Mission and Goals

The mission of CHAI’s Equity and Community Engagement Core is to advance health equity for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) and other under-served aging communities. We strive to build authentic, mutually beneficial partnerships with the community and vibrant collaborations with governmental, business, nonprofits and individual partners to promote healthy aging for Minnesotans and beyond.

In engaging with our community, we seek to:

• Design, pursue and advance shared equity and diversity goals with Community Partners;
• Convene, inform and obtain community feedback about state policy, programs, services which may impact access, usage, and quality of care for older adults;
• Build collective community capacity through authentic and productive partnerships;
• Co-create and disseminate culturally informed research, knowledge and emerging practices that are translatable and meaningful to diverse communities;
• Bring multi-generational and “chosen family”-centered lenses to healthy aging; and
• Facilitate system change by examining disparities and translating research findings into policy recommendations and interventions.

The principles that guide our work with the community

We commit to advancing equity. Inequities weaken the fabric of our community and our connections, and they hurt each one of us. We believe that if we are to improve the aging experience for everyone, we must first help those who most need it. This is why we root all of our work in equity and diversity to support aging adults in BIPOC, LGBTQ and other underserved communities.

We believe in the public value of higher education. As a higher education institution, we have the capacity and the responsibility to communicate, translate and apply the latest science to benefit our communities. We commit to putting research and science at the service of our community to improve the lives of those who face racism, discrimination, inequities and health disparities.

We build authentic community partnerships. We let the needs and priorities of our Community Partners inform our aging research agenda, so that we can deliver solutions, interventions and education that are meaningful for the local community and have a direct benefit in the lives of their aging adults.

We meet our community where they are. We engage with our Community Partners in multiple ways to ensure a productive and supportive relationship every time. To meet people and our Partners where they are, our collaboration may fall anywhere on our Community Engagement spectrum, ranging from outreach to fully community-driven initiatives. Tell us how we can support you.