Finding Joy and Meaning on the Road to 100%
How does an entire state transform into a place where every child’s health and education are the top priorities? Take a sneak peek at our “Road to the 100% New Mexico Initiative” training day to see inspiration meet determination.
Katherine Ortega Courtney, PhD and Dominic Cappello
While you get weekly updates on our 100% New Mexico initiative, you might wonder what initiative participants are doing, how they learn to do it, and what keeps them focused on the mission?
The vision, mission, and goals of the 100% New Mexico initiative, supported by our “Road to the 100% New Mexico Initiative” training, can be reduced to three words: 100% can thrive.
We’re doing what’s never been done in the nation: working county by county across the entire state to ensure that 100% of children, students, and families have access to the ten vital services that determine the health, education, and quality of life of each child as described in the book 100% Community: Ensuring 10 vital services for surviving and thriving and backed up by half a century of research focused on the social determinants of health.
Because we seek to end our epidemic rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that can lead to trauma, substance use disorders, failing students, and a lack of public safety, we’re driven to succeed.
We know the barriers to services, not by guessing or assuming, but by documenting them in our survey reports. We then address these barriers with our priority projects, including the 100% Family Center: One Stop Service Hub and by addressing workforce shortages with healthcare providers, teachers, and social workers. Our research briefs detail our progress.
New Mexico is at a tipping point with more and more stakeholders joining the initiative each day. To give you an idea of the organization, commitment, and enthusiasm that the 100% New Mexico initiative is creating, we wanted to share a brief glimpse of our 100% training with the sneak peek video below (a full version will be ready very soon). What you’ll see are the faces of champions committed to a New Mexico where every child is the number #1 priority. Uniting to transform our communities into places where every family can thrive has never been so joyful, inspiring, and meaningful.
Join Us
For those seeking to join our bold transformation, you can find your county’s 100% New Mexico initiative on our map. Join an existing county initiative or start one. You may also review our latest research brief, evaluating our work. For those wanting a more in-depth look into the initiative, you are welcome to enroll in our free self-guided course A Child’s Right to Survive and Thrive. We welcome those courageous New Mexicans who believe that every child should have access to the services for surviving and thriving.
Don’t miss a blog post! Get notified!
The 100% New Mexico initiative is a program of the Anna, Age Eight Institute at New Mexico State University, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service. Contact: annaageeight@nmsu.edu or visit annaageeight.nmsu.edu to learn more.