Insights and Soundbites: How Can We Build Thriving Communities?
When 90 changemakers came together at The Carter Center in Atlanta on May 7-8, 2024, momentum and hope were palpable. It was a time of firsts. It was the first time The Rippel Foundation and TheCaseMade had collectively convened stewards committed to shifting systems toward equity and thriving. For many, it was the first time they had ever been in a shared space with so many peers from across the country. And it was an important step forward for the nationwide Movement to Thrive Together.
The aim was two-fold:
- Connect stewards to learn from each other’s ideas, stories, and experiences, while dreaming big about building a thriving future.
- Equip stewards with a playbook, tools, and approaches to inspire people in their own communities to work toward a thriving future.
As participants shared their aspirations, they found a sense of belonging and the feeling that they are part of something bigger. They heard:
- We are not alone.
- We are part of an army of love warriors.
- We combat apathy and division by welcoming others on this hero's journey.
- We honor ancestors past and future in an intergenerational baton race to create a better world.
- We believe that by building the will to thrive together, radical system change is possible.
As Rippel’s Bobby Milstein reflected, “It was refreshing to hear so many people emphasize the power of love as the best way to counter injustice, overcome fear, and generate the energy for a rising movement.”
The pavement is rumbling.
Every movement needs a game plan. Ours is The Building the Will to Thrive Playbook, reflecting the input of more than 60 contributors who are working to grow a fully inclusive, multiracial democracy, a well-being economy, and a healthcare industry that truly works for all. Our symbol is a flower emerging through a crack in the concrete because we are creating the conditions that allow flowers to bloom in the unlikeliest places. And, as Liz Baxter, CEO of North Sound ACH, said, “If you don’t try to find the crack in the concrete, the concrete always wins.”
What began at The Carter Center was a pivotal moment in the Thriving Together movement. We must deepen and build momentum, and cultivate the energy, connections, and learning from this moment forward. To grow our movement together with changemakers across the U.S. we must:
From Building the Will to Thrive Playbook:
Together, we can remove the concrete that separates us, silos our work and buries us under the weight of unjust systems
As we work to break the surrounding concrete and better connect the roots underneath the surface, our efforts grow new connections to the resources for wellbeing, strengthen the movement to thrive together, and invite more people to be a part of the future we are building.
- Connnect. Connect. Connect.
Stewardship—like movement-building—is never a solo endeavor. It is about sharing and strengthening values, priorities, and practices for advancing equitable system change with others. It’s asking the question posed by Brian Archie, Executive Director of Create a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative, “If you could do anything for your community, what would that be?” Together, we are asking that question in communities across the nation as we connect our work to people’s aspirations.
“If you could do anything for your community, what would that be?”
– Brian Archie, Create a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative
- Make the case.
“Once you remove the unknown and people know you or know where you're coming from, … that goes a long way to moving folks to the next level,” said Gary Cunningham, Senior Advisor to the New School’s Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy. Making our work plain and relevant to everyday people through Strategic CaseMaking™ helps people see themselves reflected in your stories, shifts the focal point to what excites them, and makes them part of your hero’s journey. We must deepen and broaden our casemaking practice—in communities and nationwide—learning from and sharing with each other, as we build a collective voice to fuel the Thriving Together movement. - Bring the energy.
This is energy work. It takes time. It takes resilience to shift the energy around you. “The long arc of transformation in our country is the accumulation of small things,” said Saladin Allah, Director of Community Engagement at Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center. We must create the spaces that will spark, sustain, and nourish each other. At Rippel, we are lifting up stories of changemakers, and we encourage you to share inspiring moments or resources, because our movement needs them.
It needs you.
Learn more here about Building the Will to Thrive Together, a joint initiative of Rippel and TheCaseMade, and contact us to get involved.