News at the School of Government
More than 1,500 people participated in the Wilson 20|20 visioning process through focus grouops and surveys.
Visioning Process Brings a Community Together
First, Ask the Question
What can happen when a community decides to seriously ask the question, “Where do we want to go?” In the case of Wilson, North Carolina, the results can be invigorating. Since the Wilson 20|20 visioning process was initiated three years ago with the help of team members from the School of Government’s Community and Economic Development program and Public Intersection Project, new restaurants and businesses have opened downtown, a weekday concert series is bringing citizens together, the city has adopted a bike plan, and a comprehensive plan is under development.
But equally important, according to Luella Gunter, executive consultant for Wilson 20/20, is the collaboration that is happening among groups of citizens, Wilson 20/20 teams, city and county governments, area nonprofits, and business groups. “When you have a small town, people tend to function in their own niches,” says Gunter. “But we’re seeing that silo-effect breaking down.”
In addition, Gunter says, as the 20/20 process has evolved to accommodate changes in the community, “everyone has been willing to come up with creative ideas about how we make this work for our community each step of the way.” She credits the initiative’s successful beginnings and solid foundation. “The School of Government helped us – as a community – create a vision statement, and then we came up with a model for our seven action teams. We had over 1,500 people participate in the process through surveys and community focus groups. This was an enormously successful beginning for us to build on.”
Communities Can Create Their Future
Lydian Altman, associate director of the Public Intersection Project, says, “Complex community issues are best addressed through the combined power, resources, and authority of multiple community and government stakeholders.” In a 2008 article for Popular Government, “Creating Their Own Futures: Community Visioning and North Carolina Local Government,” Altman and Rick Morse, assistant professor of public administration and government, reported in depth on the visioning processes conducted in Roxboro, Wilkes County, and Wilson County. The article addressed how elected and appointed local government leaders can help develop an authentic and comprehensive community vision to steer their communities during times of upheaval or relative calm.
“Today’s multitude of economic and social forces can be viewed as a tumultuous sea on which a ship (the community) is operated by a diverse crew (the various community groups and organizations),” wrote Altman and Morse. “For the ship to sail effectively and in the right direction, all crew members must work in synchrony toward the desired destination. Too often, ships are tossed around by the sea, become directionless, and drift under the force of the wind or the waves. A shared vision serves as a beacon, guiding the crew to work together to steer the ship in the desired direction.”
Visit the Public Intersection Project website to access resources including downloadable publications and training exercises, or to request information about workshops, information sessions, training, consulting, or facilitation services that help communities work together.