BACKGROUND

When change agents from Dayton, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh came together for a conversation around shared values, they discovered a bond beyond geography and regional challenges, and Positive Deviants was born. Each of these communities are home to many unconventional change agents that are innovating the work of transforming their communities. Shining a light on these Positive Deviants is the inspiration for the initiative. 

 

Over the past year and a half, the global pandemic has made it impossible to ignore the steep price of inequitable systems on the health, wealth, and wellbeing of disinvested communities. At the same time, there is no shortage of transformative, inspiring, community-led work happening in our cities. The missing ingredient is a platform to raise awareness of these leaders, the creativity of their models, and the impact they are making. By elevating their stories we can shift the narrative towards a deeper understanding of what is possible - and how we can achieve it.