
The Backyard Initiative
The BYI partnership facilitated by the Cultural Wellness Center exemplifies “the sweet spot.” This collaboration is more than a decade long and continues to produce and unveil new knowledge through the direction of the Cultural Wellness Center. The Community Health Survey conducted in 2013 lifted and reflected the knowledge, experiences, and cultures of the community residents of the area called the Backyard.
The BYI analysis reflects two processes of conducting a dual analysis of the original survey data collected residents in 2013. The findings in this report gives direction to the BYI Community Health Hub, and informs and support the theory of change expressed by residents participating in the activities of the BYI.
Key BYI Themes driving Health Hub activities → Increased social support → Decreased stress → Increased health

The Backyard Initiative: A Case Study of Research and the Cultural Wellness Center
Launched in May 2008, the Backyard Initiative (BYI) was originally a work effort with the interest of learning. BYI however grew into a dynamic 10-year partnership between Allina Health and the residents of seven South Minneapolis neighborhoods surrounding the company’s headquarters and its largest hospital, Abbott Northwestern. In the partnership, Allina Health invested in community by implementing the Cultural Wellness Center’s proprietary approach to community-engaged research.
Prior to successfully establishing the partnership, Allina Health launched the initiative to respond to its concern that despite providing world-class medical care in the community, many people residing in its “backyard” experienced poor health outcomes. However, Allina Health quickly realized it needed a different approach and engaged the Cultural Wellness Center to use its expertise to evolve the BYI into a community resident owned effort. Area residents challenged Allina Health to see itself not as a disconnected money driven corporation, but as a community health resource organization. They began to declare Allina Health part of the community’s backyard.
Overview of the BYI Work
The BYI went beyond medical care to improve health by supporting the capacity of residents to strengthen their own health. The work of BYI partners and participants built the community’s collective capacity to address the social conditions, or root causes of illness that impact the health of our communities. BYI activities improved health by increasing social support, social cohesion, health education, and health empowerment. BYI participants drew upon their own knowledge, skills, and cultural values to take care of themselves, their families, friends, and neighbors.
This was primarily undertaken through the work of Community Health Action Teams (CHATs), which were formed and led by BYI participants. The health improvement teams were organized around specific issues that community members understood to be important determinants of health such as economic insecurity, access to healthy food, exercise, toxic cleaning products, isolation, and cultural preservation. The groups met regularly to learn from experts and support each other. Over the course of the 10 years:
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Community residents formed and operated 12 different CHATs.
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CHATs provided up to 35 unique activities per month including free exercise classes, gardening, farmers markets, cultural arts activities and peer support for people with diabetes and for immigrant communities.
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Up to 6,000 people participated and 25,000 connections were made each year by the CHATs through activities designed to make new connections among the 42,000 residents within the Backyard.
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An annual average of 42,000 volunteer hours were donated by community members – the equivalent of more than $10 million in donated time over 10 years.
Health Benefits of the BYI
In 2016, the Cultural Wellness Center’s assessment team evaluated the health benefits neighbors experienced by participating in CHAT activities. The team analyzed a total of 454 surveys from BYI participants and 19 from BYI leaders, showing that CHAT activities had significantly increased:
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Social Support: BYI activities increased social support for 93 percent of respondents.
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Social Cohesion: 95.5 percent of respondents had a greater sense of belonging and 95 percent were more willing to help others in their community after participating in the BYI.
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Health Education: More than 90 percent of respondents received and gave information and resources that helped them and others to take care of themselves.
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Health Empowerment: 86 percent of survey respondents were doing something differently to take care of themselves as a result of participation in a CHAT activity.
The 2016 evaluation also showed the BYI was reaching many different groups of people in the Backyard area, while also attaining the initiative’s goal of engaging people to attend consistently and over a long period of time.
The BYI evolved into the Backyard Community Health Hub, which is a center for community-focused health engagement that increases the capacity of residents to strengthen their own health and well-being. Based at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis, which is co-owned and co-operated by the Cultural Wellness Center and Neighborhood Development Center, the Health Hub has expanded well beyond the scope of the BYI. Over the course of a year, the BYI would have about 900 people participate on average. By the end of 2019, the Health Hub had 3,096 participants involved. With the COVID-19 global pandemic, most of the Health Hub activities have moved online and participation has exploded.
INSIDE OF EVERY HUMAN BEING IS A SPARK. WE IGNITE THAT SPARK