For The BUILD Health Challenge’s (BUILD) third cohort of communities, as with people the world over, the global COVID-19 pandemic wrought unprecedented changes, learning, and perspectives in serving their residents. Earlier this year, we conducted focus groups with five of the communities to explore a key question for reflection and action:
What will your partners carry forward from the COVID-19 pandemic to transform the community and imagine a new future with greater possibilities?
Our new brief, “BUILD Communities After 2020: What We Carry With Us,” reveals the clarity and courage of partners during an uncertain time. They share commitments of advocating for change, pausing to reimagine possibilities, and tapping into the creativity and leadership of residents. The report highlights key takeaways for community health practitioners, leaders, and funders, including transferable learnings from the pandemic, opportunities afforded by the pandemic to rethink longstanding barriers and practices, and perspectives and innovations that have emerged from newly activated community advocates for change.
The pandemic continues to impact communities to this day, and so we know that this conversation continues. As you reflect on what you learned about yourself and your community, we ask: What will you carry forward?