Social connection is more than a feeling of belonging. It is an important part of individual and community health.

This year, the Institute for the Advancement of Community Health will explore that connection through our 2026–2027 programming theme: Building Socially Connected Communities.

Throughout the year, IACH will bring together students, community members, researchers, healthcare professionals, and local leaders to explore how strong relationships, trusted partnerships, and community engagement contribute to healthier communities. Programs will examine social connection from multiple perspectives, including neighborhood belonging, civic participation, workforce development, access to opportunity, and the community conditions that help people feel connected, supported, and valued.

The theme builds on IACH’s ongoing work to advance conversations around the factors that shape health beyond clinical care and invites us to consider an important question: How can we create communities where connection thrives?

Community Health Conversations: Building Socially Connected Communities

Our Community Health Conversations return to the Crescent Innovation District this fall with a three-part series exploring social connection at the individual, community, and systems levels.

The series begins September 29 with The Power of Belonging: Individual Experiences of Connection, Purpose, and Well-Being. On November 17, Connected Communities will explore how relationships, organizations, and intergenerational connections strengthen health. The series concludes January 19 with Designing for Connection, examining policy, planning, and systems approaches to building socially connected communities.

This year’s series is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Bon Secours St. Francis, whose support helps us bring these free community conversations to the Upstate.

Each event begins with a social from 5:00–5:30 p.m., followed by the program from 5:30–6:30 p.m. at the Crescent Innovation District, 25 Goldsmith Street. Refreshments are provided.

These free public conversations are designed to bring local experts and community members together not only to learn, but also to exchange ideas about how we can build a more connected Upstate.

Bringing the Conversation to Campus and Community

IACH will also bring this year’s theme to Furman’s Cultural Life Programming (CLP), with select programs open to members of the broader community.

On September 17, IACH will host Building Communities Where Connection Thrives, a fireside chat featuring Dr. Kyle Bower and Dr. Megan Smith, Ambassadors for the Foundation for Social Connection. The conversation will examine how loneliness and social isolation affect health across the lifespan and explore the relationships, organizational partnerships, and community conditions that help people feel connected, supported, and valued. The discussion will also highlight practical actions students, organizations, and community members can take to strengthen the social fabric of their communities.

Then, on October 6, Building Socially Connected Communities: My Neighbor’s Voice will turn the conversation into an experience.

Dr. Kerry Sease, Executive Director of IACH, will introduce research on social connection and its impact on health and well-being before participants take part in a facilitated listening experience with My Neighbor’s Voice, a nonprofit co-founded by a Furman alumna and dedicated to creating purposeful, productive community connections.

Using My Neighbor’s Voice listening cards, participants will gather in small groups for authentic conversations designed to deepen understanding, encourage listening, and create genuine connections with their neighbors.

From Conversation to Connection

Across these programs, we hope to move beyond simply talking about social connection to exploring what it takes to create it.

What makes someone feel that they belong? How do relationships across generations strengthen a community? What role do our neighborhoods, institutions, workplaces, policies, and public spaces play? And what can each of us do to help build communities where more people feel seen, valued, and connected?

Through Building Socially Connected Communities, IACH invites you to join us throughout the year as we learn from one another, build new relationships, and explore how connection itself can become a pathway to healthier communities.

Looking Ahead: The Annual IACH Community Health Forum

In early spring 2027, our year-long exploration of Building Socially Connected Communities will culminate in the Annual IACH Community Health Forum.

The Forum will expand the conversation, bringing together community members, practitioners, researchers, students, and cross-sector leaders to reflect on what we have learned throughout the year and explore how we can translate those ideas into action.

Together, we will continue examining how relationships, community systems, policy, place, and cross-sector collaboration can create the conditions for stronger social connection and healthier communities.

Planning for the 2027 Forum is underway, with the date, speakers, and additional details to be announced. Until then, we hope you’ll join us throughout the year as we build toward this larger community conversation.

Stay connected with IACH for speaker announcements, registration information, and more opportunities to join us as we work together to build socially connected communities.