Definition of Well-being

Well-being is a political choice. It is the outcome of the policies, institutions, economies and ecosystems in which people live. It is a resource for daily life and is determined by social, economic and environmental conditions.  

In short, well-being is a communal construct that exists at the intersection of planetary health (i.e., sustainability), equity (i.e., equitable distribution of resources), and human health (i.e., flourishing). 

Adapted from the Word Health Organization Health Promotion Glossary of Terms (2021) and the World Health Organization Geneva Charter for Well-being (2022)

Circle chart with three overlapping circles that say Planetary Health, Equity, Human Health. They come together to form Well-Being.

Definition of Health Promotion

Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health. To reach a state of complete physical mental and social well-being, an individual or group must be able to identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment. Health is, therefore, seen as a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities. Therefore, health promotion is not just the responsibility of the health sector, but goes beyond healthy lifestyles to well-being.

There are 5 Health Promotion Actions:

  • Embed health in all policies
  • Create supportive environments
  • Foster community actions
  • Support personal development
  • Reorient all sectors towards prevention

-World Health Organization Ottawa Charter, 1986

Definition of Collective Impact

Collective Impact is defined as a network of community members, organizations, and institutions who advance equity by learning together, aligning, and integrating their actions to achieve population and systems-level change.

Definition of Equity

“Equity is fairness and justice achieved through systematically assessing disparities in opportunities, outcomes, and representation and redressing [those] disparities through targeted actions”

Adapted from the Urban Strategies Council