The words we choose -- language influences how successful social change efforts can be

During the early planning for the Urban Health Initiative, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's then Senior Vice-President Ruby Hearn said, "I don't think we have the best words to describe exactly what it is we are trying to do with this initiative. Sometimes I think we may have to invent an entirely new language." Click here for full article.

A Visit With Casey

If Casey Stengel, the legendary manager of the New York Yankees, had truly articulated all the wisdom attributed to him over the years, there would have been no time at all for him to go to the ballpark, suit up, and win seven World Series. But whether he said it or not, the comment attributed to him on what makes a good manager is worth repeating. Click here for full article.

We talk a lot about systems change here at the UHI's National Program Office. Although we believe our local campaigns are getting there, we don't see a lot of good examples of systems change yet in place, on the streets of our cities or yours. Ultimately, we'd like to see systemic change in multiple, integrated systems. That's really hard to get to. Very occasionally we'll see single-system change, and one example -community oriented policing-is happening in some places, but in others it doesn't get much past the rhetoric. In real community policing, police departments change the way resources are planned and allocated, but more importantly, police officers change the way they see and perform their work. Click here for full article.

Town and Gown Working Together for Kids

I have always felt that successful community development efforts rely heavily on a leader's ability and willingness to build the most unlikely partnerships. In Seattle during the eighties, we once passed a major bond issue to build much needed family housing and a new art museum that, according to some, wasn't needed at all. Click here for full article.

UHI as five political campaigns: Do we have what it takes?

Ever since the conceptual days of the Urban Health Initiative, and perhaps because of my own political past, I have thought about the five local sites as campaigns. Not like programs, or services, or projects, but very much like elective or advocacy political campaigns. Click here for full article.