Category: Summaries
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Building Social Trust
The Aspen Institute’s Weave: The Social Fabric Project has used census data to calculate “trust trait scores” for neighborhoods and communities across the US using census data. You can view the “Social Trust Map” for various areas of St. Joseph here (scroll down and enter your zip code). The project measures three areas that reflect…
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Celebrating Community
Over 50 people braved the cold and joined us on January 19 for a great evening of community. The St. Francis Baptist Temple choirs filled the room with joyful sound, the food was plentiful, community leaders shared their insights, and several new connections were made. What comes next? That in part is up to you! …
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Ideas Into Action
In 2018, the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Greater St. Joseph launched an effort called Imagine St. Joseph 2040. That effort culminated in a vision of what St. Joseph might be by 2040 – a community of value and opportunity, one in which everyone belongs and everyone has a chance…
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Community Connecting
This also is what community looks like — people coming together to share common concerns and thoughts. Our dialogue at InterServ on November 16 focused on engaging and empowering youth in our community. It was a lively and thoughtful discussion, and many of the ideas generated focused on relationships and connections. And connection is the focus…
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The Data We Need
It is often said that what gets measured gets done. As we identify ways to support and empower our youth we should also ask, what data is needed to measure progress? What data will help us best ensure that we are making the right investments and providing our youth with opportunities to grow and prosper? …
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Investing In Our Youth
Participants in past dialogues have identified the rising cost of many activities for youth as a significant issue. As the author Matthew Desmond observed in his recent book Poverty, By America, “The best way to ensure that opportunity is unequal and unfair is to charge for it.” Here in St. Joe, who is being excluded…
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Encouraging All Voices
How do we work together as a community? How can we encourage and hear from all voices? One theme that came out of the conversations on September 21 was the need to value and embrace the many diverse communities, neighborhoods, and individuals who make up St. Joe. As the notes from that meeting show, not…
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Securing Affordable Housing
We all want a place where we can feel at home. A home is where we feel safe and secure. Yet for many in our city a safe, affordable home can be hard to find. Community members attending the September 21 dialogue spoke of substandard housing being rented out, urban blight, and a need to…
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Supporting Our Youth
Our community cares about its youth! And we are concerned that too many are leaving. How do we create a community where children thrive? Where young adults will want to stay and raise their families? Those at our September 21 event had several ideas about how we might support our youth, advocate for youth, and…
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Strengthening Our Community
Lots of thoughts were shared and ideas generated during our conversation on September 21. Members of the community identified many challenges, hopes, and needs as they explored three questions – what is St. Joe to you?, what would you change if you could? and what groups are working to strengthen our communities? As we reviewed…
All Voices St. Joe 