We are looking to begin a project here in Camden, NJ where 10 organizations will join to become Sanctuary certified at the same time. We are calling it the "Healing 10" and our goal is to touch 1/3 to 1/2 of youth in Camden. It is very exciting as it will cut across sectors--the police department, schools, community services, providers are all in the mix.
The real question for us is how we are organizing ourselves. We are coalescing around the idea of "A Community Of Communities." Seeing as the social norm seems to be competition and not collaboration, we are working hard to find a way to structure ourselves for commitment, outcome and innovation. It is our belief that it is not the certification that will be so powerful as the penetration into new areas with the goal of spreading. The way we work with each other and literally moving the fram from "Why to What happened" in the community is our goal. We want to organize ourselves for "viral health." Each of the groups is independent and so finding the right structure to do this--especially the right way to image this is vital. We seem to like the image of cell division where through our growth more and more complex life emerges--this is the innovation piece.
Curious if others have models, experiences of working with organizations in this fashion? Thoughts on this?
Thanks.
Jeff