Safety and Healing in Networks of Equity (SHINE) Houston

Cultivating a durable ecosystem for relational health, collective wellbeing, and gender-based violence prevention in Houston

Safety and Healing in Networks of Equity (SHINE) Houston is a collective comprised of artists, cultural organizers, maternal health advocates, housing leaders, and organizations serving men and boys of color, with Prevention Institute serving as ecosystem weaver and project steward. SHINE Houston is nurturing a durable relational and policy ecosystem of Houston residents, community-based organizations, and neighborhood hubs, where collective health and wellbeing flourish. We are reimagining the prevention of gender-based violence through a collective healing and relational health approach that centers community leadership, cultural expression, healing practices, and systems alignment. SHINE Houston was inspired and pollinated by SHINE California, carrying forward its core values while taking root and growing within the distinct relationships, cultures, assets, and conditions of Houston, Texas. This project runs from February 2026 to August 2027.

Primary activities:

Stewarding the SHINE Houston network and facilitating shared decision-making and collective action.

Coordinating community gatherings and activities that engage Houston residents through participatory art installations, storytelling, and cultural healing practices that cultivate trust and shared purpose within neighborhood hubs, while strengthening connections across generations and between people and place.

Uplifting community stories and narratives that shift understanding of gender-based violence prevention toward non-punitive approaches rooted in safety, healing, and collective wellbeing.

Advancing community-generated policy and systems strategies in maternal and family health, housing, and programs serving boys and men of color that connect collective wellbeing and gender-based violence prevention.

Participating in shared learning through RWJF's Advancing Collective Wellbeing for All initiative to explore how communities advance collective wellbeing, interdependence, generational flourishing, and health equity.

Documenting and sharing learning parti through participatory evaluation, community reflections, story circles, ecosystem mapping, and equity-centered measures of progress.