Chicago Faith-based Advocacy to Improve and Transform Health (Chicago FAITH)

The Chicago Faith-based Advocacy Initiative to Transform Health (Chicago FAITH) was made up of diverse denominations working together to enhance their shared capacity to advocate for childhood-obesity prevention policy, environment, and systems change. This project ran through the end of 2010.

The Chicago FAITH Coalition contributed to the childhood obesity prevention movement in Chicago in a number of ways. Faith-based institutions can lend a powerful voice to health advocacy. The coalition approach helped to raise the efforts of individual institutions to the level of city-wide collaboration. Engaging faith-based institutions means engaging members who may not be “called to action” by traditional advocacy organizations but who may be inspired to join the movement when it has a faith perspective. Faith leaders can develop tools that are rooted in faith culture that can be disseminated to others who are interested in working within their institutions to promote advocacy. Finally, faith-based institution leaders can teach non-faith-based organizations how to connect with community members who may be more inspired by messages grounded in a faith perspective than by traditional advocacy.

For more information on Chicago FAITH, contact Christine Bozlak at 312-573-7741 or cbozlak@childrensmemorial.org.