Post by Stefan Pasti on May 26, 2012 15:08:16 GMT -5
About Community Visioning Initiatives
(from “A Multi-Angle View of the Debt Crises” p. 230-232)
(at www.ipcri.net/A_Multi-Angle_View_of_the_Debt_Crises.pdf )
a) What are Community Visioning Initiatives?
--Well organized efforts to identify problems and brainstorm solutions are a universally recognized approach to problem solving which is commonly used in family, community, business, and government settings in every part of the world.
--In its most basic format, a Community Visioning Initiative (CVI) is simply a more comprehensive variation of the above mentioned approach to problem solving.
--Community Visioning Initiatives (CVIs) are especially useful as a means of increasing or maximizing citizen participation in the planning phase of community revitalization efforts.
--In 1984, the non-profit organization Chattanooga Venture [Chattanooga, Tennessee (USA)] organized a Community Visioning Initiative that attracted more than 1,700 participants, and produced 40 community goals—which resulted in the implementation of 223 projects and programs, the creation of 1,300 permanent jobs, and a total financial investment of 793 million dollars. (For source references, see p. 9 of the “1000Communities2” proposal)
--Community Visioning Initiatives (CVIs) can be described as a series of community meetings designed to facilitate the process of brainstorming ideas, organizing the ideas into goals, prioritizing the goals, and identifying doable steps.
--Many CVIs have followed a model which has three basic steps, and which requires 3 to 6 months to complete (this is a variation of the “Oregon Model”4):
Where are we now? (or What are we now?)
An assessment which incorporates:
Community Values
Strengths and Weaknesses
Most Difficult Challenges
Most Valuable Resources
Where do we want to go? (or What do we want to be?)
Brainstorming and strategic planning sessions which involve:
Brainstorming Positive or Desirable Community Improvements
Developing these Ideas into Practical Goals
Prioritizing the Goals
How can we get there?
Brainstorming and/or focus group sessions which answer the questions:
What action plans will help us achieve our goals?
Who will implement the action plans?
How will they be implemented? (With what funding?)
How will we know if our efforts are achieving the desired
results?
--Many CVIs require steering committees, preliminary surveys or assessments, workshops, task forces, and collaboration between many organizations, government agencies, businesses, and educational institutions—and seek to build up consensus in the community for specific goals and action plans by encouraging a high level of participation by all residents.
b) Examples of Community Visioning Initiatives
i) Many cities and towns in the United States have carried out visioning initiatives or strategic planning exercises (see “Google” results for the key words “community visioning”); however, this writer does not know of any particular examples which are meant to be responses to most of the critical challenges listed in Appendix A, which have been as time-intensive as the “1000Communities2” proposal suggests or which have followed an approach similar to the one detailed in Appendix G.
ii) In 1984, the non-profit organization Chattanooga Venture [Chattanooga, Tennessee (USA)] organized a Community Visioning Initiative (“Vision 2000”) that attracted more than 1,700 participants, and produced 40 community goals—which resulted in the implementation of 223 projects and programs, the creation of 1,300 permanent jobs, and a total financial investment of 793 million dollars. (Note: “Vision 2000” was a five month long process.) (Additional Note: There was a video made after the second visioning project which provided documentation of both processes; and I have a copy of the video, received with other materials back in 1996. Recently I found a business which would make 4 DVD copies for me, for personal sharing, even though I didn’t own the copyright.)
iii) The “1000Communities2” Proposal
The IPCR Initiative advocates (see IPCR document “1000Communities2”) organizing and implementing Community Visioning Initiatives in 1000 communities (communities—or segments of rural areas, towns, or cities—with populations of 50,000 or less) around the world
--which are time-intensive, lasting even as much as 1½ years (18 months), so as to give as much importance to developing a close-knit community as it does to
•accumulating and integrating the knowledge and skill sets necessary for the highest percentage of people to act wisely in response to challenges identified as priority challenges
•helping people to deliberately channel their time, energy, and money into the creation of “ways of earning a living” which are directly related to resolving high priority challenges
•assisting with outreach, partnership formation, and development of service capacity for a significant number of already existing (or forming) organizations, businesses, institutions, and government agencies
•helping to build a high level of consensus for specific action plans, which will help inspire additional support from people, businesses, organizations, institutions, and government agencies with significant resources
--which expand on the concept of “Community Teaching and Learning Centers” (created by the “Teachers Without Borders” organization) so that such local community points of entry function as information clearinghouses, meeting locations, education centers for ongoing workshops (on a broad range of topics related to the Community Visioning Process, and building the local knowledge base), practice sites for developing “teacher-leaders”, a location for an ongoing “informal” “Community Journal”, a location for listing employment opportunities—and provide a means of responding quickly (by changing the emphasis of workshop content) to new urgencies as they arise
--and which suggest—as a way of emphasizing the need for an exponential increase in compassion for our fellow human beings—that communities (with the resources to do so) enter into “sister community” relationships with communities in other countries where there has been well documented calls for assistance with basic human needs.
iv) Time Required, and Estimated Cost, for the kind of Community Visioning Initiatives advocated by The IPCR Initiative
--The IPCR Initiative emphasizes a time-intensive approach to Community Visioning, which may take up to 11/2 years (18 months) to complete. (Note: A 15 step outline of the kind of Community Visioning Initiatives advocated by The IPCR Initiative is in Appendix G)
--Estimated Cost (for 18 month Community Visioning Initiative which can be carried out by local communities—or segments of rural areas, towns, or cities—with populations of 50,000 or less) = $3 million
(from “A Multi-Angle View of the Debt Crises” p. 230-232)
(at www.ipcri.net/A_Multi-Angle_View_of_the_Debt_Crises.pdf )
a) What are Community Visioning Initiatives?
--Well organized efforts to identify problems and brainstorm solutions are a universally recognized approach to problem solving which is commonly used in family, community, business, and government settings in every part of the world.
--In its most basic format, a Community Visioning Initiative (CVI) is simply a more comprehensive variation of the above mentioned approach to problem solving.
--Community Visioning Initiatives (CVIs) are especially useful as a means of increasing or maximizing citizen participation in the planning phase of community revitalization efforts.
--In 1984, the non-profit organization Chattanooga Venture [Chattanooga, Tennessee (USA)] organized a Community Visioning Initiative that attracted more than 1,700 participants, and produced 40 community goals—which resulted in the implementation of 223 projects and programs, the creation of 1,300 permanent jobs, and a total financial investment of 793 million dollars. (For source references, see p. 9 of the “1000Communities2” proposal)
--Community Visioning Initiatives (CVIs) can be described as a series of community meetings designed to facilitate the process of brainstorming ideas, organizing the ideas into goals, prioritizing the goals, and identifying doable steps.
--Many CVIs have followed a model which has three basic steps, and which requires 3 to 6 months to complete (this is a variation of the “Oregon Model”4):
Where are we now? (or What are we now?)
An assessment which incorporates:
Community Values
Strengths and Weaknesses
Most Difficult Challenges
Most Valuable Resources
Where do we want to go? (or What do we want to be?)
Brainstorming and strategic planning sessions which involve:
Brainstorming Positive or Desirable Community Improvements
Developing these Ideas into Practical Goals
Prioritizing the Goals
How can we get there?
Brainstorming and/or focus group sessions which answer the questions:
What action plans will help us achieve our goals?
Who will implement the action plans?
How will they be implemented? (With what funding?)
How will we know if our efforts are achieving the desired
results?
--Many CVIs require steering committees, preliminary surveys or assessments, workshops, task forces, and collaboration between many organizations, government agencies, businesses, and educational institutions—and seek to build up consensus in the community for specific goals and action plans by encouraging a high level of participation by all residents.
b) Examples of Community Visioning Initiatives
i) Many cities and towns in the United States have carried out visioning initiatives or strategic planning exercises (see “Google” results for the key words “community visioning”); however, this writer does not know of any particular examples which are meant to be responses to most of the critical challenges listed in Appendix A, which have been as time-intensive as the “1000Communities2” proposal suggests or which have followed an approach similar to the one detailed in Appendix G.
ii) In 1984, the non-profit organization Chattanooga Venture [Chattanooga, Tennessee (USA)] organized a Community Visioning Initiative (“Vision 2000”) that attracted more than 1,700 participants, and produced 40 community goals—which resulted in the implementation of 223 projects and programs, the creation of 1,300 permanent jobs, and a total financial investment of 793 million dollars. (Note: “Vision 2000” was a five month long process.) (Additional Note: There was a video made after the second visioning project which provided documentation of both processes; and I have a copy of the video, received with other materials back in 1996. Recently I found a business which would make 4 DVD copies for me, for personal sharing, even though I didn’t own the copyright.)
iii) The “1000Communities2” Proposal
The IPCR Initiative advocates (see IPCR document “1000Communities2”) organizing and implementing Community Visioning Initiatives in 1000 communities (communities—or segments of rural areas, towns, or cities—with populations of 50,000 or less) around the world
--which are time-intensive, lasting even as much as 1½ years (18 months), so as to give as much importance to developing a close-knit community as it does to
•accumulating and integrating the knowledge and skill sets necessary for the highest percentage of people to act wisely in response to challenges identified as priority challenges
•helping people to deliberately channel their time, energy, and money into the creation of “ways of earning a living” which are directly related to resolving high priority challenges
•assisting with outreach, partnership formation, and development of service capacity for a significant number of already existing (or forming) organizations, businesses, institutions, and government agencies
•helping to build a high level of consensus for specific action plans, which will help inspire additional support from people, businesses, organizations, institutions, and government agencies with significant resources
--which expand on the concept of “Community Teaching and Learning Centers” (created by the “Teachers Without Borders” organization) so that such local community points of entry function as information clearinghouses, meeting locations, education centers for ongoing workshops (on a broad range of topics related to the Community Visioning Process, and building the local knowledge base), practice sites for developing “teacher-leaders”, a location for an ongoing “informal” “Community Journal”, a location for listing employment opportunities—and provide a means of responding quickly (by changing the emphasis of workshop content) to new urgencies as they arise
--and which suggest—as a way of emphasizing the need for an exponential increase in compassion for our fellow human beings—that communities (with the resources to do so) enter into “sister community” relationships with communities in other countries where there has been well documented calls for assistance with basic human needs.
iv) Time Required, and Estimated Cost, for the kind of Community Visioning Initiatives advocated by The IPCR Initiative
--The IPCR Initiative emphasizes a time-intensive approach to Community Visioning, which may take up to 11/2 years (18 months) to complete. (Note: A 15 step outline of the kind of Community Visioning Initiatives advocated by The IPCR Initiative is in Appendix G)
--Estimated Cost (for 18 month Community Visioning Initiative which can be carried out by local communities—or segments of rural areas, towns, or cities—with populations of 50,000 or less) = $3 million