can begin with anyone, but it is especially powerful when it is designed and led by the people who will be most affected by it. TheIn the Arena with NOWpodcast seeks to celebrate and share the stories of these leaders.
All across the country, parents, providers, educators, and advocates have come together around a powerful vision: that each and every child, parent, and family can live whole lives and reach their full potential in healthy, thriving communities of opportunity. In neighborhoods, cities, counties, tribal nations, and states, community leaders have sought to center the people who are facing the greatest inequities in health, education, and access to early childhood resources and ensure they are driving sustainable, family-centered solutions.
