We talk a lot about "capacity building" and take for granted everyone knows what that term means. But what we've woven intentionally into our organizational DNA might be less obvious to others than we think. A brief look behind the scenes at Community Partners should help.

 

Take a peek through the tall door-side window of our main conference room on a recent training day. Staff members from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health huddle intently in conversation. A facilitator or participant occasionally annotates a discussion by affixing to the wall a sticky note with a key point jotted on it. Eager to clarify, someone diagrams a set of complex relationships on a white board for all to assess. A presenter talks through a slide deck projected on a giant wall-mounted monitor. A satisfying, energetic buzz punctuated by the knowing 'aha' of laughter bears all the markings of a committed group translating disparate thoughts on vital ideas and human lives into a concrete, understandable plan of action.