I don't know, Jack, Venture meetings were pretty diverse! Today community members seem to want something very different than the "stakeholders." There's no crisis but there is a real risk of losing hard won rights and valuable resources. Engaging the whole range of stakeholders, particularly "regular folks" and diametrically opposed parties, to establish a shared vision is the hallmark of the Chattanooga Way. Yes, I think we should have clearly defined asks of the major organizations. Maybe just convene confabs? On Wed, Jun 24, 2026, at 6:15M, Jack Zibluk wrote:
I really appreciate the Blade article and the historical context and the explanation of your place in our current efforts. AsI see it, the difference is that 40 years ago, we herded a homogenous herd and now we're herding cats. Most stakeholders, the business and political establishments and the various community groups, agreed on a focus in the past. Now, it appears some stakeholders want to attract high-end hotels and high end housing, and various community groups want to address the needs of those left out of that vision. The challenge, and it's not an insurmountable one, is how to get the various stakeholders to come together to develop a shared vision. The fact you'te talking to the River City folks is not a small thing. We also need the chamber of commerce (who are good folks in my experience) and the city and county mayors' offices involved in order to develop a shared vision. Right now, I see, broadly speaking, two visions: oneto engage high-end investment, and another to meet the needs of the not-high-end. I think we have an opportunity to get these visionaries to work together to develop a shared vision and you provide a good foru, let's just hope we can pull it off. Jack
On Wed, Jun 24, 2026 at 6:04 PM Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. <greg@eduity.net> wrote:
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: 1. Conveners to pick a general topic — People, Play, Place, Prosper, or Public — and invite 8 to 12 people to participate. 2. Facilitators that have gone through at least the basic orientation for the method/process. 3. 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. 4. 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%20V...>.
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@eduity.net 706-271-5521
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-- Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. *Executive Officer and Principal* Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg@eduity.net 706-271-5521