One of DIP-IN’s primary aims–in addition to working along the spectrum of diabetes prevention–is to increase the capacity of residents and their communities to lead DIP-IN or other initiatives by focusing on civic engagement and enhanced community leadership.
While DIP-IN focuses on bringing new residents to the table to participate in decision-making on their community’s DIP-IN Steering Committee, we also work to enhance the leadership skills of current Steering Committee members. One of the ways Steering Committee members have been able to enhance their skill set and speak about DIP-IN’s unique model has been by attending the Neighborhoods USA (NUSA) Conference.
This was the second time DIP-IN Steering Committee members participated in the NUSA Conference. Previously, a group of steering committee members attended NUSA in 2022 in Little Rock, Ark., and conducted a panel presentation and discussion on the overview of DIP-IN, titled, “Partnering to reduce the burden of diabetes in our community: The Diabetes Impact Project – Indianapolis Neighborhoods.”
Steering committee members who attended enjoyed the conference and networking with other neighborhood and community leaders from around the country–some whom they stayed in touch with long after the conference!
This year, in May 2025, DIP-IN Steering Committee members were able to attend the conference in Jacksonville, FL, with some steering committee members attending for the second time as well as some new attendees.
This year’s panel presentation, titled, “Creating healthy futures by expanding infrastructure and opportunities that support healthy lifestyles,” built off the original presentation by grounding the audience once again in the overview and project structure of DIP-IN, and providing updates on what the project has been able to accomplish in the previous three years. However, the main focus of this year’s presentation was to provide committee members representing each of the three DIP-IN Steering Committees an opportunity to speak about the Community Health Improvement Projects (CHIPs) that each of the committees have funded.
Some of the examples provided included Farm Fit at Elephant Gardens and the Evolve Education Center Walking Trail and Labyrinth in the Northeast; the VCity Barista Training Program in the Near West; and Brewster’s Boxing Beauties and Sunday Suppers in the Near Northwest. Each committee member also provided some “Tips & Tricks” for attendees who may want to support or implement similar things in their own communities.
Thank you to all the DIP-IN Steering Committee members and team members who took the time to represent DIP-IN in the 2025 NUSA Conference: Jama Bennett, Vickie Driver, Lisa Staten, Adelle Stokes, and Carolyn Watts-Matsuo.