Community Tool Box

10/12/2026

Today, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor the enduring histories, cultures, knowledge, and leadership of Indigenous Peoples. We recognize Indigenous communities as the original stewards of their lands and celebrate their ongoing contributions to community well-being, justice, and belonging.

Building stronger communities requires respect, relationship, and a commitment to learning from Indigenous voices and leadership.

Explore Chapter 27 of the Community Tool Box, Working Together for Racial Justice and Inclusion, to learn strategies for advancing equity and strengthening community partnerships.

🔗https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/racial-injustice-and-inclusion

10/01/2026

What if one of the most powerful ways to strengthen community is simply learning someone's name?

"Convinced that a name is what makes a stranger visible, Eddy Martinez learns the regulars on his bus route by name. He traces the habit back to a childhood librarian, Linda, who first showed him what it felt like to be truly seen. From a woman riding to the hospital to give birth, to a regular rebuilding his life one stop at a time, Eddy’s daily roll call transforms a mundane public transit route into a sanctuary of human dignity.

The Name for Blue is a portrait of what happens when we choose to notice the people around us."

Convinced that a name is what makes a stranger visible, Eddy Martin...

09/30/2026

As Su***de Prevention Month comes to a close, we’re reflecting on the importance of addressing the conditions that can prevent su***de risk before it develops.

Upstream approaches to su***de prevention focus on addressing social, economic, and environmental factors that can contribute to su***de risk while strengthening protective factors across a community. In practice, that may include fostering social connection and belonging; supporting economic stability, housing, and access to health care; creating supportive schools and workplaces; and building opportunities for coping and problem-solving.

Upstream su***de prevention is not a replacement for treatment, crisis services, or postvention. These approaches are necessary complements, helping create the conditions in which people, families, and communities can thrive.

The National Action Alliance for Su***de Prevention’s Moving Su***de Prevention Upstream: From Concept to Action offers a helpful framework, strategies, and tools to advance this work through cross-sector partnerships.

Learn more by exploring the resource linked in the comments below.

09/29/2026

🎙️ New Podcast Recommendation for Community Changemakers
What shapes our health beyond medical care? In this episode of The Global Health Politics Podcast, host Joseph Harris speaks with Dr. Monica Wang about her new book, The Collective Cure: Upstream Solutions for Better Public Health. Together, they explore how social and structural factors, including income, race and ethnicity, neighborhoods, and social connections, influence health and well-being.

For those working to improve community health, this conversation is a powerful reminder that lasting change requires collective action to address the conditions that shape people's lives. The discussion touches on collective responsibility, public health, politics, and misinformation, while highlighting the importance of upstream approaches to creating healthier communities.

At the Community Tool Box, we believe that people can take action together to change conditions that affect their lives. This podcast offers thought-provoking insights for anyone working to advance health, equity, and community well-being.
🎧 Listen here: https://globalhealthpoliticspodcast.buzzsprout.com/2364394/episodes/19859488-season-3-episode-5-monica-wang-on-the-collective-cure

09/17/2026

🚀 The Student Civic Leadership Learning Platform from Campus Compact is now live!

We’re excited to share the new Community Deep Dive module, developed by Christina Holt and the Community Tool Box team.

The module helps students build a better understanding of their communities and thoughtfully navigate community change.

Link in the comments below: ⬇

09/14/2026

Happening Now! Join us for this panel, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Ottawa Charter.

Hace 40 años, la Carta de Ottawa nos recordó una idea poderosa: la salud no se construye solo en hospitales y centros de salud, sino en nuestras escuelas, lugares de trabajo, comunidades, hogares y espacios públicos.

Hoy, Las inequidades en salud, el cambio climático, las enfermedades no transmisibles y las transformaciones sociales afectan nuestro bienestar y nos recuerdan que promover la salud es una tarea compartida.

Por eso, la Semana del Bienestar de las Américas 2026, bajo el lema “Juntos seguimos promoviendo la salud”, conmemora el 40º aniversario de la Carta de Ottawa. Es un llamado a fortalecer comunidades más saludables, inclusivas y resilientes, donde todas las personas tengan la oportunidad de vivir con salud y bienestar.

A través de la Estrategia de Promoción de la Salud, la OPS trabaja junto con los países de la Región para abordar los determinantes sociales de la salud, fortalecer la participación de las comunidades e impulsar la colaboración entre distintos sectores.

Acompáñenos este lunes en el evento de lanzamiento para reflexionar sobre los logros alcanzados, intercambiar experiencias y construir juntos la agenda futura de la promoción de la salud en las Américas.

📢Campaña: https://www.paho.org/es/campanas/semana-bienestar-2026

👉Agenda: https://www.paho.org/es/eventos/lanzamiento-semana-bienestar-americas-2026

✍️¡Regístrese y participe! https://paho-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jZ8czdUkSTSmazIUW6q9Zw #/registration

09/03/2026

Today, we honor the life and legacy of Gloria Steinem (1934–2026), an organizer, writer, and changemaker whose advocacy helped reshape conversations about equality, justice, and human rights for generations.

Steinem often reminded us that lasting change begins when people come together, raise their voices, and act collectively to create a more just world. Her commitment to grassroots action and empowering communities continues to inspire us to turn that legacy into social change today.

“Like art, revolutions come from combining what exists into what has never existed before.”
— Gloria Steinem

As we reflect on her extraordinary life, we celebrate the countless individuals and movements she inspired and the enduring impact of her work. May we continue building communities where every voice is valued, heard, and empowered to create change.

Photograph by St. Louis Post-Dispatch, TNS/ Getty

06/24/2026

June invites us to celebrate and reflect. Honoring Pride Month and Juneteenth as reminders of resilience, liberation, and the ongoing pursuit of justice. 🌈✊🏾

At the Community Tool Box, we believe meaningful change happens when communities have the tools to take action. The Justice Action Toolkit offers practical resources for racial justice, gender equity, and inclusion, supporting organizing, advocacy, and the creation of stronger, more inclusive communities.

Whether you’re amplifying voices, organizing for change, or building partnerships across differences, you don’t have to do it alone.

🔗 Explore the toolkit and put it to work:
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/justice-action-toolkit

💬 Let’s keep showing up—this month and every month—to act for equity, dignity, and belonging for all.

06/02/2026

In a recent AEA365 blog post, Fasika Mekonen highlights an important lesson for evaluators: monitoring and evaluation systems are most effective when teams are aligned on their purpose, have opportunities to reflect on findings together, and share an understanding of how data can guide decisions and action.

At the Community Tool Box, we support participatory approaches to evaluation that can help teams make the most of evaluation systems. We’ve seen how engaging teams throughout the evaluation process helps build shared ownership of evaluation, creates opportunities to interpret findings together, and strengthens their ability to use data for learning and improvement.

Because evaluation should be more than a reporting requirement—it should be a tool teams use for decision-making and impact.

Read the full post:https://aea365.org/blog/reframing-me-why-systems-alone-dont-improve-performance-by-fasika-mekonen/

05/14/2026

Recent reporting highlights a troubling reality: many nonprofits are at risk of closing due to funding cuts.
Now more than ever, partnering for sustainability isn’t optional—it’s essential.
The Community Tool Box offers practical, evidence-based strategies to help organizations plan for the long term, strengthen partnerships, and sustain critical work in their communities.
Explore Chapter 46: Planning for Sustainability for actionable guidance:
👉 https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/sustain/long-term-sustainability

Nonprofits say they face an existential crisis from funding cuts and other moves by the Trump administration. A new survey warns, some are in danger of folding altogether.

Nonprofits say they face an existential crisis from funding cuts and other moves by the Trump administration. A new survey warns, some are in danger of folding altogether.