The beauty of Colorado originates from its diversity. Our state is interlaced by rugged mountains, 广阔的平原, 草原和湿地, 巨大的峡谷, mesas and the tallest sand dunes in North America. When we apply a different lens and look beyond geography – at county, city and community level data – we see even greater variation across the state.
Colorado’s median income is $63,945 compared to Costilla County at $27,944. Looking at the city level, Aurora Public Schools serve students from 130 countries and 谁会说150多种语言. Thirty-six percent of their students are second language learners and 82 percent of them are Spanish-speakers. Drilling down to the community level, the 科罗拉多州的平均年龄是36岁.3; however, if you live in the 81640 ZIP code, the average age is 52.6.
十大菠菜靠谱老平台 has been developing a new approach to engaging with communities across the state. 在这篇博文中, the Colorado Health Foundation’s portfolio directors, 接过话头Benton-Clark, 同庆阮和Erica Snow, share their perspectives on why this practice is key to helping achieve the Foundation’s mission of improving the health of Coloradans.
From data to our own personal experiences, it is clear that the needs across the state – in every county and community – are as unique as the diverse geography. Coloradans clearly know what the barriers and opportunities to health are in their own communities. And our vision is that across Colorado each of us can say: “We have all we need to live healthy lives.” Drawing on local knowledge from diverse voices and organizations across the state creates solutions that are practical and effective.
We see engaging residents is vital for communities to thrive. Bringing in new voices and supporting local champions taps into the inherent power in communities and helps create equitable, 可持续和健康的社区.
今年早些时候, 艾美莱瑟姆, our vice president of philanthropy introduced this refined approach in her blog post, How and Why We’ll Be Engaging Deeper in Communities Across Colorado. We’ve been listening to voices across Colorado: both through our # heathestco全州聆听之旅 通过项目工作人员. Based on what we heard from Colorado communities, we opened two new funding opportunities for our February 2017 deadline:
While the 听 Tour provided essential insights, we are actively building upon that information and spending more time paying attention to your statewide and local voices. Our program staff are engaging with communities in a much more intentional style and working closely with community members to identify new opportunities to bring health in reach and address where things are polarized and unjust, ultimately contributing to healthier and more vibrant communities.
We want to create conditions for residents to be civically engaged. As we look to improve health across Colorado, we know that community members are better equipped and more readily able to identify and advocate for what is needed in their community.
By supporting residents at the local level, we hope to empower and integrate people from different backgrounds. Groups that have been underrepresented in the past will have the opportunity to engage and gain greater control over their lives and their communities. We want to work with communities to create a safe space where others can develop a voice and become an advocate for their community.
At the Foundation, community engagement is both a process and an outcome. It involves working at all levels of community, from legislators and policymakers to community leaders to residents with the highest needs. Solutions are multi-faceted and require all of us to work together.
展望未来，我们将重点关注:
- Fostering existing relationships and building new ones
- 听
- 更好地了解每个社区
- 创建一个反馈循环
- Creating opportunities to connect one-on-one
- 鼓励不同声音的参与
- 被包容
我们认为健康是一项基本人权. And we are working to bring that basic right within reach for all Coloradans. 参考这个 我们州的互动地图 to find program staff working in your area. They look forward to connecting with you and learning what will bring health in reach for you, 你的家庭和社区.