*** Update: Our April 7 Systems Thinking Lunch & Learn has reached capacity. Thank you to everyone who signed up. We’re excited for a full room and a thoughtful conversation.**

When we think about children’s social-emotional health, we know no single issue stands alone. The challenges children and families in our community face are connected, and understanding those connections helps us see more clearly what is driving them. Traditional approaches often treat symptoms rather than root causes, which is one reason systems thinking has become such an important part of how we approach our work.

Join Sabrina Slade, Vice President, and Ashley Ahlers, Director of Partnerships and Communication, on Tuesday, April 7, for an interactive Lunch & Learn on systems thinking. Together, they will introduce this approach, share practical tools, and guide participants in applying systems thinking in their own organizations. The session is designed to be light on jargon and rooted in real-world usefulness.

Participants will explore systems thinking as a way to see the connections between things, not just the things themselves. The session will introduce practical tools such as the Iceberg Model, causal loop mapping, and a set of systems-thinking questions to help teams identify patterns, better understand root causes, and think more clearly about strategy, planning, and decision-making.

This Lunch & Learn is also a chance to explore the ideas shaping our approach to funding. Systems thinking helps us look beyond individual challenges, identify patterns, and make more informed decisions that address root causes instead of just symptoms. It also creates space for shared learning, reflection, and conversation about how this perspective might support your own work.

Lunch will be provided. Space is limited; RSVP by April 3.

Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Time: 12:00–1:30 PM
Location: John Rex Endowment
Address: 832 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27604