Focus the Study Group on how to do better and make more?
There’s been a bit of feedback on the group’s “North Star” — engage people to connect various efforts to address community issues. Might it make sense to focus it on work: how to create jobs and increase incomes via entrepreneurship and small business. How do we develop our local talent and enable our talented people to capitalize on their creativity, knowledge, and skills? “Work” was a general topic of Venture that did not get as much attention as the other topics. It is a really critical general issue for our community, especially with the County Mayor wanting to close the BDC. I think we would get some very powerful and useful insights from the community if we asked and listened. What to you think? Bad idea? Good idea? Thoughts about how and where to do this and who to engage? Also, please spread the word about the dialogue session on Monday. — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg@eduity.net 706-271-5521
The Venn diagram of work/jobs/economic development overlaps a lot. And all that fuels housing, recreation, neighborhood issues and health care. I think that's a fine focus. At the same time, I think building a communications network to build community and tie together existing communities is part of necessary infrastructure. And it's something eminently do-able for this group. I don't want to lose our focus on that. Jack On Fri, Apr 24, 2026 at 5:55 PM Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. <greg@eduity.net> wrote:
There’s been a bit of feedback on the group’s “North Star” — engage people to connect various efforts to address community issues.
Might it make sense to focus it on work: how to create jobs and increase incomes via entrepreneurship and small business. How do we develop our local talent and enable our talented people to capitalize on their creativity, knowledge, and skills?
“Work” was a general topic of Venture that did not get as much attention as the other topics. It is a really critical general issue for our community, especially with the County Mayor wanting to close the BDC.
I think we would get some very powerful and useful insights from the community if we asked and listened.
What to you think? Bad idea? Good idea? Thoughts about how and where to do this and who to engage?
Also, please spread the word about the dialogue session on Monday.
— Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg@eduity.net 706-271-5521
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I like your thought process regarding "work" and utilizing local skill sets that contribute to workforce development and aligns with the economic development based on per district/community needs. My perspective has always been to listen to the needs of the community, develop a strategic and tactical plan of action based on interconnectedness and shared responsibility. What is the problem? What is the solution? And how can these solutions generate income? Audrey Ramsey, Doctoral Candidate: Learning and Leadership, UTC M.A. Education:Curriculum and Instruction, B.S. Communications, A.A. Journalism *Retired Executive Marketer/Former Broadcast Journalist/Adjunct Professor* *Adult Success Coach/Ramsey Professional Development Consultants, LLC* aramsey3@gmail.com 615-415-8845 "The strength of a community, as opposed to a collection of individuals, lies in the concerted efforts of its individual members to work together to enrich the lives of all". - Dr. John Chaffee, Ph.D. *The Thinker's Way* On Fri, Apr 24, 2026, 5:55 PM Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. <greg@eduity.net> wrote:
There’s been a bit of feedback on the group’s “North Star” — engage people to connect various efforts to address community issues.
Might it make sense to focus it on work: how to create jobs and increase incomes via entrepreneurship and small business. How do we develop our local talent and enable our talented people to capitalize on their creativity, knowledge, and skills?
“Work” was a general topic of Venture that did not get as much attention as the other topics. It is a really critical general issue for our community, especially with the County Mayor wanting to close the BDC.
I think we would get some very powerful and useful insights from the community if we asked and listened.
What to you think? Bad idea? Good idea? Thoughts about how and where to do this and who to engage?
Also, please spread the word about the dialogue session on Monday.
— Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg@eduity.net 706-271-5521
_______________________________________________ Cvsg mailing list -- cvsg@list.chattanooga.digital To unsubscribe send an email to cvsg-leave@list.chattanooga.digital
Thanks, Audrey and Jack for your feedback! I think you are both right on: The general goal is to create accessible, open infrastructure for listening to community members and respectfully sharing their concerns, ideas, and stories. The more specific goal would be to hear from community members about how they make a living, even more specifically what they see as challenges, resources, and vision to do better and make more. Work on that goal should direct and drive achievement of the general goal. That could encompass education, entrepreneurship/small business, independent/remote work, training, etc.
On Apr 24, 2026, at 6:26 PM, Jack Zibluk <jackzibluk@gmail.com> wrote:
building a communications network to build community and tie together existing communities is part of necessary infrastructure. And it's something eminently do-able for this group. I don't want to lose our focus on that.
Yes! That has been a consistently expressed goal for the Study Group (and, coincidentally, is my professional purpose). We have the physical infrastructure and the software infrastructure can be quite cheap and easy to deploy and own. The challenge is to build the human infrastructure, the people with the practices and skills to do the listening and connecting.
On Apr 24, 2026, at 7:57 PM, Audrey Ramsey <aramsey3@gmail.com> wrote:
My perspective has always been to listen to the needs of the community, develop a strategic and tactical plan of action based on interconnectedness and shared responsibility. What is the problem? What is the solution? And how can these solutions generate income?
Listening should definitely be first and foremost for community engagement. You can’t know if you don’t listen. People won’t engage if they don’t feel heard. The first step in digital development is to learn from the user or, in Design Thinking terms, to empathize with them. A hallmark of community venturing, a la Venture, is to it create a space for all participants to be heard without any agenda or requirement other than to show up. It is fascinating to me how the two practices overlap! The extent to which the Study Group develops a plan is to be determined. It’s a bit premature to make the decision and, really, others who are not engaged in the group should be responsible for that. We can channel the voice of the community. Then, presuming group members want to, we can facilitate and evaluate the use of that input for strategic planning by relevant leaders/organizations. Any other thoughts, folks? Do you agree? Do you know of specific means or opportunities for doing this? The way I see it, it’s all about practice—defining practices, enacting them, and improving them. My plan is to use this focus — “how might we do better and make more?” — as the object for the first Facilitator Bank cohort. If you are interested or have specific thoughts about that, email me directly at greg@eduity.net <mailto:greg@eduity.net>. — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg@eduity.net 706-271-5521
I agree with all the feedback about listening to the community and to those who are contributing and working 2-3 jobs just to keep their heads above water. I think one obstacle is wages so I think we must also ask corporations and businesses what their obstacles are for higher pay/benefits so working people's wages are keeping up. Sure workers can move from Chattanooga - take a different job - move to an area where rent is less expensive. They have choices, but then Chattanooga loses our talent. And sometimes they need to stay close to family for childcare. Lots to discuss and a very important issue that I think we can be useful as information "gatherers". Pat L Smith Deconstruction Advisory Board for Chattanooga/Hamilton County 765-729-4678 ________________________________ From: Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. <greg@eduity.net> Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2026 2:59 PM To: CVSG Study Group discussion <cvsg@list.chattanooga.digital> Subject: [Cvsg] Re: Focus the Study Group on how to do better and make more? Thanks, Audrey and Jack for your feedback! I think you are both right on: The general goal is to create accessible, open infrastructure for listening to community members and respectfully sharing their concerns, ideas, and stories. The more specific goal would be to hear from community members about how they make a living, even more specifically what they see as challenges, resources, and vision to do better and make more. Work on that goal should direct and drive achievement of the general goal. That could encompass education, entrepreneurship/small business, independent/remote work, training, etc. On Apr 24, 2026, at 6:26 PM, Jack Zibluk <jackzibluk@gmail.com> wrote: building a communications network to build community and tie together existing communities is part of necessary infrastructure. And it's something eminently do-able for this group. I don't want to lose our focus on that. Yes! That has been a consistently expressed goal for the Study Group (and, coincidentally, is my professional purpose). We have the physical infrastructure and the software infrastructure can be quite cheap and easy to deploy and own. The challenge is to build the human infrastructure, the people with the practices and skills to do the listening and connecting. On Apr 24, 2026, at 7:57 PM, Audrey Ramsey <aramsey3@gmail.com> wrote: My perspective has always been to listen to the needs of the community, develop a strategic and tactical plan of action based on interconnectedness and shared responsibility. What is the problem? What is the solution? And how can these solutions generate income? Listening should definitely be first and foremost for community engagement. You can’t know if you don’t listen. People won’t engage if they don’t feel heard. The first step in digital development is to learn from the user or, in Design Thinking terms, to empathize with them. A hallmark of community venturing, a la Venture, is to it create a space for all participants to be heard without any agenda or requirement other than to show up. It is fascinating to me how the two practices overlap! The extent to which the Study Group develops a plan is to be determined. It’s a bit premature to make the decision and, really, others who are not engaged in the group should be responsible for that. We can channel the voice of the community. Then, presuming group members want to, we can facilitate and evaluate the use of that input for strategic planning by relevant leaders/organizations. Any other thoughts, folks? Do you agree? Do you know of specific means or opportunities for doing this? The way I see it, it’s all about practice—defining practices, enacting them, and improving them. My plan is to use this focus — “how might we do better and make more?” — as the object for the first Facilitator Bank cohort. If you are interested or have specific thoughts about that, email me directly at greg@eduity.net<mailto:greg@eduity.net>. — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg@eduity.net 706-271-5521
participants (4)
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Audrey Ramsey -
Deconstruction Advisory Board -
Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. -
Jack Zibluk