The DeKalb Area Belonging Council was organized in 2021 following a community conversation with dr. john a. powell. The formation of the DABC was informed by a strategic belonging action plan with the assistance of NIU’s Center for Governmental Studies, funded by a grant from Healing Illinois. The DABC has three key areas of current focus:
community education
community dialogue
co-creating a culture of belonging in the workplace
Addressing the needs of youth in belonging is an emerging issue that is being examined currently.
Various community belonging efforts have gotten underway since 2021, especially in the areas of arts and organizational culture. Here are a few of those efforts:
Belonging Collaborative
NIU launched the Belonging Collaborative in partnership with the Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development , the Division of Academic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Division of Enrollment Management, Marketing, and Communications, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, WNIJ Northern Public Radio, and members of the DeKalb Area Belonging Council. The Belonging Collaborative includes Faces of Belonging and Voices of Belonging exhibits to help showcase the varied stories and experiences of belonging in our community. The second phase of Faces of Belonging will soon be unveiled addressing “Belonging in STEAM.”
Culture of Belonging
Organizations, including the DeKalb Police Department, DeKalb School District 428, and the DeKalb County Mental Health Board have been working to explore and cocreate a culture of belonging within their organizations.