A companion piece to April 9 “Your Voice, Our Future” (See side story) is being offered for county-wide participation in how to make a small community better.
“This is a chance for our community members — no matter what area they represent — to come to figure out what it is we can do together with different agencies/organizations to work together to impact the community, to change the community for the better,” said Alison Gooding of Healthy Aroostook. “This is a good way to get information on how to do that.”
On May 5, Military Street Baptist Church will be hosting a workshop called Collective Impact: Changing Community, with internationally recognized speaker Liz Weaver.
This workshop is being sponsored by Healthy Aroostook and participants should pre-register for the event by Monday, April 28 at www.surveymonkey.com/s/N7ZZXXB. On the day of the workshop, registration will begin at 8:30 a.m., with light refreshments to be served. The workshop will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a lunch and two breaks through the day.
Weaver is a trainer and community builder, who will offer insight to explore the collective impact approach and how it can enhance community change efforts.
“Our speaker is well-respected in the field,” Gooding added.
Weaver is vice president of TAMARAC, a nonprofit organization in Canada, which is focused exactly on building communities and improving them. She has given workshops on collective impact in Australia, Oregon and throughout Canada.
The free workshop is open to anyone who desires a new way to lead, engage and transform the community. Issues to be discussed include community engagement, health and well-being, poverty reduction, local government, community sustainability, neighborhood renewal, crime prevention, youth development, citizen engagement, local food systems among other collaborations.
“It will be a great opportunity to meet and to network,” said Gooding. “We can figure out issues and what can be done together.”
Weaver will discuss how groups can organize for change, explore the three preconditions of collective impact and the five conditions for community change that can enhance local efforts, while harnessing citizenship efforts with tools and techniques that move toward impact.
For more information, call Gooding, Healthy Aroostook, at 532-5311 or email agooding@acap-me.org.
