New Blog: Building a Better Community Network
by THT is proud to partner with New Jersey Health Initiatives, a national Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant program dedicated to supporting innovations and driving conversations to build healthier New Jersey communities. THT regularly shares news about our community projects through a series of blogs.
Recently, THT Director of Community Engagement Natasha Shabazz wrote about ensuring community partnerships are as effective as possible, especially when facing widespread challenges such as those created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Trenton Health Team’s (THT) Community Advisory Board (CAB) includes more than 100 organizations from around the region and across sectors. We convene regularly to share information, brainstorm solutions and co-design interventions enhancing health and well-being — but is the CAB as effective as it could be?
To help answer that question, THT recently partnered with Visible Network Labs (VNL), a social enterprise helping organizations use Network Science to increase capacity to make a positive difference.
“Our goal is to visualize our shared network, and to understand and increase the value of the CAB to our partners and community,” said THT Director of Community Engagement Natasha Shabazz.
Network Science examines how we connect with others and how we do our work, allowing us to strategize about how to best manage relationships. A key principle of Network Science is that more is not always better. For example, data shows strengthening “weak” ties can expand access to resources and accomplish more than simply relying on existing “strong” ties with partners and familiar faces.
