May 7, 2020
Leaders often use the word "transformation" to describe a small
or incremental change, but the definition is "a thorough or
dramatic change in form or appearance". When using the phrase
"Transformational Communities", my intention is to define these
communities as having a profound and thorough change effect on
participating stakeholders.
One of the most interesting examples I've encountered is the hybrid
online & real-world community development model that Family Independence
Initiative uses for its UpTogether program. To date, families
participating in FII's community-powered program have experienced a
27% lift in income, have established an average of $1,000 in
personal savings, and have collectively established $2.5 million in
home equity.
Jorge Blandon, Executive Vice President at FII, joins me on the
Cohere Podcast to talk about the mission of FII, to discuss their
community model in detail, and to talk about the stories of some of
the families who have collectively walked out of poverty
together.
Key Quotes From the Episode:
"FII really is aiming for all people in the United States to be
seen and invested in for their strengths and that they're able to
build their social and financial assets. I think until today, there
are systemic barriers that prevent a lot of low-income families
from leveraging their assets, their strengths, and even
community.
FII wants to remove those barriers and really create a new
environment where families are trusted as change agents and
communities are collectively addressing the challenges that prevent
them from pursuing their, their wellbeing."
"FII's approach is really anchored in historic models of just how
communities and families would come together to support each other
from barn raisings to examples of the Chinatowns throughout the
country, the Black wall street and in Tulsa, or the fact that there
are over 1500 donut shops owned and run by Cambodians. These are
people, that are coming together, leading the way, showing a path
forward. This country has a rich history of, of people just pooling
their resources, their money, their time, and collective strength
and, and, and wisdom."
"So UpTogether is an online community-building platform. It's a
place where low-income families can take their offline
conversations and bring them online to connect with other
UpTogether members. They may live in their same neighborhood, in
the same city, or connect with other families, experiencing similar
challenges across, across the country. It's really the place where
social and financial capital is exchanged and ultimately
accelerated. On UpTogether families can, can share news around
accomplishments, like paying off debt, buying a home, sending their
kids to college, eating healthier. They can curate groups to share
ideas around parenting, children with special needs, starting a
business, or even being civically engaged. It's really a platform
that recognizes that we all bring something to the table."
Key Resources From This Episode
Jorge
Blandon on LinkedIn
Family Independence
Initiative
FII's UpTogether
Platform
Analytics - Learning From Families
Stories from
UpTogether Member's
Lastly, low-income families have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consider making a donation to #GiveTogetherNow, a campaign that FII families benefit directly from.