Mission InCommon
Connection leads to empathy.
Empathy leads to alignment.
Alignment leads to lasting change.
Family Well-Being: A Common Mission
Family well-being is rooted in stability, where members have access to consistent emotional support, financial security, and safe environments that allow them to flourish. Thriving families are not only able to meet their daily needs such as housing, nutrition, education, and health care, but also nurture strong relationships and intergenerational bonds that provide a lasting foundation of resilience that strengthens the entire community.
Families are the heart of our communities.
Yet, too often, fragmented systems and professionals working in silos can unintentionally hinder family well-being. Systems meant to help families sometimes do unintentional harm, particularly when the voices of marginalized and equity denied populations; along with those carrying lived experience are overlooked or excluded. Mission InCommon is working to change that.
Families belong together, not entangled in systems
Through Mission InCommon, the Institute partners with key sectors to reimagine how systems can support families without causing unintended harm. By leveraging collective power, we aim to prevent unnecessary system involvement and unite around a common mission of celebrating and strengthening families.
We invite professionals (content experts) and families (context experts) to join us and co-design prevention-focused solutions in their communities that will promote family well-being. The shared mission is clear: to keep families safely together, outside of systems whenever possible, fostering profound benefits for families, communities, and the systems meant to serve them.
Reimagining Systems for Families
Mission InCommon brings together professionals, individuals with lived experience, and community champions across North Carolina to facilitate the creation of connected systems that holistically support families.
Using strategic storytelling and deep listening, we help communities uncover themes that illuminate how empathy and connection can drive meaningful change and create the conditions for families to experience well-being.
Stories That Move Us
Through a partnership with StoryCorps Studios, we host powerful story circles where professionals and families share real experiences. These narratives become catalysts for new perspectives, fostering understanding, trust, and collaborative problem solving.
Image and video created by A Visual Approach
From Isolation to Impact
What can happen when we lead with stories? Innovation.
Professionals and family champions in family serving fields including education, public health, social services, housing, legal systems, and mental health can transform their practices based on the stories they hear:
- Educational leaders can champion safe spaces and warm lines after hearing stories of family separation.
- Healthcare providers could offer sliding-scale options in response to families’ billing fears.
- Housing advocates can initiate pre-eviction counseling based on tenants’ lived experience.
Through the power of story sharing, isolated experiences could spark understanding and ignite innovative change.
Data + Narrative = System Change
Each Mission InCommon collective examines county-level data alongside shared stories, identifying a common mission and giving the collective the tools it needs to develop plans to improve outcomes for families.
The Power of Connection
Mission InCommon is more than a program. It’s a new approach.
- For Professionals: Enhanced collaboration. Stronger communities. Greater impact.
- For Families: Shared Power. Empathetic support. Generational well-being.
Connection leads to empathy.
Empathy leads to alignment.
Alignment leads to lasting change.
The Power of Storytelling
At the Institute for Family, storytelling is more than a communication tool, it’s a device for change. As Lisa Cron, author of Wired for Story, explains “…stories help us experience the world before we actually have to live it.”
This immersive process, known as narrative transportation, deeply engages the brain. These neurological responses can foster empathy, shift attitudes, and influence behaviors. Strategic storytelling builds connection and understanding between professionals and families with lived experience, creating a shared emotional space where personal narratives foster empathy, break down barriers, and reveal a deeper context.
Join Us!
Mission InCommon is more than a program, it’s a movement. Join the Institute for Family and Children's Home Society of North Carolina in this shared mission to reimagine systems, center families, and drive meaningful change.
Ready to lead the way?
Contact the Institute for Family to learn more or explore a pilot partnership today.
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