Targeted Universalism Community of Practice Overview

Do you live and work in Northwest Washington and are interested in building more bridging and belonging in your area of work? Ready to take your equity, inclusion, and belonging practice to the next level by deepening your organization’s structural and systems change work? 

A Targeted Universalism community of practice might be the answer!

In early 2024, North Sound Accountable Community of Health will launch its first Targeted Universalism (TU) community of practice to support regional health equity leaders and change makers in deepening their approaches and practices to equity to achieve greater health justice in the region. We are now taking applications for North Sound ACH partners to participate in this unique learning opportunity! Here’s what you should know about the North Sound ACH TU community of practice:

  • The TU community of practice is an intensive fellowship and learning opportunity for health equity and well-being focused organizational and community leaders and changemakers working in Northwest Washington

  • Up to 30 participants will be selected from the applicant pool. Click here to learn more about the selection criteria.

  • Participants will be asked to commit to a total of nine 2-hour intensive learning and practical application sessions taking place once per month, with peer-to-peer small group sessions taking place between the monthly sessions and virtual monthly office hours.

  • The North Sound ACH TU community of practice cost of $5,000 will be covered by North Sound ACH as a fellowship to participants.

  • Applications for the North Sound ACH TU community of practice are due Monday, December 4, 2023 at 5 p.m.

Please click here to access the application.

To learn more about Targeted Universalism (TU), the North Sound ACH TU community of practice and to access additional resources, scroll to the navigation pane below to explore this additional information.

The purpose of a Targeted Universalism (TU) community of practice is to:

  • Foster a deep understanding of TU methodology, strategies, and implementation for distinct workflows (e.g., a community-based organization addressing a community issue, a health plan achieving a strategic priority, etc.) 

  • Share challenges and opportunities around TU, including what works and discrete practices

  • Collaborate on creative problem solving, learning, and innovating, using TU within the cohort and with expert TU practitioners

  • Build relationships with colleagues and experts in service to cocreating and learning together the concepts of belonging and TU

1. What is the purpose of a Targeted Universalism community of practice?

2. What are the objectives for a Targeted Universalism community of practice?

The TU community of practice is designed to advance justice, equity, and belonging through realization of the following outcomes:

  • Strengthen the application of TU among interested institutions focused on both internal and external functions 

    Create broad understanding of the challenges and successes among institutions and places applying TU

  • Create relationships among those working with TU to enable knowledge-spillover effects among community members

  • Increase exposure to experts and experienced practitioners of TU

  • Understand TU in the context of and in service to belonging and "bridging" as both a mechanism and outcome of TU that can drive transformation

To learn more about Targeted Universalism, click this video.

Source: Othering and Belonging Insititute.

3. How can Targeted Universalism help my organization?

There is a groundswell of multi-sector interest in the practice of TU and belonging, from community and advocacy organizations to health plans and government programs, from hospitals and foundations to corporations. The appeal and promise of TU is that it addresses some of the most pressing structural/systemic challenges of our time -- including increasing division, breaking, and competition between groups -- by offering a process to care for our different needs and situatedness. 

TU differs from typical approaches to equity.

  • Equity is often practiced as focusing on disparities, which can become a binary that looks at the most- and least-favored groups, ignoring other groups, and setting the goal as what the most favored group has rather than a universal, affirmative outcome. Disparity-focused or "closing the gap" strategies can lead to pitting groups against each other and creating competition for scarce resources. It can also fall into the trap of racial essentialism. 

  • TU, on the other hand, organizes around an outcomes-based, universal goal while developing strategies that look at structures, institutions, culture, and the situatedness of groups and individuals. TU focuses on the construction and situatedness of groups through data and disaggregated information, and takes racially constructed outcomes and disparities seriously by looking at how they are constructed. Organizing around a universal goal can create common cause and social cohesion, while the targeted strategies recognize and address differences in situatedness, history, and opportunity. Importantly, TU accounts for issues affecting marginalized groups, including but not limited to race, gender, religion, and disability. TU is also valuable when there is broad consensus that there is a problem, but disagreement on solutions. At its best, TU can expand care, power, and promote real reform -- which advances us towards a world of belonging. Often referred to as Equity 2.0, TU is particularly effective around policies, programs, processes, and designs. As an operations and communications strategy, it is a sophisticated and practical process and philosophy that can advance us towards bridging and belonging.

4. I'm ready to apply for the North Sound ACH TU community of practice.

The first, Northwest Washington, Targeted Universalism community of practice fellowship, will be launched early 2024 in collaboration with North Sound Accountable Community of Health and Seed Collaborative. 

Applications to participate in the North Sound TU community of practice are currently open until Monday, December 4, 2023 at 5 p.m.  To learn more and apply, please click here.

 

When will the North Sound TU community of practice meet?

The TU community of practice will commence early 2024 and will meet once a month for 2 hours each session, and will conclude by late 2024 (total of 9 sessions maximum). The sessions will be a mix of in-person and virtual. Monthly virtual office hours for optional drop in will also be conducted. Official dates for the TU community of practice and office hours are to be determined.

 

Can multiple people attend from my organization?

Yes, multiple people may apply from one organization. Additionally, for the final community of practice session, we are offering an open community of practice for you to invite your colleagues.

How will participants be selected for the TU community of practice?

Seed Collaborative and North Sound ACH strive to create a diverse group of up to 30 individuals that have the opportunity for collective impact around health equity issues in the Northwest Washington region. Many factors will be used to select participants in the community of practice including: racial, gender and geographic diversity; diversity of lived experience; sector representation and diversity (e.g., community-based organizations, health systems, Tribal Nations, etc.) those with leadership experience advancing equity and belonging, and those who have the authority, capacity or influence to advance change in their organization and/or community.

Who will facilitate the North Sound TU community of practice?

The facilitators will be Evan Holland, Nina Moreno, and David Gibbs. We also have the option of bringing in deep subject matter experts if we feel the group would benefit.

5. The North Sound ACH communities of practice on Targeted Universalism isn’t a fit for me, but I am interested to learn more and participate in other communities of practices on Targeted Universalism?

Seed Collaborative is currently facilitating a national TU community of practice, in collaboration with the Othering & Belonging Institute and the Belonging and Co-Creation Lab. 

This community of practice is currently closed and not accepting applications.  If you would like to be considered for the next national TU community of practice, please submit your contact information here.

6. I don't think I'm ready to participate in a community of practice on Targeted Universalism, but I would like more information and resources on Targeted Universalism and Belonging.

For more information on Targeted Universalism and Belonging, please click here.

7. I'd like to learn more about North Sound ACH and its work connected to TU.

For more information on North Sound ACH and its work connected to TU, please click here.

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Please click here to access Frequently Asked Questions.

9. I have questions about the North Sound ACH Targeted Universalism communities of practice not answered in the Frequently Asked Questions and need to contact someone.

Please reach out to consult@seedcollab.com with any questions.