- Cvsg - list.chattanooga.digital

Piloting Visioning at next regular meeting, 7/4, noon
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. July 22, 2026

July 22, 2026

During our next regular meeting we will pilot our visioning process, based on the VISIONS ’86 Do It Yourself Kit, and discuss how to promote and support crowdsourced visioning. Please RSVP at https://luma.com/azkbyo1j so I know how many to expect. If you do want to participate, please register ASAP because I plan to let the larger group know and have some other folks I’m going to ask to participate. Thanks! — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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Envisioning Prosperity
by Greg Laudeman July 8, 2026

July 8, 2026

We had good discussion in the last Regular Meeting that confirmed our direction and focus. Basically, we're embracing visioning as a community activity and practice. The goal for the group is to apply what we’ve learned by convening, facilitating, hosting, and participating in visioning meetings. Results of the meetings will be shared and summarized. We will crowdsource visioning by adapting the /VISIONS '86 Do It Yourself Kit/ for our purpose since we don't have resources for a formal effort. This is essentially about listening to community members about what they want for the future. This is important for Chattanooga.Digital: We need to know what the community needs so we can provide software that fits those needs. I will be participating as a representative of Chattanooga.Digital. Visioning meetings may be on any general topic, but we’re going to focus on/Prosperity/ — how people earn money, generate income, and make a living (other general BTW topics are People, Places, Play, and Public). Chattanooga.Digital will focus on entrepreneurs and small business, including non-profits, by sponsoring dialogues as visioning meeting to be podcast. Ideally, these will have simultaneous "satellite" meetings. We'll see. The crowdsourcing will require conveners, facilitators, and hosts/locations, along with participants. If you or someone you know might be willing to do any of that, please complete our interest form online here! <https://go.eduity.net/apps/forms/s/ACYKwmKw5Y3axWfBCWAWgb2q> I'll work on a "toolkit," which shouldn't take long because it's basically a really simple spreadsheet template. All of this will be on venturing.chattanooga.digital <https://venturing.chattanooga.digital/> so set up an account there to participate in the discussion. Let's set up some private topics about how to proceed, especially recruiting and on-boarding facilitators. -- Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Instigator Chattanooga.Digital

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CVSG Regular Meeting 7/7/26: Visioning
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. July 6, 2026

July 6, 2026

My thinking about what the Study Group can/should do has evolved. I recommend that we embrace visioning. We should make it a practice and use creating a community vision from the grassroots up as a goal for engaging and listening to community members. We can do this pretty easily by adapting Venture’s VISIONS 86 Do It Yourself Kit to current situation and capitalize on current technology. The big question is how (and whether you want) to: (a) convene and/or facilitate visioning meetings, (b) encourage, identify, and/or recruit others, particularly young adults, to do so, and/or (c) hear from community members about their goals, issues, needs, and opportunities. Our regular meeting tomorrow will focus on answering each part of this question. Specifically, I’ll review the “DIY Kit” and we’ll discuss how to crowdsource “Envision Chattanooga.” Chattanooga.Digital is definitely interested in all of the above, and we’ll provide the tools. Going forward, I’ll be engaging in the study group from that perspective, as a representative of Chattanooga.Digital. If you feel the community is fragmented, not effectively addressing key issues, and we need a shared vision for the community that comes from the people… Please join the meeting or follow-up. Your input is vital! Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 7, 12:00 PM, in person at 332 E M L King Blvd or online at https://go.eduity.net/call/3hmzaw47. — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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Chattanooga Visioning
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. July 1, 2026

July 1, 2026

As you know, we've been wrestling with what the Study Group should be when it grows up. The purpose has always been to learn about community engagement. We're evolving from passive to active learning. So what is it we're doing? On one level, listening. To what end? What's going to come of it? The first step in the community venturing is to envision what we want for the future. We're listening to hear about people's vision. We also an issue of "branding" for folks to easily grasp what it's all about. How do we talk about it? So... I think we should embrace "Visioning"! We're "crowdsourcing visioning." That's what Venture called it and we're using their methodology. What do you think? -- Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. *Executive Officer and Principal* Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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"Free Your Tech," CVSG Regular Meeting, and next Dialogue
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. June 29, 2026

June 29, 2026

Hey, everybody! Please consider coming out to “Free Your Tech” this Friday, hosted by Chattanooga.Digital, 3:00 - 6:00 PM, at Hutton & Smith, on MLK Blvd. Get more info and register to participate at https://luma.com/tiv9etao. If you know anyone who’s concerned about Big Tech’s control over our lives or is into tech stuff, please share! Our next regular meeting will be next Tuesday at noon, either in-person at the Small Business Resource Center, 332 E M L King Blvd, Chattanooga, TN 37403, or online at https://go.eduity.net/call/3hmzaw47. The two major topics will be the Facilitator Bank and the next Chattanooga Venturing Dialogue. If you are interested in the Facilitator Bank, please attend or email me. I need your input on the program! I have a major opportunity for a dialogue about a key issue that is of personal/professional interest to me and directly related to Chattanooga.Digital’s purpose. The goal is to hear directly from entrepreneurs and small business owners about what they need to thrive. Please help to: Identify entrepreneurs and small business people to participate… our objective is 100! Facilitate the dialogue… we need a dozen or so facilitators. Develop future dialogues! What are key topics? Whose voices need to be heard? Where might we convene? If you haven’t checked out our online platform yet, visit https://venturing.chattanooga.digital/ and let me know what you think. To get actively involved, click the “Sign Up <https://venturing.chattanooga.digital/signup>” button. — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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What does the community want?
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. June 25, 2026

June 25, 2026

Marie Mott published a wonderful article <https://bladechattanooga.com/p/how-we-heal-chattanooga-s-divides> (of course, I’m a bit biased) about what we’re working on in the Study Group in The Blade. She has some great insights and the fragmentation in our community, and she boils it down to a fundamental question that no one is asking: “What do you want?” This is a powerful question because can be applied to some object like increasing incomes or supporting small business. And it leads right to the question, “what can you do?” Asking these questions in a structured, methodical manner is a powerful way to surface ideas and resources, identify gaps and overlaps, and establish shared vision. It is the core practice of community venturing. One thing she overstated though is that the method to answer such questions was lost. It’s not. We still have it. We’ve just forgotten about it and stopped using it. Coincidentally, I just published a blog post on this very topic, "Applying Lessons from Venture <https://www.eduity.net/blog/2026-06/applying-lessons-chattanooga-venture>.” As Marie points out, answering these question "takes connectedness and intention.” Yes! That’s where this group comes in! For community venturing need: Conveners to pick a general topic — People, Play, Place, Prosper, or Public — and invite 8 to 12 people to participate. Facilitators that have gone through at least the basic orientation for the method/process. Spaces to meet and go through the process. Basically this needs to be a semi-private meeting room with a space/table large for a dozen people and a video screen. Tools for capturing and ranking inputs (we’re basically going to use a spreadsheet but can develop or find more sophisticated ones) Where might we find spaces? Bars, churches, hotels, offices, restaurants, etc.? Who is willing to convene a confab or two? The goal is to keep them easy and informal. Who might like to facilitate confabs? More on the Facilitator Bank program soon! These will be topics for our next regular study group meeting at noon on July 7. You can participate online or in-person. RSVP via Luma or just add the attached ICS file to your calendar. You can also add the Chattanooga Venturing calendar to your calendar via this link <https://user.fm/calendar/v1-83081a307383246a321e7c50d7d58f5d/Chattanooga%20…>. PS: Are you concerned about our dependence on Big Tech and don’t want get giant corporations controlling your tech? Or are you just interested in digital technology and want better, cheaper, more flexible options? Come out for Free Your Tech! on Friday, July 3rd, 3:00 - 6:00 PM, Hutton & Smith, 431 E M L King. There will be demos of free open source software, help to install Linux on your devices, a tech swap, and more! Free and open to the public! You can RSVP to participate <https://luma.com/tiv9etao> or just show up. Flier attached. — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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Regular meetings
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. June 4, 2026

June 4, 2026

My apologies to anyone who attempted to join the meeting on Tuesday online. I had the meeting configured wrong. I’ve fixed that. In the future, we will meet via https://go.eduity.net/call/3hmzaw47. The Study Group is moving to a different phase, refocusing on applying lessons learned over the last year. I’m not sure who is interested in participating at this point so I have deleted and recreated the event. I will continue to host these meetings on the first Tuesday of each month. If you wish to attend, add the attached file to your calendar. FYI, if you or anyone wants additional information about the Study Group or related activities, feel free to email venturing(a)chattanooga.digital <mailto:venturing@chattanooga.digital> (cc’ed). — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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Regular Meeting agenda for 6/2/26
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. May 30, 2026

May 30, 2026

The major topic for the next regular meeting — and for the group going forward — is how to apply what we have learned about Venture. How? There is not funding or other resources for a formal organization to gather and share input let alone a long-term process. That does not mean it can’t be done. It just must be done in an informal, small-scale manner. We are going to crowdsource community engagement using Venture’s approach. Crazy? Not really. Venture provided a DIY kit for this very purpose. We can make it even easier by putting the kit online, translating “supplies" into a set of simple software tools. We will talk through this on Tuesday, starting with Venture itself as background, then focusing on the DIY kit. I’ve included major elements of both Venture and the DIY kit in the agenda for reference. Key elements from Venture (see the original Venture proposal <https://venturing.chattanooga.digital/pub/venture-proposal-1984>): Purpose: “to link the region’s distinct constituencies (neighborhood, business, Labor, government, civic, ethnic, rural, urban) in a community-wide decision-making process to test, analyze, and recommend policy which will lead to substantive public and private action” "identify specific issues and policy alternatives and recommend choices for the future which will move Chattanooga in the direction its citizens want to go; "to inform and educate citizens regarding alternatives; "to inspire confidence; "and to provide a vehicle for community leadership and direction." Providing "an agenda of general issues for consideration and analysis” Leading to a "commitment portfolio” (with Venture as “trustee”) Implementation Diplomacy Organized as a large board, small coordinating council, and committees DIY kit (see VISIONS 86 Do It Yourself Kit <https://venturing.chattanooga.digital/t/visions-86-do-it-yourself-kit/24>) Purpose: "to involve their citizens in dealing with tough issues, setting visionary goals, and then pulling together to build a better community.” The basics: SPACE SUPPLIES STRUCTURE General session Discussion groups Summary session SOJOURNERS Moderators Facilitators Participants Issues PEOPLE PLACES WORK PLAY GOVERNMENT FUTURE ALTERNATIVES Most important point: “When I said something, someone wrote it down.” Every participant gets to speak. When a participant speaks, someone writes it down. Applying the DIY kit as “community confabs” Hear from the region’s distinct constituencies Community-wide goal-setting, priorities for substantive public and private action Identify prospective task force members Probably the key topic to discuss is “space.” I think the study group basically serves as the “board.” Should we have a “coordinating council” or just consider the “usual suspects” a virtual coordinating council (organizations with which we coordinate)? Let me know of other topics you might want to cover. CVSG Regular Meeting, June 2, 2026 at 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, EDT Location: In-person - Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center, 332 E M L King Blvd Online - https://go.eduity.net/call/zewrvv4o — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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Evolving the dialogues
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. May 26, 2026

May 26, 2026

You should have just gotten an email about the next dialogue this Monday. Please, share and attend! It is about urban design and development, an important issue for our community and we have some great discussants. It may be our last large scale session for a while. Generally, I think the dialogues need to be less topical and more action/outcomes/results-oriented. Venture did this really well. So, I think we should use Venture’s approach, modified to fit current realities and make use of today’s tech, for dialogues about challenges/needs and opportunities/resources in our community. I have pulled the text out of the “VISIONS 86 Do It Yourself Kit” and published it here as a starting point: https://venturing.chattanooga.digital/pub/visions-86-do-it-yourself-kit I am personally interested in learning more about how Venture worked, particularly the visioning process and task forces. We can do separate, topical dialogues for that purpose. Information about all of this will be posted publicly to the Venturing site. I encourage everyone to join by clicking here <https://venturing.chattanooga.digital/invites/xQEhVNYuDG> so you can be in on private group conversations and information. Our next regular meeting, next Tuesday, noon, online at https://go.eduity.net/call/zewrvv4o or in person at the City’s new Small Business Resource Center, 332 E M L King Blvd Chattanooga,TN 37403, will focus on crowdsourcing community dialogues. I’ll send an agenda soon. — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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Creating Great Central Places Dialogue, June 1, 5:00 PM
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. May 26, 2026

May 26, 2026

Greetings! Please consider sending this to your associates who might be interested in participating in the dialogue. We would love to have representatives from other parts of the area. Please attend! Chattanooga Venturing Dialogue Creating Great Central Places Monday, June 1, 5:00 PM, Waterhouse Pavilion at Miller Plaza Central places are critical for community. They are how we connect, do business, and find community. Urban design and development has implications for suburbs and an exurbs. What role do community members play in shaping our central places and their connections to other parts of our community? Is that only a role for professional planners and real estate developers? What do YOU want from our central places? Join us for this dialogue, co-produced by River City Company, that will celebrate the work of Stroud Watson and others who transformed Downtown Chattanooga and ask, "What next?" How do we make our central places more vibrant and valuable for all? Doors open at 5:00 PM. Dialogue starts at 5:30. Register to Attend! <https://luma.com/event/evt-2uBCljFQNVgHw6m> About the sponsors: Eduity, LLC, Smart Planning <https://www.eduity.net/> Chattanooga.Digital - The World’s First Digital Utility! <https://chattanooga.digital/> — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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