In epistemic closure, people in a closed environment get most of their new information only from one another. To put it another way, both individuals and groups sometimes get trapped in an information bubble filled with the stale air of the same old, limited information and/or misinformation.

Strong community coalitions can be a cure for this problem. Strong coalitions are composed of a diverse membership with a broad range of expertise, experience, perspectives, skills and talents, and function as the anecdote to epistemic closure by their very nature.

The chances of strengthening communities by collaborating to problem solve is good when a coalition has input from citizens of all ages, and from local, state, federal and tribal groups all contributing their unique knowledge to find solutions.

But all of this sounds rather dull in theory without concrete examples. Below are three examples from one regional community coalition, Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey, a nonprofit in rural northwestern Nevada powered primarily by volunteers and funded primarily through Federal, State, and foundation sources. The coalition exists in a region that has experienced between 14% and 20% official unemployment rate since 2008, yet this group is thriving and accomplishing more with less formal funding and fewer formal resources. Its secret is complex levels of collaboration and innovative strategies based on sharing information across all sectors and identifying and using resources effectively.

Connecting School Gardens, Farmers, School Curriculum, and Social Services: National Food Day organizers had this to say about this short film (link below) by the coalition, Here is one of our favorite videos from one of the most effective, inspiring community food initiatives in the country: Healthy Communities Coalition. The video highlights the groups and volunteers working together to create a vibrant, resilient food system in the Lyon and Storey region that benefits everyone.

http://youtu.be/yr-D7xRwSTs

The coalitions dozens of group partners and hundreds of community volunteers are working together to create a food sufficiency system in the region that includes organic community and school gardens and composts, a nonprofit food co-op, farmers markets that accept SNAP and charge no booth fees to local farmers, volunteer-powered food pantries, organic gardening and nutrition education, and teen agriculture internships. Working in partnership with schools, clubs, businesses, farmers, and volunteers of all ages, Healthy Communities Coalition and its nonprofit nursery Community Roots have supported 6 organic school gardens and hoop houses in Lyon County schools and are planning 6 more for next year. With funding from USDA and the Nevada State Health Division, the Coalition has also helped fund community gardens and hoop houses, and farmers markets throughout Lyon and Storey Counties. Healthy Communities also helps fund and organize volunteer-powered food pantries in Dayton and Silver Springs that include hundreds of community volunteers who contribute over 1,000 hours of volunteer labor each month. With produce from school and community gardens and farmers markets, nearly 7,000 pounds of produce was donated to the food pantries during the summer.

Increasing Access to Local Food Equals Healthier People AND Healthier Economies: The link below is to a video of USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan that includes Merrigan taking note of Healthy Communities Coalition's role in connecting multiple sectors for the goal of strengthening food systems in a two county region. Merrigan states in part, "[ The USDAs Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food] Compass map shows local food projects around the country supported by USDA over the last few years. The cluster of dots in your region really stood out. You are truly leading your state when it comes to these issues. What the map cant show, but what you well know, is that these dots are all connected through the work of the Healthy Communities Coalition and its partners. Youre putting the pieces together to build a strong regional food system, and I want you to know that USDA is your partner in this effort. Please see this link to the video:

http://youtu.be/5LE87gaNX1Q

Improving Access to Health Care for All: More than 242 people from as far as Las Vegas, Nevada donated their time to a medical, vision, and dental care event for uninsured people in the northern Nevada counties of Lyon, Storey and Mineral County in April 2012 called MORE (Medical Outreach Response Event). It has resulted in a number of improvements in access to health care as well as a number of other improvements that are likely over the next year. Please see this short film for more information about the event, which will take place again March 15-17, 2013:

http://youtu.be/yr-D7xRwSTs

Neutral Conveners Can Stop Epistemic Closure: Successful community coalitions are neutral conveners with no particular religious or political agenda. This allows for open dialog on a broad range of assets and challenges, and helps to keep communication open among many diverse groups. Such a coalition can also serve as a way to introduce new concepts into communities, and as a way to identify resources from every sector that can benefit communities. Simply put, with the strong facilitation skills of a coalition director, bringing together people from education, business, health care, drug use prevention groups, county government, law enforcement, teen leadership groups, social services, civic groups, veterans advocacy groups, arts councils, nonprofits, food systems, and economic development to discuss issues and collaborate on common goals WORKS.