Shift was recently selected for an 18 month cohort on the Nature of Trust, led by Biomimicry for Social Innovation and Biomimicry 3.8, to explore lessons from nature to apply to our health equity efforts. The cohort is made up of 5 teams advancing a diverse array of social justice efforts for which trust building is an essential component. The cohort will focus on: identifying lessons from nature relevant to trust-building; demonstrating biomimicry’s application as a strategic lens, implementation tool, and regenerative practice for social innovation challenges; and developing a framework, toolkit and other resources to support the application of nature’s lessons to advance health equity and social change.

The cohort met in New Mexico this month to explore the initial themes emerging from the research on trust. Consider: how might we “opt in” to start the journey of building trust necessary to amplify a community-led vision for health that is resourced by health and public health institutions? Southern pied babbler birds in the savannahs of southern Africa rotate roles vocalizing to warn others of predators and this results in increased foraging success for the entire flock. We are learning about myriad ways nature reflects trust building through aligning signals, showing up reliably, and leveraging feedback loops, in addition to valuable insights around collaboration and mutuality. Our Shift team will be supporting tests of change within our work supporting health systems realize their equity commitments through community governance and investments, and with partners leveraging resident priorities and vision for multisector strategies to create thriving places. Get in touch to learn more!