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Femme 6 is a student group of Health Policy & Management majors at
the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. For the Spring 2014 semester, this
team of six young women is assisting Every Women Southeast as the
coalition grows and expands its network of resources. Mallory
Perez from Tampa, FL is a member of Femme 6.
Nowadays,
the word “collaboration” gets thrown around a great deal, whether it is a new
music record or a team at work focusing on an upcoming project. I recently read
an article that made me think critically about why some collaborations work and
why others fall flat. “Collective Impact” by Kania and Kramer in the Stanford
Social Innovation Review mentions comprehensiveness and risk-taking as part of
what makes collective impact successful. The evidence of the effectiveness of
cross-sector partnerships is building…slowly. So, what makes engagement in
collective impact so difficult? Don’t we all want positive social change?
The
five conditions of collective success described in the article are as follows:
common agenda, shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities,
continuous communication, and backbone support organizations. Establishing all
of these elements across various organizations in multiple social sectors can
magnify the impact of an initiative and generate large-scale change. Beyond the
difficulties of obtaining funding, this type of work requires a change in
mindset, one that fully promotes equity. I have learned that collective impact
works best when each member has “skin in the game”. No one person pushes to be
the sole champion of change. Rather, collective impact is more of a process, and
less of who can claim the outcome. The opportunity to learn from the expertise
and perspectives of others is invaluable. That opportunity is where we grow,
where we bring about change.