In a Wellbeing Town, both individuals and organisations place a high priority on their own wellbeing and on collective wellbeing and successfully balance the two. All young families are fully supported to provide an environment conducive to children developing ‘wellbeing habits’. All schools teach wellbeing from K to 12, both as a separate subject and wellbeing forms the overall framework for the curriculum for each year, and is embedded into each subject. All levels of government actively support Wellbeing Towns, including having specific policies such as extended paid parental leave that facilitate wellbeing.
The concept of Wellbeing Towns (WBT’s) rests firstly on the three ideas of collective impact (that two heads are better than one), productivity via wellbeing (that is hard to be productive if one does not experience wellbeing) and ‘radical efficiency’ (prevention is more efficient and effective than a cure). There is increasing use of these approaches to tackle ‘wicked problems’ which require maximum cooperation from all stakeholders.
WBT’s then comprise of the three legs of a ‘Wellbeing Alliance’, ‘Community Wellbeing Initiatives’ and ‘Wellbeing Education’ (the ACE part of the model). The Wellbeing Alliance, building on the collective impact approach, is responsible for overall progress towards Wellbeing Towns. The Alliance is comprised of representatives, (‘key workers’) from community/non-government organisations, government, and business, including social enterprises. There are four elements in particular that Wellbeing Towns aim to progress towards: firstly physical and mental health for all, secondly collective responsibility for the wellbeing of youth from conception onwards, thirdly economic security and fourthly, opportunities for all for meaningful work. The steps involved would include finalising a Wellbeing Town plan, establishing a Wellbeing Alliance, and supporting and promoting community wellbeing initiatives.