( ENSPIRE Entertainment ) Well-Being In The Nation’s Four-Day Conference Will Bring Changemakers Together To Incite Real Change In The Country
ENSPIRE Contributor: Madesen Amadeo
Well-Being and Equity (WE) in the World, Wellville, and Communities RISE, are gathering for the four-day community-building event, “WIN Week 2023: Springing Forward To Long Term Change,”. 200+ changemakers will join to discuss long-term action to improve intergenerational health, well-being, and equity. The Spring 2023 WIN Week sessions addressed ways to reconcile, reclaim and renew communities that have experienced racial and economic injustice. This year’s event took place from April 24 to April 27, 2023, in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
“Our host community of Spartanburg, SC, is one of hundreds of places around the county where residents, government, and supporting organizations are coming together to create a better future for all,” says Rick Brush, chief executive officer, of Wellville. “If we want to change our outcomes, we need to dig deep into the underlying conditions for equitable health and wellbeing – and to work together in new ways that cultivate these conditions.”
The past shapes the present and the present informs the future. “By reconciling with our past history and understanding how this history shapes the present-day reality of our communities, we will chart a path forward to shape communities that create the conditions everyone needs to thrive,” says Somava Saha, executive lead, of Well-Being In the Nation (WIN) Network and president and chief executive officer, WE in the World.
The events (see below) are FREE and available to all social impact changemakers across the country to attend virtually.
Monday, April 24 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. – RISE Communities Gathering: Communities RISE Together , has worked to keep hundreds of thousands of their community members safe during the pandemic. They will reflect, celebrate and chart a path forward for their journey.
Tuesday, April 25 from 2:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. and Wednesday, April 26 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. In the Neighborhood Site visits – Residents from three Spartanburg neighborhoods will share their intergenerational stories to help us all deepen our understanding of what it means to belong. The experiences that support it and those that interfere with it.
Tuesday, April 25 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: “Reclaiming the Past To Chart a Path To the Future” (Part I)
Discussions: The city of Spartanburg, a Wellville community, will explore its history of racism and current efforts to publicly acknowledge and reconcile harms caused by policies. Such as urban renewal, especially in Black and poor communities. Communities across the country will reflect on their own history of racial inequities. Indigenous and state leaders from Washington State will describe their work to eradicate poverty and chart a path toward renewal based on a shared understanding of their history.
Tuesday, April 25 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: “Reclaiming the Past To Chart a Path To the Future” (Part II)
Workshops will address the following topics:
Applying a Strategic Approach to Advance Health Equity facilitated by Dr. Somava Saha, president, and chief executive officer, of WE in the World. Communities across the country will share their experiences of addressing well-being and the underlying causes of health inequities. Including community conditions and root causes. Featured communities will include Sioux City, South Dakota; Fresno, California; the Urban League in St. Louis Missouri; and Kent Washington.
Holding Dialogues and Spaces for Real Talk, Racial Healing, and Belonging – Communities across the country, including Lake County Black and Brown Coalition, Multicultural Coalition of Northeast Wisconsin, Manchester Community Action Coalition, and the Washington State workgroup to Eradicate Poverty will share their work on building communities that center belonging for everyone.
The Meaning-Making Machine: How Stories and Myths Shape Our Personal and Collective Identities with Abeni Bloodworth, chief executive officer, writer, and artist-activist for chromatic.black™ will lead a workshop about how our stories shape our identities.
Wednesday, April 26 from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: “Leaning Into The Opportunities of Today To Chart a Path To the Future” (Part I)
Discussions: Social impact leaders will engage in a discussion about how to create real “multi-solver solutions” for food security, an equitable democracy, climate and digital equity, workforce and a restorative economy, structural racism in health care and public health, and much more. This session will be driven based on the interests and suggestions of communities.
Wednesday, April 26 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: “Leaning Into The Opportunities of Today To Chart a Path To the Future” (Part II)
Workshops will bring about real change:
Communication and Narrative Change: Josh Gryniewicz at Odd Duck Communications will lead a session focusing on misinformation and disinformation in the media. From Central Florida to San Bernardino, California, movement leaders will share their work of addressing misinformation and disinformation through trusted messengers.
The Keep Black Love Alive(™) campaign will share how the organization has worked to shift the narrative to build trust and promote vaccinations during the pandemic. A new toolkit for addressing misinformation and disinformation will be released.
Data for Power: Changing Ourselves – Elizabeth Romero at Well-being and Equity (WE) in the World and Jonathan Scaccia of the Dawn Chorus Group will lead a session focusing on data strategies that help us understand how to change ourselves.
Moving the Money Track Part I: Karen Minyard at the Georgia Health Policy Center and Well Being In the Nation (WIN) Network and Rosalinda Natividad at the Incite Network will highlight ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) and how infrastructure funds could improve vital conditions in underserved communities impacted by Covid-19 pandemic.
Shifting Policy Track: Todd Belcore at Social Change will lead a workshop together with movement leaders in Eastern rural North Carolina and Manchester, New Hampshire about how to work with our elected officials to advance equity through policy initiatives
Wednesday, April 26 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.: “Leaning Into The Opportunities of Today To Chart a Path To the Future” (Part III)
Workshops will bring about real change:
Building a Narrative Strategy: Abeni Bloodworth, chief executive officer, writer, and artist-activist for chromatic black™ will help communities build a narrative change strategy in their community.
Moving the Money Track Part II: Jennifer Fassenbender, Reinvestment Fund, and the Intermediary Learning Network will discuss ways to build equitable and restorative communities through long-term change.
Data for Power Track: Elizabeth Romero at WE in the World will lead a session focusing on community conditions and data to drive change and investment in underserved communities.
Shifting Policy for Long-Term Change: Jennifer Flynn Walker and Arkesia Jackson from the Center for Popular Democracy will work with changemakers and communities across the country to train them to create policy shifts for long-term change.
Thursday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.: “Changing the System Together” Part Discussions: There is strength in working together from the grassroots to the grasstops to bring about real change. Social impact leaders will engage in a thought-provoking discussion focusing on how to work together to bring about lasting change.
Building a Grassroots to Grasstops Movement Dialogue: Movement leaders, community leaders, and federal leaders will explore how we can work together to transform the system. Featured speakers include Rear Admiral Paul Reed who will discuss the Equitable Plan for Long Term Recovery and Renewal; Wellville founder Esther Dyson; Abeni Bloodworth, chief executive officer, writer, and artist-activist, chromatic black™; and Somava Saha, president, and chief executive officer, WE in the World and executive lead, WIN Network.
The Role of Artists in Creating Social Change – Jeff Campbell from Emancipation Theater will lead a workshop on how communities can use the theater and the arts to build belonging and civic muscle for lasting change.
Equitable Economies Policy Delphi: Community residents and BIPOC organizations have proposed 150 policies to advance a well-being economy. Vote on what policies to build an equitable well-being economy matters most to you. Your vote will determine the policy development priorities for the WIN Network.
Measures That Matter: Well Being In the Nation (WIN) Measures – Facilitated by WE in the World, the WIN Measures bridges communities and national initiatives and federal agencies to advance measures that matter to communities and can shape national strategy. Community residents and BIPOC-led organizations have proposed measures for racial justice and intergenerational well-being. They will vote for the measures that matter most to them. Leaders from Healthy People 2030 will be in attendance to discuss how these measures will be used as input to a national process to set goals for our nation’s health and well-being. In addition, the newest version of WIN measures data will be released.
Structural Racism in Health and Healthcare – Facilitated by Yolanda Roary and Robert Sanchez from WE in the World and chromatic.black, this session will give communities a chance to vote on 12 critical shifts to address structural racism in our healthcare and public health systems.
Since 2018, WIN Week has provided a platform for leading community members to gather and create real change as it pertains to health, well-being, and equity. The annual WIN Week has allowed a path for measures, policies, investments, and infrastructure to improve health and well-being in the United States. Today, there are over 2000 communities and organizations across the country that have come together to improve the well-being of people and places with equity as the foundation. Spring 2023 WIN Week “Springing Forward to Long-Term Change” is sponsored by WIN Network, Communities RISE Together, and Wellville and is facilitated by WE in the World.
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