Jackson County United Way is partnering with other community groups to get people talking about Jackson County.
The organization will host dozens of group conversations within the community during the next few months to listen to aspirations, concerns and priorities from a grassroots perspective, United Way officials said.
These structured dialogues will ask very specific questions to learn more about residents’ values and thoughts about the future of Jackson County.
United Way and its 20 partner agencies assess community needs, secure financial resources and volunteers and strategically invest those resources to create lasting change in the areas of education, health and financial stability for all people in Jackson County.
“At United Way, an integral part of the work that we do is turning outward and listening to the community,” said Dr. Nate Otte, United Way board chairman. “A tool that helps us accomplish this is community conversations.”
These discussions will consist of 10 to 12 people having a “kitchen table” type conversation, Otte said.
The idea is for residents of varying backgrounds and economic and social levels to participate, especially those whose voices might not be normally taken into consideration, he said.
“These conversations are not about listening to the leaders, but more about listening to residents that make up our neighborhoods, small towns and vast county,” Otte said.
And all opinions are important, he added.
“It allows participants to speak honestly and freely about how they feel about the community,” Otte said. “We discuss both aspirations and challenges and also discuss actions we think would make a difference.”
The community conversations are going to be different from the existing Vision 2025 program and Hometown Collaborative Initiative because it impacts areas outside of Seymour.
“This will provide a framework for residents to imagine what they would like the community to be and then consider how to do so,” Otte said. “These conversations will help United Way and its partners consider decisions made at the board level from a community perspective.”
United Way will be working closely with local faith-based and nonprofit groups, service clubs and employers to schedule meetings.
“We want to know what you are thinking since this is your county,” said Tonja Couch, United Way executive director. “We don’t want to make assumptions as to what the right thing to do is, and we aren’t trying to create any quick fixes.”
During the meetings, local volunteers will facilitate and take notes of the conversations. Those volunteer leaders attended a one-day training through The Harwood Institute and include Tricia Bechman, Liz Eaken, Kelly Franklin, Drew Markel and Adam Jackson.
“We are so grateful for the volunteers, both board members and community members, who took the time to learn more about how to create cohesive community change,” Couch said.
Meetings will take place throughout the county and will last no longer than two hours. Otte said the goal is to have at least 30 conversations by the end of June.
Jackson County United Way already has hosted four conversations this month.
“While we can’t promise that any new initiatives or programs will emerge from these conversations, we will report back to the community, share what we learned and how it can help make our collective work in the county more effective,” Otte said.
The strategy is a way for United Way to focus on more than just numbers, he added.
“This allows us to focus on the quality and depth of conversation as opposed to an aggregating numbers strategy,” Otte said. “Our goal is to have deep, meaningful conversations so we can start to see themes bubbling up.”
Anyone interested in hosting a conversation or who would like to participate may call 812-522-5450 or email [email protected].
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Anyone interested in hosting a community conversation or who would like to participate may call 812-522-5450 or email [email protected].
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