Welcome to the first Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing (NOW) Innovation Forum newsletter! We are officially launching a new and exciting monthly newsletter that will include the latest conversations, stories and resources for advancing and promoting child wellbeing. Be sure to check your inbox at the end of the month to stay up to date. We look forward to connecting with you NOW and in the future!

Invitation to Join! 2020 National Leadership Summit Steering Committee

The Vital Village Networks 2020 National Community Leadership Summit seeks to uplift leadership happening in communities all across the country aimed to support thriving children and families.  We intend to design an experience that embodies the principles of the Vital Village Network, as well as honors the values of community leaders nationally.  The Community Steering Committee meets virtually twice each month (usually Thursdays at 3:00 pm ET) from May through early October to provide input, feedback, and guidance on what participants of the summit will experience.  This includes the development of this year's theme;  brainstorming workshop and session ideas; creating a welcoming and inclusive environment; and capturing and sharing the impact of our collective work.  Please email Tiffany Rodriguez at tiffany.rodriguez@bmc.org if you are interested in this leadership opportunity.

WEBINAR: Operationalizing Equity through Participatory Data Storytelling:

April 30 @ 10-11 am Pacific / 1-2 pm Eastern

Join us for the first of our three-part webinar series designed to build the capacity of local coalitions, community leaders, and agency partners who are working together to align community systems and promote child and family wellbeing. Join us on April 30 to hear from Vital Village’s Community Housing Data Tool and Child Wellbeing Tracker teams on why equity matters for data storytelling and learn strategies for data visualization and designing participatory processes. Register here >>

In The Arena with NOW Podcast

• Episode 8: Residents Driving Change: The Community Solutions Grant Program: Learn from the Voices and Choices for Children coalition and their experience centering the dignity of children and their communities by unapologetically addressing implicit bias that exists in the fundamental mental models that have driven the system in which we live in.

Latest Blogs

• Meaningful Connections in Our New Now, by Ronda Alexander of the Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing. Ronda's piece provides quick tools and tips to support meaningful professional and personal virtual connections. 
• Community Champion Spotlight: Richie Simone Lee, by Tiffany Rodriguez of the Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing. This blog series shines a special light on the work lead by community champions. Guest feature: Simone from the NOW Learning Community coalition Berkeley Early Education and Care Collective.

• Powering Health Equity Action with Online Data Tools: 10 Design Principles, by Ángel Ross,PolicyLink & Ecotrust. This report aims to strengthen community-driven efforts to achieve health equity by improving the online data tools that make health equity data readily available to them.

• Boston COVID-19 Related Resources, by Soojin Conover, Vital Village Network. A data dashboard map sharing COVID-19 resources that are accessible by visiting here. The virtual resources are regularly updated and shared through the Wellness Ideas Bank, a collective effort made possible by our partners and community members. The information may change rapidly.  

• Ways to Promote Children’s Resilience to the COVID-19 Pandemic, by Jessica Dym Bartlett & Rebecca Vivrette of ChildTrends. This fact sheet centers strategies to promote children's resilience during the COVID19 pandemic.

#VillageinMind

The NOW community hopes to stay connected and lift up the work and stories of all of our members. Follow and tag us on Twitter, @NOW_WellChild, so that we can virtually highlight the community led transformation you are leading.