We learned something very important about ourselves recently.
Last fall, we sent out 7,000 postcards to the
community, asking them to join us for a discussion about how to improve the
local economy. We put ads in The Daily Tribune, the VOICE of
Wisconsin Rapids and on local public access TV channels. Essentially, we
issued a mass call for the community to join our conversation. But the day of
the event, only sixteen people showed up.
This confirmed what we’ve been observing and feeling
for a while. How we approach communication in the community needs to change and
become more intentional.
At Incourage we strongly believe in the principle of
community engagement. It’s what we do, after all. But the response to our
conversation about the economy showed us that instead of ringing the bell and
expecting people to gather, we must bring people together in other ways.
To do this, we must build upon our strengths, and
nothing makes us stronger than establishing relationships and making
connections within our community. Over the last several weeks, we’ve been
engaging in one-on-one conversations with south Wood County residents. One of
the reasons we’re doing this is so that we can act as a bridge between people
of like interests. For instance, we can connect “Mike” who wants to start a
kayak rental business on the river, with “Jane” who is interested in the health
of our waterways. In this way, Incourage can join hands in the community, not
hold them.
Our next step is to develop an inventory of the good
work already underway in our area, and make it available to residents. The
update will be a regular release, and act as a snapshot of the moment.
By understanding our community’s assets, gathering information
about what’s happening here, and joining residents with like interests,
Incourage is working to fulfill its commitment to the long-term growth and
vitality of our community. We want to help turn everyday people into everyone’s
leaders.
To see great examples of how other communities are growing through
relationships and networks, check out abundantcommunity.com.
I
appreciate your comments, thoughts and support.
Kelly
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