Foundational Strategies: Community Programs

Foster a sense of belonging through community programs

How to implement

• Advance community programs and initiatives that create a sense of community belonging, while promoting health and wellbeing. Programs will vary in content and delivery (e.g., community kitchens, walking groups), but should be:
  • Inclusive and accessible. For example, address barriers and enhance facilitators to participation, such as transportation or childcare.
  • Culturally appropriate and suited to the target audience. To increase cultural appropriateness, respect and integrate community members with lived experience into program planning. 

The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association has collected tools and resources to promote equity and inclusion, including ways communities can measure inclusion and promote equity.

• Remember, making changes to the social environment is complex:
  • Collaborate with allied health organizations as much as possible.
  • Build multi-component initiatives that include a variety of community strategies (e.g., changes to the built environment, policy development).
  • Tailor your initiatives to community members (i.e., ages, backgrounds, abilities, etc.).