The Golden Ticket

Rome was not built in one day nor by one person...

Our Village Centennial Celebration came and went spectacularly, absent of my grandiose aspirations:
* Use Tamarack’s 1000 Conversations template to investigate the notion of community with our local senior population.
* Have internationally exhibited photographer John Beebe capture portraits of these invaluable historians.

Creative visions of print and online Centennial keepsakes, showcasing exquisite photos paired with their heartfelt insights about community lingered on my crowded design boards. Thank goodness, along with intense inquisitiveness, I am stubborn. Business sense told me it was wise to connect with a national project… so I persevered.

An unwise community development strategy would be for me to spearhead the project in isolation and facilitate the conversations individually. When connections between people are created and strengthened, community capacity is built. When one person holds the lion’s share of connections, an instable and unsustainable situation results.

Votes were cast and Municipal elections had shifted the local climate. A sincere interest in rebuilding and deepening relationships between government and the citizenship was emerging. Could Village Council utilize the 1000 Conversations initiative as a tool to foster these relationships and independently contribute the local findings to the national project? The answer in short: NO!

Rachel Brnjas (Tamarack Community Animator) tactfully pointed out that participants may not feel comfortable expressing true feelings about community challenges in the presence of government. Impartial facilitation and a neutral environment where everyone is equal, included and accepted is essential for open, honest input. Back to the design board in search of the Golden Ticket.

The Golden Ticket…
Perseverance, progressive group action and enthusiasm paid off in November 2013. Tamarack, through their 1000 Conversations to Shape our Future initiative, offered the Village of Delburne an elite partnership opportunity!