- Better understand “the Chattanooga Way,” what Venture did and how it did it by reviewing how it addressed issues in its “commitment portfolio” and how those emerged from its “challenge agenda” and how that agenda was set.
- Identify questions people have about Venture. Gather input about what people want and value in our community as we do.
- Connect and engage people representative of our community, particularly those who can engage and speak for various parts of the community, to learn with us.
- Establish infrastructure to achieve these goals: for capturing historical information about Venture and related initiatives, connecting people to learn, identifying and sharing critical factors for community venturing, maintaining a network of learners.
- Educate people about Venture and community venturing, raise awareness of the study group, and seek support for our program.
The best way to do these things is to apply lessons from Venture, to do them the Chattanooga Way. To that end, I propose the group adapt and adopt Venture’s general approach and set of topics to identify what people see as our challenges as a community and what they would like to see for and in our community:
- People - care, education, and wellness for all
- Place - our built and natural environment
- Play - our arts, culture, and recreation
- Purchase - our earning and spending power
- Public - essential services that benefit all
Let’s start engaging others in the community in the dialogue, remembering that the overall purpose is to turn talk into action. How should we do this? I’ll provide a general framework based on lessons from Venture at our next regular meeting. Any thoughts you might have would be welcomed in the meantime!
PS, who can help with logistics, etc., next Monday? Please, share information about that event and invite others who are interested in the topic to attend!