Shifting the power paradigm: Community leaders advancing health equity through policy and environmental change take the helm of the California Convergence

California Convergence is a statewide network of over 140 community leaders and partners collectively working to advance health equity and increase the probability of policy and environmental change to create healthy, livable, sustainable communities. Since its inception in 2007, Convergence has aimed to stimulate resource sharing and peer learning, and to amplify underrepresented voices for policy change.

This presentation tells the story of how the California Convergence pioneered statewide collaboration across local obesity prevention programs and funders in partnership with technical experts and health policy organizations. Over the years, Convergence has helped to increase awareness, support, and replication for healthy school nutrition, joint use, menu labeling, and other measures. In response to community leaders' aspirations to drive the work and with strategic guidance, a mid-course correction shifted the Convergence power base from a funder and staff-lead project to a collective community-led governance structure. Because of California's size and diversity, regional networks were developed and a Community Leadership Steering Committee was formed made up of representatives from each of six regions, with a charter and by-laws. Through a regional representative structure and an empowered Steering Committee, Convergence has found a formula for increasing the engagement of local community leaders, including residents and youth, in policy advocacy. The end product that Convergence strives for is not just better policies to promote health equity and improve food and physical activity environment, but a movement for change that genuinely engages underrepresented voices at local, regional, and statewide levels.