After the success of our inaugural 2019 Health Equity Cohort, we are excited to announce that we are opening applications for a revised 2020 Health Equity Cohort, along with a brand new Coalition Building Cohort. We are actively seeking thirty strong applicants working to implement health equity initiatives in their communities or build and sustain coalitions in Massachusetts to learn and grow together. Here is a quick preview of what we are offering. 

What is a cohort? 

This cohort will serve as a learning network that connects public health workers and coalition leaders from across the state working to promote health equity in their communities. Participants will share and learn from their collective experiences and challenges on an on-going basis, and build their capacity through engaging in interactive training methods and skill-focused learning. Together, we will explore the topic of heath equity and better understand how to incorporate these learnings into our work.

How is it different from our public trainings?

Our public trainings are open to everyone, and each training topic stands alone. With this cohort, we will be building on the previous trainings by diving more deeply into the topic of health equity with each session. Moreover, we will be training with the same group of people to promote interpersonal development and collaboration so that the relationships you build within this cohort will continue after its conclusion.

2020 Health Equity Cohort

Trainers: Mo Barbosa, Health Resources in Action and Natalie Cashin, Heath Resources in Action 

Last cohort, we spent a lot of time discussing big picture health equity issues like structural racism and the history of racial inequities. This year, we will be taking it inwards and looking at how our personal identities can impact the health equity work we do. What are some of the ways we have either upheld or been directly impacted by inequitable systems? Through interactive activities, affinity groups, and sharing our experiences, we will begin to figure out how ourselves and our coalitions can fit into the larger work going on to achieve health equity. 

The cohort will run from February to March and consist of two in-person trainings, one online training, and facilitated networking events that occur between trainings. For training descriptions and objectives, see our post here.

2020 Coalition Cohort 

Trainers: Gina Rodriguez, Community Health Training Institute and Kelly Danckert, Community Health Training Institute 

This cohort will serve as a space where coalition leaders and key members can work together to hone the mission, vision, and goals of their coalitions and get trained on effective coalition-building strategies. Participants will share and learn from their collective experiences and challenges on an on-going basis and build their capacity through engaging in interactive training methods and skill-focused learning. This cohort is for coalitions who are both just starting out and for coalitions who have been doing ongoing community work but may need a refresh. We will be diving deeply into ways we can authentically engage our community and plan for a changing funding landscape. 

The cohort will run from April to May and consist of two in-person trainings, one online training, and facilitated networking events that occur between trainings. For training descriptions and objectives, please see our post here.