On May 1, DIP-IN steering committees convened for their first all steering committee meeting of 2024. These meetings—held twice per year—give the steering committees a chance to come together, learn from each other in real time, and brainstorm what’s next for their communities.
The Near West community hosted the meeting at The Nest Event Center, a newer event space on the Near West side in the Haughville neighborhood. Committee members enjoyed delicious, beautifully plated food from Near West partner Flavor by Faith, who is sponsored through the Near West DIP-IN steering committee to address healthy food access through a multifaceted approach: urban gardens, nutritious food delivery, and education around healthy eating.
While DIP-IN still has two more years of funding to continue the exciting work around reduction of diabetes burden and improving quality of life in the DIP-IN communities, the DIP-IN steering committees used this meeting to start thinking about the future and potential areas of expansion for DIP-IN.
Community members at each table were encouraged to think about current concerns in their communities, ranging from anything that impacts them, their family, or community. The brainstormed concerns were then grouped, and the top three (food access, built environment, and housing) were then pulled out for an investing activity. Committee members used fake money to “invest” in addressing these top three concerns and discussed why certain amounts were invested.
Notes from each group are currently being analyzed and we will continue to engage the committees and larger community in dialogue about a potential expansion of DIP-IN as well as potential focus area(s), in the coming months. Take a look at some of the photos from the meeting below, including the beautiful dinner and some lively table discussion!
While we haven’t done a recap for each meeting, here are some past recaps of some select all steering committee meetings.
