June 19th, Pre-22ND Century Conference, Full-Day Gathering, Atlanta: Co-Generating a Thriving Together US Democracy and 'A Bigger We the Future'
Blending ADS 'We the Future' & 22CI 'A Bigger We': Bridging, Building & Belonging to a ‘Bigger We the Future’ Powered Thriving Together Democracy
DON’T MISS THE THRIVING TOGETHER EXPLAINER & READ AHEAD ARTICLE BY MONTE ROULIER (PAGE DOWN X3) !!!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1322837605889?aff=oddtdtcreator
Our Thriving Together US Substack official launch is coming in early May, 2025 and just in time for the May ADS Phoenix & June 22CI Atlanta in-person TTUS gatherings.
What the Thriving Together US Substack is about.
"The Thriving Together movement includes anyone who is curious about exploring better ways to thrive together." ~Kristina Becvar / Bridge Alliance / The Fulcrum
Movement Connector: Highlighting the work of various organizations and initiatives aligned with and exemplars of the "Thriving Together" ethos.
Innovation Diffusion: Accelerating the spread of democratic innovations through strategic content that helps move from a few early adopters to broader implementation.
Personal Connection Point: Providing a way for individuals to "take a stand" for Thriving Together, creating a personal connection to the broader movement.
Co-Generating a Thriving Together US Democracy and 'A Bigger We the Future' Thursday, June 19th, Pre-22ND Century Conference, Full-Day Gathering, Atlanta.
Learn more about the conference at https://conference.22ci.org/
REGISTER FOR THE TTUS MAY 19TH PRE-22CI CONFERENCE FULL-DAY GATHERING, ATLANTA AT THIS EVENTBRITE SITE
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1322837605889?aff=oddtdtcreator
This Pre-22CI Conference TTUS Gathering is Co-Hosted by: Inter-Movement Impact Project (IMIP), Thriving Together US Initiative, NANR, Bridge Alliance, Civic Health Project, Rippel Foundation and IP3.
This Pre-22CI Conference TTUS Gathering is a "No Fee" gathering but please register here (on this site) to reserve your spot.
We would welcome your support of our (mostly volunteer) Thriving Together Us related work, by subscribing to our (just opened and still under construction) Thriving Together US Substack (
NOTE!!!!!
To attend this Thriving Together US Gathering you must be registered for the 22Ci Conference (https://whova.com/portal/registration/XKIdaNCO3bjebgh5U8Cp/).
Join Us: The 22nd Century Conference
Forging a People-Powered Democracy
May 02, 2025
In moments of democratic crisis, history teaches us that ordinary people making extraordinary commitments together have always been the decisive force. The 22nd Century Conference is your opportunity to join this living tradition and help write the next chapter of democracy's story.
THE STAKES HAVE NEVER BEEN HIGHER
Our democracy faces unprecedented challenges. Authoritarian movements have gained momentum, democratic institutions are under assault, and the window for effective action is narrowing. But we are not powerless. Far from it.
BEYOND PROTEST: TOWARD STRATEGIC IMPACT
Being right is not enough. Being numerous is not enough. Democracy defenders must be strategic, connected, and sustained in our efforts.
At the conference, you'll:
Learn proven strategies for identifying and targeting pillars of authoritarian power
Authoritarian systems depend on key institutional pillars - media, business, civil service, security forces, religious organizations, and educational systems. When people systematically withdraw cooperation from these pillars through strategic nonviolent action, even the most powerful dictatorial regimes can be defeated.
Develop skills for organizing affinity groups that sustain participants through joy and community
Connect with organizations building the infrastructure for democratic defense
Practice techniques for coalition-building across ideological differences
Prepare for concrete democracy protection actions in your community
BUILDING THE BIGGER "WE"
Democracy movements succeed when they build what we call "the bigger we" - coalitions broad enough to represent majority values while maintaining moral clarity about democratic principles.
The conference offers an opportunity for participants to form affinity groups - organized by identity, region, professional background, interest, and whatever fits you - creating the relational foundation for sustained movement participation. These aren't just discussion groups; they're the beginning of lasting partnerships for democratic action.
FROM MAJORITY TO MOVEMENT
We already are the majority. Polls consistently show most Americans support democratic values and reject authoritarianism. But majorities don't automatically translate into power. The conference will focus on how we move from being the majority to acting like one - coordinating across movements, organizations, and communities between and beyond elections.
JOIN THE STRATEGISTS, TEACHERS, AND BUILDERS
The 22nd Century Conference brings together the country's leading democracy defenders:
Strategic thinkers mapping vulnerabilities in authoritarian systems
Experienced organizers building resilient community-based movements
Coalition-builders who have successfully united diverse constituencies
Nonviolent action trainers preparing communities for democratic defense
Digital organizers creating infrastructure for 21st-century movements
Through plenaries, workshops, affinity groups, and strategic planning sessions, you'll connect directly with these leaders and with fellow activists committed to this crucial work.
THE TIME IS NOW
Democracy has never been defended by spectators. The history of successful democratic movements teaches us that ordinary people making extraordinary commitments together are always the decisive force.
Join us at the 22nd Century Conference to find your place in this urgent work, connect with your people, and build the skills needed for the challenges ahead.
When future generations ask what we did when democracy hung in the balance, let's ensure our answer makes them proud.
Register todaySchedule at a Glance
More Background on the June 19th, Pre-22nd Century Initiative TTUS Gathering
This gathering is centered around the concept of "connected convenings" - an effort to link various conferences and initiatives in the Thriving Together US democracy ecosystem to create a more cohesive and impactful movement of many movements. This includes the upcoming May 13th Pre-ADS TTUS gathering and the June 19th, Pre= 22nd Century Initiative TTUS gathering.
On April 7 IMIP hosted the TTUS Nexus Forum (Zoom). It covered the critical opportunity and work underway to harness the combined energy of the Thriving Together movement and the civic and representative democracy focus of the TTUS Initiative. By focusing on practical implementation rather than conceptual argument, the Forum helped accelerate the diffusion of this approach throughout the broader democracy ecosystem and engage new constituencies in this vital work. Here are some information links from the 4/7 Forum and great preview material for those attending the May 13th and June 19th in person TTUS gatherings
Are We Ready to Pivot? Reclaiming Our Focus Becky Payne
Rippel Foundation / ReThink Health
Communities Rising: Thriving Together in a Divided World / Monte Roulier
THE WIN NETWORK (Wellbeing in the Nation / WIN)
Thriving Together US Substack Article / Deep Dive Progress Report: Forging a Citizen-Led Thriving Together Civic Democracy Movement + Future
LinkedIn Article: 12/9/24 Explainer Article: Forging a Citizen Led 'Thriving Together' Civic Democracy Movement + Future
Braver Angels / Citizen-Led Solutions Initiative “DEMOCRACY IS… CITIZEN-LED”
New Citizen Project / The Citizen Shift / What if we saw people as Citizens and not Consumers?
Rippel Foundation / ReThink Health
Civic Health Project “Civic Health Project is deploying massively scalable solutions to America’s dangerous divisions so that our relationships, communities, and country can thrive.”
From David Eisner: Daniel Stid’s recent column,
BRIDGE BLOCK BUILD BELONG GRAPHIC
Run of the May 19 TTUS Full-Day
It is all right to join this meeting late if need be.
Doors open at 8:15AM, come mingle and connect.
9:00 AM Start / Welcome / Purpose / Accomplish / Flow / Connect
10:00 AM Round 1: Thriving Together - We The Future- A Bigger - other We Key Frameworks Narrative Themes Presentations and table discussions
NOON ; Lunch Break
1:30 PM Round 2: Entities & Endeavours for inter-movement “Building - Blocking - Bridging - Belonging” in the midst of all the Breaking.
3:00PM Strategic Thriving Together US Nexus Organizing. Implications & Opportunities for 22CI Conference Presentations and table discussions
4:30PM Final Thoughts
5:00 PM Finish
For those arriving on Wednesday June 18th please join for a no-host cocktails and dinner social (location to be announced / in or near the main venue) from 5PM until 10PM.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1322837605889?aff=oddtdtcreator
NOTE!!!!!
To attend this Thriving Together US Gathering you must be registered for the 22Ci Conference (https://whova.com/portal/registration/XKIdaNCO3bjebgh5U8Cp/).
About IMIP and the Thriving Together US Initiative (TTUS)
The Inter-Movement Impact Project (IMIP) (among other things) hosts the Generate Democracy! Community Forum, the Thriving Together US (TTUS) Nexus Organizing Forum, the TTUS Core Forum, the Generate Democracy! LinkedIn Group and the Thriving Together US Substack.
In late 2024, IMIP launched its Thriving Together US Initiative to strategically broaden and accelerate the already rapidly growing Thriving Together Movement (in partnership with Rippel Foundation, ReThink Health, Community Initiatives Network, Institute for People, Place and Possibility (IP3), Community Commons and fast growing community of Thriving Together Movement stewards and partners.)
The IMIP hosted forums, TTUS Initiative and growing "meshwork" of social media and communication properties act as a generative flywheel for catalyzing, connecting, aligning, growing, and cohering a transpartisan Thriving Together US Civic & Representative Democracy Renewal Movement of many Movements.
We are strategically catalyzing and generating a Thriving Together Democracy and Future as many democratic-socio-political-economic systems are breaking and collapsing.
About the 22CI Conference 'Forging a People Powered Democracy'
Forging a People-Powered Democracy conference, June 19-22 in Atlanta! 22CI is a national action and strategy hub working to create an effective, multi-racial, cross-class, and culturally diverse mass mobilization against authoritarianism. This gathering will bring together the pro-democracy movement to weave relationships, sharpen strategies, and equip people with skills and resources to effectively blockcounter the rise of authoritarianism while advancing pro-democracy strategies and campaigns. We will build on the momentum and vision established during 22CI’s first national conference, which was held in Minneapolis, MN in July, 2023. Please consider joining me and 1,200 other organizers, academics, artists, and cultural workers as we strategize to counter the rise of authoritarianism. Learn more about the conference at https://conference.22ci.org/
22CI 2025 Conference Schedule at a Glance
Wednesday, June 18: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Registration
(Registration will also be open each day, 8:00 am - 9:00 pm)
Thursday, June 19
9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Pre-Conference Sessions, either 9:00 am - 5:00 pm or 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm: 22CI Juneteenth Celebration at the hotel w/ snacks and cash bar
Friday, June 20
9:00 am - 10:30 am: Opening Plenary featuring Civil Rights Movement Elders
10:45 am - 12:15 pm: Future Visions breakouts
12:15 pm - 1:30 pm: Lunch on your own
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm: Breakout/ Workshop sessions
3:15 pm - 4:45 pm: Breakout/ Workshop sessions
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Breakout/Workshop sessions
Saturday June 21
9:00 am - 10:30 am: Plenary Session: Non-Violent Civil Resistance
10:45 am - 12:15 pm: Scenario Planning: What are the tools of non-violent civil resistance and what can we do now?
12:15 pm - 1:30 pm: Lunch on your own
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm: Breakout/ Workshop sessions
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm: Breakout/ Workshop sessions
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Plenary Session: Building a Bigger We
8:00 pm: Affinity groups
Sunday, June 22
9:00 am -10:30 am: Breakout/ Workshop sessions
11:00 am: Closing Plenary Session w/ Brunch: Artists and Cultural Workers in the Pro-Democracy Space
Required Reading for the Thriving Together Curious:
An ‘Explainer” Article by Monte Roulier, Community Initiatives Network, IP3 Thriving.us and a co-creator of the Thriving Together Movement
Communities Rising: Thriving Together in a Divided World
Every January for the past five years, community partners with the North Sound Accountable Community of Health (ACH) Collaborative Action Network (Network) have gathered in a majestic corner of Northwest Washington to connect, grow, and set direction. This regional collaborative of 247 cross-sector partner organizations, including the eight Tribal Nations of the Salish Sea, has embraced whole person/whole community approaches to transforming community health and well-being. People with lived experience of homelessness, addiction, poverty, and racial discrimination guide the design and implementation of solutions. Faith-based organizations are modeling love in action by adopting, reintegrating, and learning from formerly incarcerated individuals who are now visible leaders and entrepreneurs. Together, Network partners are embracing a new narrative of who they are becoming as a community.
Becoming was this year’s theme for the network convening, which fell during the week of January 20th—MLK Day and the start of a new administration. The historic coincidence highlighted the divided nation’s contested narratives of who we’ve been, who we are, and who we are becoming. Across the US, some celebrated the inauguration as a remaking of America, while others watched in despair and saw it as a breaking of America. Back in the North Sound, with a network composed of many groups and interests that fell in the new administration’s crosshairs, the sharp rhetoric and early executive actions added weight to the questions around Becoming.
While the gathering began on a somber note, an unusual yet energized calm settled over the room as the day progressed. Guided by artists and tribal and faith leaders, those gathered began to shift their perspective on this fraught time. Music, dialogue, stories, and art pierced hearts, reminding partners of their collective resilience, achievements, and shared power. They were neither helpless nor hostage to this challenging moment. The Network partners doubled down on their commitment to one another. In the North Sound, what is taking shape is both a response and an alternative to the dehumanizing, zero-sum culture wars of recent years. It is a story of a regional community growing belonging and strengthening civic muscle to solve real problems. They are positive deviants in an under-reported story of communities rising and thriving together.
All People, All Places - No Exceptions
This convening held special significance as it marked the pending retirement of Liz Baxter, the fearless Executive Director of the North Sound ACH, the backbone organization of the Network. The renowned john a. powell of the Othering & Belonging Institute came to honor Liz and recognize how the Network has become a national exemplar. In his remarks, Powell noted how the strategy of “belonging through othering”—uniting by demonizing others—has repeatedly produced devastating results, including Rwanda’s horrific civil war. His message underscored how, especially in times of uncertainty, exclusionary approaches can dangerously distort unity and fuel destructive outcomes. It was a fitting reflection for a convening held during the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as King himself reminded us that “we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” The North Sound partners embody this truth, showing that real belonging emerges not through division but from shared commitment to one another.
The Network was sparked through Washington State’s Accountable Communities of Health funding, intended to transform Medicaid. North Sound ACH was among the first to choose the less-traveled path. By 2019, North Sound ACH and their network partners began shifting from a primary focus on healthcare coordination and delivery toward radically expanding their community partnerships and broadening their vision of whole community well-being. This expanded vision laid the foundation for a more holistic approach—one focused not just on urgent services during crises, but on cultivating long-term conditions for communities to thrive. When COVID struck in early 2020, exposing the fragility of many existing systems, it underscored a crucial lesson: urgent responses alone cannot sustain lasting well-being. The Network’s integrated, community-driven model proved its value. Liz and Darrell Hillaire, Lummi Nation Elder, and Executive Director of the Children of the Setting Sun Productions, joined other leading non-governmental organizations and community voices from across the country to shape the “Thriving Together Springboard,” tapping into both learned and lived experience to navigate the compounding challenges of a pandemic, economic collapse, and deepening racial and social inequities.
The Springboard articulated a new vision and practical pathways to help communities navigate through crises and emerge with greater resilience, equity, and direction. Its crowdsourced wisdom was both holistic and pragmatic, converting failures of broken systems into sustained, shared renewal. It offered a decidedly transpartisan approach, uniting people around one guiding principle: All people and places thriving—no exceptions. The Springboard introduced seven interconnected Vital Conditions essential for holistic well-being and justice. The Vital Conditions framework has been key to reinforcing the unifying, measurable expectation that every person and place can thrive—no exceptions.
Dynamics of Thriving Together
North Sound ACH and its network partners were among the earliest adopters of the Vital Conditions framework and Thriving Together approach—a comprehensive strategy that integrates the Vital Conditions framework, stewardship practices, and belonging and civic muscle. This approach sees community as a place that confers dignity, expands opportunity, and unlocks human potential. Yet if urgent services alone cannot create lasting well-being, what can? The answer lies in moving beyond short-term crisis response toward long-term investments in the conditions communities need to thrive. Doing so requires an honest look at the historical legacies that shape our communities— the barriers that have excluded some, as well as the pathways that have opened opportunities for others.
We all need the same Vital Conditions to thrive…
No matter who we are or where we live, we all need regular access to the same vital conditions to reach our full potential. This non-hierarchical framework centers community and shared agency, diverging from other frameworks that place the individual at the core and reinforce independence over interdependence.
When access is blocked or denied, people struggle or suffer, which drives up the need for urgent services. If these urgent services become permanent stand-ins for long-term investments, we spiral into an “adversity economy” that traps human potential. The bottom line is that we cannot “urgent service” our way to thriving.
Our country and communities were not designed for everyone to thrive…
The balance between who is thriving and who is struggling or suffering often reflects inherited legacies—past decisions, investments, and norms passed down through generations.
Today’s deep racial and social inequities are direct results of unjust legacies – legacies of dehumanization, exclusion, trauma, and systemic injustice. These forces continue to trap human potential.
How do we move from systems never intended for everyone to thrive to systems that honor every person’s potential? It begins with everyday people and organizations committing to something larger than themselves, acting as stewards of the common good. Together, stewards work to ensure that everyone, without exception, can access the vital conditions needed to flourish.
Community stewards work together to ensure everyone has the vital conditions to thrive…
Our country and communities also have powerful examples of just legacies—those that confer dignity, expand opportunity, remove barriers, and unlock human potential. We possess the capacity to create new legacies for well-being and justice, aligned with our founding ideals.
Stewards are people and organizations who collaborate to secure the vital conditions everyone needs to thrive, beginning with those who are struggling.
Stewards are most effective when they grow belonging—a sense of connection and being valued—and build civic muscle, the collective power to work together for the common good. In doing so, they create enduring legacies of well-being for current and future generations
The North Sound ACH and Network have done more than simply adopt the Thriving Together approach—they’ve brought it vividly to life. Its common language, values, metrics, and theory of change resonated across partner organizations, strengthening their resolve to advance a just,inclusive culture and the conditions that enable everyone to thrive. As a collective, the network’s partners combine their considerable assets, influence, and leadership to create new legacies for living together. Above all, the Network has modeled what it looks like for a regional community to intentionally grow belonging and civic muscle.
[Sample images for North Sound photo gallery to be inserted here - draft photo gallery/folder]
Growing Belonging & Civic Muscle
Belonging and Civic Muscle sit at the heart of the Vital Conditions framework. They serve as the key to boosting all the other vital conditions, functioning both as a means (tools that help us achieve better health, resilience, and justice) and as an end in themselves (goals worth pursuing for their own sake). We are wired for belonging and contribution. Belonging is more than being seen or included; it also means having the power to shape one’s community. As john a. powell reminds us, “At the core of belonging is the act of co-creation.” When people feel connected and valued, they are more likely to contribute, which deepens that sense of belonging. This creates a virtuous cycle.
The Network has nurtured this cycle by intentionally connecting through humble and respectful relationships, starting first with the eight Tribes. This foundational work opened doors for bridging across differences, inviting partners to embark on a tribal and equity learning journey, and deeply acknowledging past harms—broken treaties, stolen lands, culture-erasing boarding schools, and more. Partners like Children of the Setting Sun Productions model mending through storytelling to promote collective healing, demonstrating how vulnerability and empathy can nurture belonging.
As new organizations like Paths to Understanding join the Network, they intentionally focus on bridging differences by creating spaces for meaningful dialogue, exemplified by the Potluck Project and Let’s Go Together initiatives. Faith-based groups connect by leveraging relational and spiritual strengths, supporting individuals suffering and recovering from addiction and reintegrating formerly incarcerated people who are now contributing their lived experiences as leaders in co-creating innovative approaches to prevention, recovery, and reentry. The team at Underground Ministries anchors reentry work, while Kevin and Danielle Riley, a clergy couple with lived experience, help spearhead efforts to free people from poverty and addiction.
To sustain and strengthen these relationships, the North Sound ACH and Network have made significant investments in multiplying their shared power—creating the collaborative infrastructure necessary to hold brave spaces for transformative conversations through creating shared language and intentional onboarding. Monthly learning sessions, annual convenings, and communities of practice provide continuous opportunities for weaving mutual interests, co-creating actionable solutions, and growing collective leadership. These intentional spaces foster a shared language and commitment, reinforcing the values and habits that enable belonging and civic muscle to flourish.
That's why sharing space at the North Sound ACH network convening this January became such a source of strength, resilience, and hope. Among the hundreds gathered were people who had experienced profound lows and rose again. This was not a time to cave to fear or worst instincts. As Liz said, “We can lead with suspicion, or fear, or anger. And we can choose to lead with love even when those other emotions or experiences want to crowd out love.” This was time to double down on love, commit to one another, and commit to who they were Becoming: a place where all belong and thrive together.
But how does a community actually cultivate belonging and civic muscle in practice? What does it look like to embed these principles into everyday life? The answer lies in specific collective habits, practices, and capacities—individual, interpersonal, and collective—that build the foundation for a thriving, resilient community.
The Habits and Practices of Belonging & Civic Muscle
There is no single formula for growing Belonging and Civic Muscle. Each community must discover its own based on its unique context, history, and assets. Even so, certain patterns emerge in every effort to grow belonging and civic muscle—patterns involving personal, interpersonal, and collective habits, practices and capacities.
Belonging Practices
(1) Making Space for CONNECTING With Others
Connection & Engagement | Connection & Vulnerability | Self-Reflection & Nature
We are literally wired for social connection.“Connectedness is a biological imperative,” explains Dr. Bonnie Badenoch, a leader in relational neuroscience. Our shared human experience drives much of what we do, shaping our sense of meaning and purpose. Yet increasing isolation harms both personal and collective well-being. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy highlights the consequences of isolation and prescribes community-building as the antidote.
Join others weekly (whether in a social group or through volunteering), and deepen your commitment to being truly present.
Develop your intimate relationships with a few close friends or family members, where you can fully experience the range of human emotions—joy, grief, gratitude—with vulnerability.
Unplug and spend time in solitude, getting to know yourself through mindfulness, embodied practices, and time in nature. You might learn the names of local flora and fauna to deepen your sense of place.
(2) Extending Space for BRIDGING Across Differences
Dialogue & Understanding | Expanding Social Circles | Cultural Humility
Bridging involves connecting across lines that typically divide us: political, religious, socio-economic, racial, ethnic, cultural and beyond. It fosters an appreciation of our shared need for mutual respect and can lead to rich friendships and insights unavailable in your existing, perhaps more homogenous social circles. Although we are wired for connection, the reptilian part of our brains can push us to avoid the “other.”
Seek or create dialogues with people who have different perspectives or life experiences, sharing stories and practicing active listening with curiosity and kindness.
Welcome diverse perspectives from people who are not a part of your usual social networks (neighborhood groups, community gardens, book clubs, faith communities, block parties, etc.).
Cultivate cultural humility and reverence by learning about another culture through open, curious conversations.
(3) Holding Space for MENDING Our Woundedness
Difficult Conversations | Solidarity & Support | Inner Healing
Mending builds on connecting and bridging, focusing specifically on our woundedness. We all carry wounds that affect how we feel, act, and relate to others—often without our conscious awareness. Whether these wounds stem from personal experiences or systemic injustices, they shape emotional well-being, relationships, and sense of belonging. Mending is about healing and reconciliation, both within ourselves and with each other. It emerges when we hold space for people to feel seen, heard, and accepted. There is no simple formula; it is an unfolding process requiring both inner reflection and outward engagement..
Hold space for challenging conversations. Listen deeply and extend understanding and empathy.
Show up in solidarity for community members who face injustice, oppression, or marginalization.
Carve out time and mental and emotional space to explore your own healing journey. Consider the many tools and resources available for trauma and personal growth.
Civic Muscle Capacities
(1) WEAVING Our Mutual Interests
Shared Language | Community Dialogue & Vision | Consensus & Leadership
Weaving is a recurring process of locating our stories and aspirations within a broader narrative, then shared priorities for collective action. It reveals the bigger picture of our common assets, challenges, and opportunities, enabling us to co-create desired change. Weaving also clarifies each person’s unique role and fosters distributive leadership, where everyone contributes within their own sphere of influence.
Facilitate community-wide dialogue to engender trust, gain insights, and shape a common vision or narrative.
Agree on a common language or framework to guide conversations.
Build consensus on priorities, change models or approaches, and leadership roles (perhaps through a compact or charter).
(2) CO-CREATING Transformative Solutions
Lived Experience | Multi-Solving Strategies | Action Planning & Advocacy
Co-creation is an inclusive process that draws on those most directly affected by challenges and opportunities. Combining lived and learned experience yields solutions that are relevant, transformative, and more likely to gain support. Effective solutions often address multiple issues simultaneously—so-called “multi-solvers.”
Integrate lived and learned experience when defining challenges, opportunities, and shaping solutions
Develop multisolving strategies that move beyond urgent services, expanding access to the vital conditions people need. Start with the priorities of those who are suffering and struggling the most.
Build a strong case for change, using compelling narratives alongside clear, actionable strategies.
(3) MULTIPLYING Our Shared Power
Action Learning & Shared Values | Collaborative Tech | Stewardship
Multiplying shared power relies on collaborative infrastructure: effective collaboration, clear structures, and aligned resources that enable community members and their institutions to coordinate their efforts. Just as a building’s physical infrastructure provides safety, electricity, water, and the like, collaborative infrastructure makes belonging and civic muscle practices possible across diverse groups, sectors, and networks, fostering a healthy civic life. This infrastructure includes face-to-face spaces, communication platforms, data technology, and more. It supports connecting, bridging, mending, weaving and co-creating, while growing current and future stewards.
Establish regular spaces to democratize action learning, ingraining values and practices of belonging, weaving and co-creating.
Use technology wisely to scale and spread collaboration: network communication, mapping initiatives or topics, collecting virtual input on problem-solving and action planning, and tracking common metrics
Grow stewardship skills across sectors and generations, blending belonging practices with civic muscle practices.
"I think it is healing behavior, to look at something so broken and see the possibility and wholeness in it."
—adrienne maree brown
Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds
At its core, all of this work—growing belonging, strengthening civic muscle, and reshaping systems—is about the desire to be whole. As adrienne maree brown reminds us, wholeness is not only personal but communal; it arises from connection, care, and collective action. To be whole is to belong, to contribute, to be seen and valued as part of something larger than ourselves. In this way, the work of the North Sound Partnership and others extends beyond solving problems: it is about reclaiming wholeness, both individually and collectively.
Signals from a Movement for Thriving Together
The North Sound ACH and partner Network is not alone. The Thriving Together ethos and the Vital Conditions framework have been embraced by scores of social impact initiatives, investors, journalists, state-wide efforts, foundations, federal agencies, and universities. The widespread appeal stems from their power to help us re-discover our shared humanity and to find new paths forward. Perhaps because they inherently center community˛grounding vital conditions in place˛they resonate with countless communities across the nation, from California to West Virginia. These communities use this values-rich, bridging framework to forge a way forward, together. (link to map of TT). Here are just a few other noteworthy “positive deviants” forging an alternative path in a time of division and widespread paralysis.
Imagine Fox Cities
In Wisconsin’s Fox Cities region, a traditional collection of civic leaders flipped the script on planning for the future. They shared power by inviting a wide spectrum of community members to help reimagine and co-create the future with their great-grandchildren in mind. Major corporations, such as Kimberly Clark, joined a reinvigorated network of neighborhood associations and churches in creative bridging and belonging activities. These efforts aimed to address loneliness and dehumanizing politics, revitalizing the arts and music landscape to showcase an outdoor cultural landscape to reflect the rich diverse perspectives that were nearly invisible; and changing the way anchor institutions (hospitals, health departments and foundations) define, measure and invest in success. Thriving became their shared north star, supported by a community-wide measurement platform organized around the Vital Conditions and accessible to everyone.
Inland Empire Vital Conditions Network
In California’s Inland Empire, one of the fastest growing and most diverse regions in the country, a broad alliance of networks called the IE Vital Conditions Network is bringing together hundreds of grassroots leaders, nonprofits, policymakers, and private sector stakeholders. Their mission is to align policy, investment, and philanthropic efforts with the vital conditions. A consortium of Southern California hospital systems already uses these principles to guide assessments, priorities, and investments. Meanwhile, a “journalism innovation hub” is quickly garnering national attention by developing a solution-focused journalism ecosystem—including 280 radio stations—centered on the vital conditions. Their goal is to engage nearly five million residents in meaningful, solutions-oriented reporting that can help revive healthy democratic norms and values.
Community Health Centers (CHCs) of the Northwest Region
CHCs serve on the front lines of caring for community members who often bear the heaviest burdens of social and racial inequities. The CHC movement traces back to 1965 and was initially guided by civil rights leaders like Dr. Jack Geiger, drawing inspiration from holistic, community-centered approaches developed under apartheid South Africa. In 2023, CHCs from across five Northwestern states engaged in an Innovation Lab that used the vital conditions framework and Thriving Together ethos to co-create new practices, tools, and metrics. These resources aim to strengthen CHC stewardship of organizational and system changes, fostering thriving at both patient and organizational levels and reimagining partnerships that support vital conditions for everyone.
Thriving Together Democracy
The Inter-Movement Impact Project brings together a broad network of pro-democracy leaders, civic health reformers, social justice advocates, and bridgers. They use the Thriving Together ethos and the Vital Conditions as a bridging framework to deepen collaborative learning and action. In an era where democratic institutions, norms, and processes face serious challenges, this network is lifting up and evolving next-generation participatory approaches to problem-solving. The National Civic League’s “Healthy Democracy Ecosystem” project, for instance, has mapped more than 10,000 organizations that champion a healthier democracy. As Harry Boyt—a thought leader in the area of democratic reform and Springboard contributor—observes in NCR’s Return of the Citizen, there is a need and a yearning to revitalize citizen-centered problem-solving. Kristen Hansen, Executive Director of the Civic Health Project, offers hope, pointing to America’s active and growing Bridge Building movement – hundreds of local bridge building organizations that are rejecting the toxic culture of polarization and to embrace constructive relationships across lines of difference. Revitalizing citizen-centered democracy and civic life is indispensable to a thriving community.
These stories are not just inspiring examples; they are signals of a deeper shift, backed by many organizations that are building infrastructure so others can join in. Indeed, the momentum is growing. Platforms like Thriving.us and Stewards Rising help stewards connect, share knowledge, and spread innovations. As part of this larger effort, the Rippel Foundation, in partnership with the Institute for People, Place, and Possibility (IP3), is tracking and documenting the movement’s evolution through the forthcoming State of the Movement hub. Together, these spaces and tools are among the essential Thriving Together infrastructure that will offer a clearer picture of the growing momentum, making it easier for communities and changemakers to see and learn from each other, find tools and resources to support collaborative action, and provide the data and story to catalyze change and shape a new narrative together.
Becoming…
Today’s widespread sense of uncertainty and division can feel overwhelming, even paralyzing. The bruising 2024 election deepened a culture war fueled by disinformation that seeks to divide and dehumanize. Yet as David Brooks notes, profound cultural transformations often happen quietly—sparked by small groups of people whose better way of living becomes an example for others to follow. The North Sound ACH and their network partners, along with other community-centered efforts, embody this idea as “positive deviants.” Intentionally countercultural in the best possible way, they choose compassion, generosity, and connectedness, cultivating a hopeful alternative to division. These communities become examples for the rest of us, modeling a path toward belonging and civic muscle, even in difficult times.
Otto Scharmer reminds us that when systems break, people rise. Perhaps even more accurately, when systems break, people rise together in community. History shows that this is precisely how meaningful change occurs: people see something good, something life-affirming and joyful, and they begin to copy it, spreading renewal from small circles outward. At this critical moment, our deepest longing for connection, wholeness, and love can only be realized together, in community. Our better future depends on it.
Join us and other positive deviants in building this better future: www.thriving.us.