Something almost magical happens during these Community Conversations. Education is the focus and participants are able to speak openly in a safe, civil environment. People listen to each other respectfully. They may agree or disagree; consensus is not the goal. Participants leave energized and feeling more hopeful about solving complex challenges.
Learning what others in town think about an issue can highlight where citizens share common ground, disagree or are left with questions and concerns. The conversations can help policy-makers form decisions.
Planners work hard to bring together diverse groups of people. The richer the diversity, the richer the conversation. Each small group has a mixture of ages, stages in life, economic status, ethnicity, and gender. Parents and students attend, as do school administrators and teachers. But it is essential that the larger community be involved. So we see employers, non-parents, the clergy, home schoolers, college students and school dropouts. Everyone is represented. When this happens a broad spectrum of opinion emerges. It's an opportunity to see some new faces and hear some new voices speak out on important issues.
That was great. Let's do it again.
