Strengthening Social Connectedness in Rural Communities: A Webinar
Rural communities are full of social connections. Everyone seems to know everyone and is willing to help at a moment’s notice. However, despite this personal resilience, rural communities also face greater challenges related to transportation, internet access, and social services and resources. A number of researchers, programs, and policymakers are working to address these disparities and leverage rural strengths to build more social connectedness and social support.
In our July 2022 webinar we spoke with leaders from the field, researchers, and policymakers to hear about their work firsthand. They shared lessons learned and best practiced identified on the job, and inspired us all to find new, innovative ways to support connectedness in rural communities. You can watch the on-demand webinar recording anytime you’d like below, or learn more about our panelists further below. Make sure you click here to learn about our other webinars on strengthening social connectedness.
Meet our Webinar Speakers!
John Kennedy
Senior Project Manager
Colorado Office of EHealth Innovation
Dr. Kathy James
Associate Professor
Colorado School of Public Health
Miko Pickett
Founder & Director
Pick 42 Foundation, Marion County SC
Dr. Danielle Varda
Founder and CEO
Visible Network Labs, Denver CO
Resources Related to Strengthening Social Connectedness in Rural Communities
Looking for even more information about strengthening social connectedness in rural communities? Here are several articles and resources we came across while planning and preparing for this webinar. Leave a comment below if you have any suggestions for more resources to add.
- Increasing Social Connectedness in Rural Settings
- Social Connectedness and Rural Health
- Social Connectedness in Rural Communities: Who’s Being Left Out?
- Approaching the issue of rural social isolation
- Public Health, Mental Health and Primary Care Differences in Urban and Rural Counties in a System of Care for Children with Special Healthcare Needs
More Social Care Resources
Systems of Care for Children with Special Needs – Strengthening Health Care Systems
Meet Our Webinar Hosts:
The Center on Network Science is an active hub of network research, evaluation, and education and is dedicated to serving as a resource for communities, organizations, faculty, staff, and, students. Our goal is to build knowledge, skills, and tools for network leaders and managers to be able to use data to understand their networks, inform decisions, and improve collaboration.
Visible Network Labs is a team of network scientists, developers, data analysts, evaluators and technologists working together with a shared mission: building society’s capacity to transform and strengthen social connectedness at all levels of life. We focus on creating new tools, training and services that make network science and analysis accessible to those who need it most.
Learn More About our Network Leadership Webinar Series:
Every month at VNL, we invite one of our staff or community partners to present on network leadership topic they specialize in. We cover a broad range of areas, from building new networks and partnerships, managing them strategically, and evaluating collaboration to demonstrate impact and improve over time. If you are interested in presenting at a Network Leader Webinar in the future, please contact our team to discuss your ideas in greater depth.
