FEMA’s Post

Attention educators, parents, and advocates! Let’s weave together the threads of community engagement and financial empowerment. Visit Jackie Ferrado, the Associate Director for Community Engagement at the WA529 table. WA529 is on a mission to empower Washington families by helping them save for educational expenses. Imagine a future where every student has access to higher education without the burden of excessive debt. That’s the vision we’re working toward. Just as Barbara Hunter emphasizes community engagement to bridge divides, Jackie Ferrado’s work echoes this sentiment. She empowers families to take control of their financial futures. Let’s rally around the idea that every child deserves a shot at higher education. WA529’s programs—GET and DreamAhead—provide flexible options for families to save. Whether it’s a traditional college or a trade school, we’re here to support students’ dreams. Swing by the conference, connect with fellow educators, and explore how community engagement and financial planning intersect. Let’s build bridges, break barriers, and pave the way for a brighter educational future. #WA529 #CommunityEngagement #HigherEducationSavings

"We know that a local, needs-led approach is key in unlocking the many benefits that the community chest projects can have" Professor Kevin Fenton, OHID London Regional Director Learn more about Community chest projects in our latest blog 👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/eBnJadtT

COE principles are highly aligned with PNW values of collaboration and innovation. Want to better optimize resources in your community? Attend this upcoming session!

Communities of Excellence 2026 (COE 2026) is an initiative that seeks to improve the quality of life for residents in various communities by utilizing the #CommunitiesofExcellenceFramework. This framework is adapted from the #Baldrige Excellence Framework, a systems framework designed to empower organizations to achieve their goals and enhance results. The framework is revised every two years based on expert input and leading-edge practices. The #COE2026 Framework includes several core components such as community leadership, strategy, focus on residents and customers, measurement and analysis, people resources, community operations, and results. These components encourage communities to approach improvement in a systematic manner, including evaluating and enhancing key processes, deploying these processes consistently, and integrating them to address current and future needs. The framework emphasizes collaboration across various sectors, including health, education, economic vitality, and quality of life, and stresses the importance of systematic collaboration among stakeholders in a community. It is not a simple overnight project but a long-term journey that requires commitment, planning, measurement, and systematic collaboration. Communities of Excellence 2026 is significant for communities, companies, governments, and individuals because it provides a structured approach to addressing community challenges and improving outcomes. By using this framework, communities can become more deliberate and systematic in their improvement efforts, engage more people, and measure progress effectively. It also facilitates the development of strong relationships and trust, promotes more intentional, data-based decisions, and helps communities leverage their unique strengths and assets. Additionally, the framework has gained recognition and support at the national level. Congress has authorized "communities" to be eligible to apply for and receive recognition for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, indicating the importance and effectiveness of systematic community improvement efforts. Learning about and adopting the COE Framework can help communities, companies, governments, and individuals work together more effectively to improve community outcomes, ensuring a stronger, more vibrant community for current and future generations.

I'm delighted to share my first blog with CLES - Centre for Local Economic Strategies. I reflect on my first few months in post and the growing need to put communities at the heart and centre of our economic strategies. #communitywealthbuilding #localeconomies #communities #scotland #localgovernance

BLOG: Where is the community in community wealth building? Senior Researcher, Naomi Mason, reflects on her keynote address to the TSI Network conference, five months of working to understand the community wealth building landscape in Scotland and the role that the third sector can play in building the movement from the bottom up. https://ow.ly/qxtw50REq44

💻 Make sure to register and tune in for this informative and timely conversation with a powerhouse of state and local leaders. #humanitarian #humanitarianaid #humanitarianoperations #responseoperations #crisisresponse #NEMA #TeamIEM #migrants #asylumseekers #stateandlocal #stateandlocalleadership

Your customers will find ways to talk to each other online about your products and services - so it might as well be in a Community that you can influence and measure! Enter: Measuring Community Success ✨ As part of a years-long initiative by Consortium Members, the latest update to *Understanding Success by Channel* now includes guidance for measuring Community success! 💡 Christina Roosen, Matt Chinn, and Arnfinn Austefjord—3 experts from the working group—presented the details on good, better, and best approaches for measuring Community success 🙌 https://lnkd.in/gdcsakPP

I want to share the news of another NSF awarded to us: Place-Based, Human-Centered Networks to Enhance Community Resilience and Equity. Collaborating with my Co-PI Katherine Idziorek, PhD, AICP and Stephen Wong, Ph.D. https://lnkd.in/gzDhZ2NV In this project, we will investigate the opportunities and challenges of implementing micro-mobility and resilience hubs in both a metropolitan coastal city (Seattle) and an inland suburban community (Stillwater, Oklahoma). We anticipate that the outcomes will endorse the use of micro-mobility to enhance social network connectivity, boost community cohesion and capacity, and strengthen both community and national resilience.

Empowerment begins from within. Discover the transformative impact of this initiative and join us on the journey to resilience and strength. Together, we can build a community that not only survives but thrives. Learn more at https://hubs.ly/Q02jLbGZ0