Progress 09/15/20 to 09/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:This project is taking place in three rural NH regions - Kearsarge, Mascoma, and Haverhill. The regions are located within three Regional Public Health Networks that cover two counties: Grafton (rural-urban continuum code=5;) and Merrimack (rural-urban continuum code=4). Nine percent of the population in Grafton lives in poverty; 7% in Merrimack (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). Through cross sector engagement, communities are prioritizing strategies to meet the needs of rural citizens facing challenges because of adverse community experiences in light of COVID-19. Community level change is designed to positively impact the health of all members of a community. The target audience includes communities (and individuals within communities) in the regions described above. Efforts include 1) community engagement and coalition building, 2) trainings on trauma, resilience, and community health, 3) community projects to address issues related to rural health, 4) implementation of Master Wellness Volunteer programs, and 5) development of a community toolkit for other interested communities. Community members in the regions outlined are involved and engaged in all of these efforts and will in fact be the lead in implementing community projects. Changes/Problems:· Through our initial readiness assessments, we decided early in the project that one of our selected regions wasn't ready to participate in the project. This did cause a slight delay in implementation in a 3rd region. However, we quickly recruited another rural region within Grafton County to the project and were able to bring them up to speed in concert with the other regions. · Our work has been accomplished through remote engagement with the three regions. This has caused a slight delay and/or reformatting of some of our originally planned strategies. We have found that community partners engaged in social services and support are feeling the fatigue of COVID-19 and that remote meetings often make it challenging to understand the true context of a community. However, we feel we've made the best of this challenge as it has also provided an opportunity for some individuals to join meetings remotely that wouldn't have been able to attend in person. · We had hoped to implement the Master Wellness Volunteer Program in Year 1. However, the program experienced some delays due to staffing and COVID-19 and thus was pushed back to early 2022. We don't feel that this will have a large impact on our project and outcomes. If anything, it gives us more time to recruit those who want to commit to this program and volunteer service. · Staffing challenges: During year 2, the local coordinator from the Mascoma region moved on to another position. This presented a challenge in maintaining connections and continuity of the project in the region. · Through interviews with project staff, they expressed challenges including organizational capacity. Another challenge expressed was finding balance with Extension's involvement and trainings; some groups felt it was too academic or wanted to start work sooner, but the Extension project directors recognized a need for more training on the WCC change model before work could be successfully implemented. Sustainability was also noted as a challenge; the grant provided some funds for a local coordinator to spearhead activities in the community, as well as provided seed money for community improvement projects. There is some concern about how the projects will continue without funding. These interviews and challenges gave us insight into how we can work with communities on similar projects better in the future. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The UNH Extension Project Team provided training for the local coordinators on the Building Community Resilience "Pair of ACEs" Framework and the Well-Connected Communities Change Cycle. Training on these models was also provided to the community coalition members. We offered a variety of workshops to our communities around mental health, adverse childhood experiences, self-management programs (for chronic disease and pain), motivational interviewing, social identity and culture, social influencers of health, and developmental assets. We offered 14 trainings and had 133 attendees. Of those, 30 people responded to our follow-up evaluations. Participants reported that they gained the following from the trainings: community contacts and connections (N=15, 50%), resource materials they can use (N=24, 80%), and ideas they can try immediately (N=19, 63%). Participants also provided open-ended responses on what they learned and strategies they will use in their work moving forward. Relatedly specifically to the training objectives, participants reported that they gained understanding or skills in the following: Impact of community environment on health (N=17, 77%) Leadership skills (N=25, 81%) Coping and resilience skills (N=14, 82%) Building a personal support system (N=16, 94%) Importance of visions for the future and hopefulness (18, N=86%) Steps to improve health (N=13, 93%) How to engage in the community (N=15, 75%) Taking a leadership role in the community (N=19, 68%) Peer to peer health education (N=4, 80%) Personal and community pride (N=3, 75%) Knowledge of healthy choices and behaviors (N=3, 100%) Motivation and self-efficacy to make healthy choices (N=3, 100%) How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of the Social Network Analysis tool conducted in each region of the project were shared back to the coalition members during monthly meetings with a brief analysis of the results. Results of needs assessments and other data used to inform community needs were shared via monthly meetings. Articles have been written to share community projects. These articles have been posted on our Extension blog and shared with community members. · https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2022/06/finding-hopeinhaverhill · https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2022/03/kearsarge-gleans-build-community-resilience · https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2022/07/kearsarge-cross-pollinates-community · https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2023/05/grow-your-own-garden-new-toolkit Articles have also been put into local newspapers; · https://www.concordmonitor.com/Kearsarge-cross-pollinates-community-47441712 · Page 16: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a99dd97365f02ec14772142/t/617ff7718a6dc900732d31c5/1635776410642/2021+November+final.pdf Photos from the Hope in Haverhill Challenge were shared on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3115459135392634/?mibextid=6NoCDW We also presented at the National Health Outreach Conference in May 2023. Our one-hour session focused on sharing the project as a whole, sharing how we used each step in the Community Change Cycle to work with communities on address rural health challenges. We shared community projects during this presentation as well. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objectives 1-3: 1) Major activities: Early engagement of key stakeholders and community partners: the UNHCE team met virtually with stakeholders from each community. These meetings included an introduction to the BCR model and discussion of how the project might be implemented in their region. Feedback was collected on current efforts in the region, potential partner organizations/individuals, and identification of existing data to inform later efforts. These conversations built understanding and established a common language and framework for planning each regional coalition kickoff meetings. Stakeholder engagement grew as regional coalitions established priorities based on the data that they collected regarding needs. New partners were sought out in order to assist/leverage existing resources that could enhance efforts being put towards community priorities and action plans. Monthly Coalition Meetings: Initial coalition meetings were structured to build understanding of the BCR model as well as engage community members in the application of the model to their own community through the development of a local Pair of Aces tree. Training on both the BCR and WCC models was provided in early meetings. Data on assets and challenges relevant to their own community was gathered through surveys as well as facilitated discussion. The structure of these early meetings was designed to work through the first three stages of the WCC change cycle. Each coalition drafted their own Pair of Aces tree identifying both assets and challenges in community experiences and environments in light of Covid-19. Once completed, coalitions worked to identify priority areas of focus to move to action planning. This process included review of existing data as well as other existing efforts and the groups' capacity. The process of identifying priority areas for the coalition included strategies to strengthen and support existing assets as well as build new assets to address gaps. Networking/partnership building through the coalition: Meetings and communication strategies were utilized as a platform for building stronger connections and sharing information within each community. Coalition members were encouraged to share information about their organizations/communities in these mediums and to distribute shared information amongst their community contacts. Action Planning: As each community coalition completed the process of identifying priority areas, they were guided through an action planning process to identify strategies to address their priorities, assess potential impacts and feasibility and identify initial action for the group to begin taking together. This process serves to not only implement specific community tasks to impact larger project goals but also to further strengthen group cohesion and collaboration through shared effort. Other Community Engagement efforts: Regional coordinators and coalition members were asked to broaden engagement efforts to individuals and groups they had identified in coalition meetings in order gather input into the development of the region-specific Pair of Aces tree and identify experiences or concerns not previously identified. These efforts included asking coalition members to share the draft Pair of Aces tree within their own organizations/communities to gather additional feedback as well as use of social media to gather broader input. 2) We collected survey and interview data following various workshops in the regions as well as the overall project. Communities also completed a Social Network Analysis (SNA) survey to get a map of who was connected to what organizations within the community, and the frequency and level of collaboration with those organizations. 3) From events targeting social isolation, participants reported that the event expanded their thinking on community connections (94%), that they would recommend the event to others (96%) and that overall, the event was successful (96%). From the SNA, communities reported greater commitment and readiness to addressing rural health challenges, and support from community leaders to do so. As a result of the overall project, participants feel they have gained skills in leadership (65%), taking on/expanding role in community (61%), community engagement (86%) and building stronger community connections (84%). They feel more connected in the community (92%), increased awareness of assets and challenges in the community (100%), gained knowledge of the impact of community factors on resilience (69%), more aware of resources available in the community (100%) and plan to stay more connected to their community (100%). They feel that the community has increased collaborations among organizations (93%), a sense of connection to the community (93%), and capacity to address rural health challenges (85%). 4) Below are quotes from participants that were interviewed about their project experience: "The [Building Community Resiliency] Project has uplifted and raised awareness of resiliency skills and wellness. The focus on it in this project has caused people to pay more attention to resiliency in our community." "This initiative is jump-starting an effort to increase home visitation services in the Mascoma Region. As a result of the project, the future looks bright." "The project has sparked an interest and passion in the community I have not seen in a while. Everyone is talking about what is next." Objective 4: 1) We offered a variety of professional development workshops to our communities around mental health, adverse childhood experiences, self-management programs (for chronic disease and pain), motivational interviewing, social identity and culture, social influencers of health, and developmental assets. We offered 14 trainings and had 133 attendees. 2) At the end of each training we provided participants with a post-evaluation link. Of the 133 participants, 30 people responded to our follow-up evaluations. Because we asked questions that were very specific to the trainings, our sample size for each objective is small and statistics should be interpreted with caution. 3) A summary of the outcomes of these workshops is provided in the next section due to space limitations. 4) N/A Objective 5: 1) Six community members/stakeholders took part in the Master Wellness Volunteer (MWV) training and opted to focus their service on Building Community Resilience efforts. The training took place over 12 weeks in the Spring of 2022. Volunteers worked with staff to identify projects within their community and coalition that they could implement in the upcoming year. 2) Survey data was collected from the MWV at the end of the training series and the end of the project. 3) MWVs felt that the training covered what they needed to know to implement volunteer service. They felt more prepared to make a difference in their communities and increase the health and/or well-being of others. They gained skills in grant-writing, networking, and connecting to other MWVs. At the end of the project, they felt they gained skills in peer-to-peer health education. They expressed being able to connect and collaborate within their community to a greater extent, and be part of a positive impact on their community. For example, one MWV said "I have been able to connect to other professionals in order to better serve the community especially with my professional work". 4) N/A
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Progress 09/15/21 to 09/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience:This project is taking place in three rural NH regions - Kearsarge, Mascoma, and Haverhill. The regions are located within three Regional Public Health Networks that cover two counties: Grafton (rural-urban continuum code=5;) and Merrimack (rural-urban continuum code=4). Nine percent of the population in Grafton lives in poverty; 7% in Merrimack (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). Through cross sector engagement, communities are prioritizing strategies to meet the needs of rural citizens facing challenges because of adverse community experiences in light of COVID-19. Community level change is designed to positively impact the health of all members of a community. The target audience includes communities (and individuals within communities) in the regions described above. Efforts include 1) community engagement and coalition building, 2) trainings on trauma, resilience, and community health, 3) community projects to address issues related to rural health, 4) implementation of Master Wellness Volunteer programs, and 5) development of a community toolkit for other interested communities. Community members in the regions outlined are involved and engaged in all of these efforts, and will in fact be the lead in implementing community projects. Changes/Problems:· Through our initial readiness assessments, we decided early in the project that one of our selected regions wasn't ready to participate in the project. This did cause a slight delay in implementation in a 3rd region. However, we quickly recruited another rural region within Grafton County to the project and were able to bring them up to speed in concert with the other regions. · Our work has been accomplished through remote engagement with the three regions. This has caused a slight delay and/or reformatting of some of our originally planned strategies. We have found that community partners engaged in social services and support are feeling the fatigue of COVID-19 and that remote meetings often make it challenging to understand the true context of a community. However, we feel we've made the best of this challenge as it has also provided an opportunity for some individuals to join meetings remotely that wouldn't have been able to attend in person. · We had hoped to implement the Master Wellness Volunteer Program in Year 1. However, the program experienced some delays due to staffing and COVID-19 and thus was pushed back to early 2022. We don't feel that this will have a large impact on our project and outcomes. If anything, it gives us more time to recruit those who want to commit to this program and volunteer service. · Staffing challenges: During year 2, the local coordinator from the Mascoma region moved on to another position. This presented a challenge in maintaining connecting and continuity of the project in the region. ? What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The UNH Extension Project Team provided training for the local coordinators on the Building Community Resilience "Pair of ACEs" Framework and the Well-Connected Communities Change Cycle. Training on these models was also provided to the community coalition members. Further, the UNH team provided training the to Master Wellness Volunteers in order to prepare them to take action in their community. We offered a variety of workshops to our communities around mental health, adverse childhood experiences, self-management programs (for chronic disease and pain), motivational interviewing, social identity and culture, social influencers of health, and developmental assets. We offered 14 trainings and had 133 attendees. Of those, 30 people responded to our follow-up evaluations. Because we asked questions that were very specific to the trainings, our sample size for each objective is small and statistics should be interpreted with caution. Participants reported that they gained the following from the trainings: community contacts and connections (N=15, 50%), resource materials they can use (N=24, 80%), and ideas they can try immediately (N=19, 63%). Participants also provided open-ended responses on what they learned and strategies they will use in their work moving forward. Relatedly specifically to the training objectives, participants reported that they gained understanding or skills in the following: Impact of community environment on health (N=17, 77%) Leadership skills (N=25, 81%) Coping and resilience skills (N=14, 82%) Building a personal support system (N=16, 94%) Importance of visions for the future and hopefulness (18, N=86%) Steps to improve health (N=13, 93%) How to engage in the community (N=15, 75%) Taking a leadership ole in the community (N=19, 68%) Peer to peer health education (N=4, 80%) Personal and community pride (N=3, 75%) Knowledge of healthy choices and behaviors (N=3, 100%) Motivation and self-efficacy to make healthy choices (N=3, 100%) How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Articles have been written to share community projects. These articles have been posted on our Extension blog and shared with community members. https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2022/06/finding-hopeinhaverhill https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2022/03/kearsarge-gleans-build-community-resilience https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2022/07/kearsarge-cross-pollinates-community Articles have also been put into local newspapers; https://www.concordmonitor.com/Kearsarge-cross-pollinates-community-47441712 see page 16 for an example: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a99dd97365f02ec14772142/t/617ff7718a6dc900732d31c5/1635776410642/2021+November+final.pdf Photos from the Hope in Haverhill Challenge were shared on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3115459135392634/?mibextid=6NoCDW In addition, a resource guide was developed for families in the Mascoma region. It is currently under review by community members. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Communities will complete their projects Master Wellness Volunteers will be actively utilizing their skills to implement action plans/projects in collaboration with their communities and coalitions.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact Statement:The goal of this project is to build community resilience, improving individual health outcomes while reducing and mitigating Adverse Childhood and Community Experiences (Pair of ACEs) within three rural regions of New Hampshire (NH). Rural communities are experiencing increased adversities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic including social isolation, mental health challenges, and employment/economic impacts. Engagement of partners and community members in the three regions has led to formation or expansion of local coalitions looking to make a positive impact for those experiencing these adversities in their community. The UNH Extension Project Team met with numerous partners in the three regions to gain interest and buy in to the initiative. Local project coordinators in each region were hired and coalitions began to meet to learn about the purpose of the project/grant and the models that would be utilized to guide the work. Partners learned about the Pair of ACEs Framework and how it applies to building resilience as well as the Well-Connected Communities Change Cycle process that would guide the work of the coalition/project. Monthly regional coalition meetings have been taking place since early 2021 and multi-sector engagement has been growing in each region. As the regions move through the change cycle process there has been a focus on building knowledge, skills, and action based on community priorities and needs. The local coalitions that have been established have conducted needs assessments in their communities and created action plans for addressing rural health issues. Community organizations and partners have increased their communication and collaboration through participating in the coalition meetings, contributing to an increase in knowledge of community resources and services. In addition, in summer 2022 the UNH project team had an intern (funded by another project) who supported our team in working with communities to implement action plans and gathering and writing up success stories. Objectives 1-3: 1) Major activities completed: In addition to monthly coalition meetings,each community coalition worked through a facilitated process of assessing their own community through the lens of BCR with the goal of drafting their own Pair of Aces tree identifying both assets and challenges in community experiences and environments in light of Covid-19, and identifying priority areas.Meetings and communication strategies were also utilized as a platform for building stronger connections and sharing information within each community. Communities wereguided through an action planning process to identify strategies to address their priorities, assess potential impacts and feasibility and identify initial action for the group to begin taking together.Regional coordinators and coalition members were asked to broaden engagement efforts to individuals and groups they had identified in coalition meetings in order broaden input into the development of the region-specific Pair of Aces tree and identify experiences or concerns not previously identified.These efforts included asking coalition members to share the draft Pair of Aces tree within their own organizations/communities to gather additional feedback as well as use of social media to gather broader input. Community plans are outlined in #4 below. 2)We collected post-event data following the Stone Soup events in the Kearsarge region, aspart of efforts to address social isolation. Ninety-six children and adults attended these events (a total of 4). We received post-evaluation data from 48 participants (note that one event was focused on children, N=20, and we did not ask them to complete a survey as it was inappropriate for their age. 3) From the Stone Soup events, participants reported that the event expanded their thinking on community connections (94%), that they would recommend the event to others (96%) and that overall the event was successful (96%). 4)Action plan development and implementation: Each community worked through a process to identify priority areas to focus on for initial action planning. In Kearsarge the community identified 3 priority areas: reduce isolation and increase community connectedness; increase availability of information about resources, supports, and activities available; and increase youth connections to employment opportunities so that they earn a living wage. Ten action projects to address these focus areas were chosen by community members to support through summer, fall and winter of 22 into 23.These projects included expansion of the mobile food pantry to Kearsarge communities, support of community gardens, community activities at libraries, schools, and senior communities and ongoing communication and partnership building through the development of the Kearsarge Community Network. In the Mascoma region, 2 priority areas were identified: decrease social isolation, and increase communication and connectedness. Action plans were developed to begin providing additional activities for families with young children in partnership with the Mascoma Community Health Center in the fall of 2022 as well as working with the Family Resource Center to develop Welcome Baby bags to welcome new parents in the region and help connect them to activities and resources. In the Greater Haverhill community, there was recognition of a general sense of burnout and feelings of disconnection and fatigue of community members and front line service providers. As an initial action step, the community engaged in the Hope in Haverhill Photo challenge through spring and early summer of 2022 to build a sense of pride, identify community assets that give hope as well as identify goals that would build a community for all to thrive. Photos from community members were shared on social media, in a sign gallery that was displayed at community events and around town and as part of a community forum in August. Objective 4: 1) We offered a variety of workshops to our communities around mental health, adverse childhood experiences, self-management programs (for chronic disease and pain), motivational interviewing, social identity and culture, social influencers of health, and developmental assets. We offered 14 trainings and had 133 attendees. 2) At the end of each training we provided participants with a post-evaluation link. 3) See the section on training and professional development for a summary. 4) N/A Objective 5: 1) Six community members took part in the Master Wellness Volunteer (MWV) training and opted to focus their service on BCRefforts. The training took place over 12 weeks in the Spring of 2022. Volunteers worked with staff to identify projects within their community and coalition that they could implement in the upcoming year. 2) Data was collected from the MWV following the end of their training series. Data will be collected again near the end of the grant project. 3)Of our 6 MWV, 2 completed the post-training assessment. These MWVs feel that the training covered what they needed to know to implement volunteer service. They feel more prepared to make a difference in their communities and increase the health and/or well-being of others. They gained skills in grant-writing, networking, and connecting to other MWVs. 4) N/A
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Progress 09/15/20 to 09/14/21
Outputs
Target Audience:This project is taking place in three rural NH regions - Kearsarge, Mascoma, and Haverhill. The regions are located within three Regional Public Health Networks that cover two counties: Grafton (rural-urban continuum code=5;) and Merrimack (rural-urban continuum code=4). Nine percent of the population in Grafton lives in poverty; 7% in Merrimack (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). Through cross sector engagement, communities are prioritizing strategies to meet the needs of rural citizens facing challenges because of adverse community experience in light of COVID-19. Community level change is designed to positively impact the health of all members of a community. The target audience includes communities (and individuals within communities) in the regions described above. Efforts include 1) community engagement and coalition building, 2) trainings on trauma, resilience, and community health, 3) community projects to address issues related to rural health, 4) implementation of Master Wellness Volunteer programs, and 5) development of a community toolkit for other interested communities. Community members in the regions outlined are involved and engaged in all of these efforts, and will in fact be the lead in implementing community projects. Changes/Problems: Through our initial readiness assessments, we decided early in the project that one of our selected regions wasn't ready to participate in the project. This did cause a slight delay in implementation in a 3rd region. However, we quickly recruited another rural region within Grafton County to the project and were able to bring them up to speed in concert with the other regions. Our work has been accomplished through remote engagement with the three regions. This has caused a slight delay and/or reformatting of some of our originally planned strategies. We have found that community partners engaged in social services and support are feeling the fatigue of COVID-19 and that remote meetings often make it challenging to understand the true context of a community. However, we feel we've made the best of this challenge as it has also provided an opportunity for some individuals to join meetings remotely that wouldn't have been able to attend in person. We had hoped to implement the Master Wellness Volunteer Program in Year 1. However, the program experienced some delays due to staffing and COVID-19 and thus was pushed back to early 2022. We don't feel that this will have a large impact onour project and outcomes. If anything, it gives us more time to recruit those who want to commit to this program and volunteer service. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The UNH Extension Project Team provided training for the local coordinators on the Building Community Resilience "Pair of ACEs" Framework and the Well-Connected Communities Change Cycle. Training on these models was also provided to the community coalition members. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results of the Social Network Analysis tool conducted in each region of the project were shared back to the coalition membersduring monthly meetingswith a brief analysis of the results.Results ofneeds assessments and other data used to inform community needs were shared via monthly meetings as well as on the individual community Padlet sites. Padlet was used as a platform for sharing and communicating with each community on an ongoing basis. A separatepadletwas created for each community where meeting information, resources, and other information could be shared by the project team to communities as well as by community members for each other. Kearsarge Padlet:https://padlet.com/sue_cagle/d8fywaamlozp25lr MascomaPadlet:https://padlet.com/sue_cagle/ikx1xq8i2xww69l2 Haverhill Padlet:https://padlet.com/sue_cagle/lc35c64owwnle0iw What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Building Community Resilience Training and Education Series will be launched in October 2022 to increase knowledge, skills, and action. Evidence based programs such as Youth Mental Health First Aid, Mental Health First Aid, and the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program will benefit individuals and families, while training on Motivational Interviewing will be targeted to volunteers and service/healthcare providers. Community coalitions are honing in on their priorities and forming action plans to implement during Year 2 The Master Wellness Volunteer Program will take place starting in March of 2022. Promotion and recruitment efforts will begin in January of 2022 for this opportunity.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The goal of this project is to build community resilience, improving individual health outcomes while reducing and mitigating Adverse Childhood and Community Experiences (Pair of ACEs) within three rural regions of New Hampshire (NH). Rural communities are experiencing increased adversitiesin light ofthe COVID-19 pandemic including social isolation, mental health challenges, and employment/economic impacts. Engagement of partners and community members has led to formation or expansion of local coalitions looking to make a positive impact for those experiencing these adversities in their community. The UNH Extension Project Team met with numerous partners in the three regions to gain interest and buy-in to the initiative. Local project coordinators in each region were hired and coalitions began to meet to learn about the purpose of the project/grant and the models that would be utilized to guide the work. Partners learned about the Pair of ACEs Framework and how it applies to building resilience as well as the Well-Connected Communities Change Cycle process that would guide the work of the coalition/project. Monthly regional coalition meetings have been taking place since early 2021 and multi-sector engagement has been growing in each region. The socialnetwork analysis tool was utilized in each region at the beginning of the engagement, resulting in each coalition having an area "map" of current relationships and connections. As the regions move through the change cycle process there has been a focus on building knowledge, skills, and action based on community priorities and needs. As a result of the work to date, each of the three regions have established a local coalition that has worked to utilize local data sources and engage their community to prioritize potential action items that will help buildknowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors related to healthy choices, coping, and resiliency. Community organizations and partners have increased their communication and collaboration through participating inthe coalitionmeetings,contributing to an increase in knowledge of community resources and services. Objectives 1-3: 1) Major activities completed / experimentsconducted: In the first phase of the project, the UNHCE team met virtually with stakeholders from each community.These meetings included an introduction to the BCR model and discussion of how the project might be implemented in their region.Feedback was collected on current efforts in the region, potential partner organizations/individuals, and identification of existing data to inform later efforts. These initialconversations builtunderstanding and established a common language and framework for planning each regional coalition kickoff meetings. Initial coalition meetings were structured to build understanding of the BCR model as well as engage community members in the application of the model to their own community through the development of a local Pair of Aces tree. Training on both the BCR and WCC models was provided in early meetings. Data on assets and challenges relevant to their own community was gathered through surveys as well as facilitated discussion. The structure of these early meetings was designed to work through the first three stages of the WCC change cycle: Work together,Assessyour Community, and Set Priorities. As described above, each community coalition worked through a facilitated process of assessing their own community through the lens of BCR with the goal of drafting their own Pair of Aces tree identifying both assets and challenges in community experiences and environmentsin light ofCovid-19. Once the draft trees were completed, each coalition worked through a process of identifying priority areas of focus they wished to move forward with action planning towards. This process included review of existing data as well as consideration of other existing efforts and the groups capacity. The process of identifying priority areas of focus for the coalition included strategies to strengthen and support existing assets as well as build new assets to address gaps. Meetings and communication strategies were also utilized as a platform for building stronger connections and sharing information within each community. Coalition members were encouraged to share information with each other both through meetings as well as by sharing information about their organizations/communities in the Padlet platform. Members were encouraged to share the information they learned broadly within their own organizations and communities. Regional coordinators and coalition members were asked to broaden engagement efforts to individuals and groups they had identified in coalition meetings in order broaden input into the development of theregion-specificPair of Aces tree and identify experiences or concerns not previously identified. These efforts included asking coalition members to share the draft Pair of Aces tree within their own organizations/communities to gather additional feedback as well as use of social media to gather broader input. 2) Data collected: A social network analysis (SNA) was completed in 2 of the 3 communities; the third will be collected during Year 2 of the project. 3) Summary statistics and discussion of results Kearsarge had 11 people complete the SNA, reporting connections to 76 different organizations. Most organizations only had 1 person report aconnection;though 9 of the 11 people reported connections to Kearsarge Neighborhood Partners. We have worked closely with staff from this organization for this project and they are engaged in the coalition. They have a strong presence in the community and will be a key partner in the community project. Mascoma had 31 people complete the SNA, reporting connections to 58 organizations. Again, many organizations were reported by 1 to 2 people. The most common connection was Friends of Mascoma; this is another prominent community organization and inMascomathey have taken on the role to be the community coordinator. In this role they will be pivotal in the implementation of the community project. 4) Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized. Coalitions formed:Newcoalitions were formed in the Kearsarge andMascomaregions during the first year of the project. While the Haverhill community began laterin year one, the community was able to move forward through expansion of an existing coalition building on previouscommunityengagementefforts. Objective 4: 1) The majority ofactivities related to training of volunteers and health services providers is slated for Year 2 of our project. We did provide an opportunity for volunteers and stakeholders to learn about theUniteUssoftware platform and the benefits of utilizing this referral tool to better link individuals and families to healthcare and social services available. Volunteers and health service providers are also learning about local services that could benefit those they work with through participation in our monthly regional coalition meetings. In these meetings partners share information about their organization, who they serve, and opportunities for networking/referral. 2) Fourteen community partners attended theUniteUstraining. Monthly regional coalition meetings bring an average of 12-14 community members or partners to the table. 3) The resulting impact is that those who participate in the meetings have opportunities to learn about how they can better serve their community populations through referrals to other area services. 4) Two area partners did join theUniteUsplatform and others are considering joiningas a way toincrease the ease of referrals for those they work with. Objective 5: The Master Wellness Volunteer Program is set to be offered in March of 2022.??We have not collected any data at this time as the?training
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