CAFC — Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is the leading regional arts and culture network in Fairfield County Connecticut. They are currently doing a deep dive to re-examine their structure and programming from an equity perspective. Knowledge Designs to Change partnered to support organizational advancement and impact. This included informing strategy, co-designing an indicator framework, and, at times, filling a co-facilitation role in equity offerings for members.
URBAN CONNECTicut aspires to create a community of scholars and change-makers who engage and explore big questions now emerging in urban society. We co-construct this work to amplify civic possibility and bring together residents to activate civic influence.
CPEN — Community Placemaking and Engagement Network. Knowledge Designs to Change has entered into partnership with CPEN, a grassroots-led collaboration that activates change within the Newhallville neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut. CPEN was formed by Doreen Abubakar to work with residents and leaders to gain access, resources, and community building skills. KD2Change is partnering to identify and develop knowledge tools and capacity that can contribute to this community leadership and change strategy.
FWG — The Fund for Women & Girls of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation engaged Knowledge Design to Change to conduct their first Landscape Analysis to expand their research to include experience and understandings of community members and providers across the region. The report takes a knowledge network perspective and includes a strategy development framework that acknowledges the varying supports needed by girls and women across their lifecycle.
CEIO — Co-creating Effective and Inclusive Organizations and Organizers is a New Haven based network learning initiative that focuses on whole systems change within and across community serving organizations. CEIO approached Knowledge Designs to Change to co-design a documentation and impact process for the implementation phase of their initiative. After a dedicated Knowledge Opportunity Scan, I facilitated a year long collaborative inquiry process with a group of CEIO core team partners and change agents from partner community serving organizations and organizers. View the report here.
PARENTII — Parent Inquiry Initiative. Building on a multi-year relationship, Knowledge Designs to Change has become a participant in a learning agreement between Dr. Paige Bray and the University of Hartford’s Parent Inquiry Initiative, Parentii, and the Kettering Foundation. Parentii is a collaborative inquiry project that seeks to learn about and develop parent leadership, voice, and agency to influence community change that benefits children and families in Connecticut. This exciting partnership continues to deepen my understanding and practice of knowledge construction in civic networks for change.