Building a vision for tomorrow
from the grassroots
Lori Garkovich
University of Kentucky
May, 2004
A community vision
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Builds on the assets of the community
Engages the creative energies of the
community
Reflects the interests, dreams and
concerns of all community members
Establishes the basis for making critical
public choices
A grassroots
community visioning
process
The community work group
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Composed of 10 – 15 community
representatives who coordinate the
process
Build support for the effort through their
network of contacts
Disseminate the results and often initiate
follow-up action
The community work group
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Builds a comprehensive list of civic
organizations, clubs, associations,
volunteer fire departments, etc.
Solicits participating groups to send
volunteer to serve as facilitator
Arranges training times for facilitators
Develops promotional materials and
media contacts
Community facilitators
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Drawn from community organizations,
neighborhoods and general volunteers
Agree to attend a 2 hour training and conduct
at least one forum
Training covers:
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Purpose of visioning process
Reporting the results
Overview of guiding questions
Guidelines for moderators
Suggestions for dealing with difficult situations
Role playing
The stimulus questions
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Heritage
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Change
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If you could change just one thing right now to make Our
County a better place to live and work for you and your family,
what would you change?
Vision
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What aspects of life in Our County do you cherish and feel
should be protected or preserved for future generations?
Imagine Our County as you would like it to be in 20 years.
What would be different to make it a better place to live and
work?
Action
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What do we need to start doing now so that we can get to your
vision of what you want Our County to be like in 20 years?
A community summit
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One day meeting of representatives of
public and social services agencies and
other key organizations
50 – 75 participants
Typically the first time all these
representatives have sat around the
same table to assess the state of the
community
A community summit
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Identify desirable qualities and characteristics of
the community
Note key challenges facing the community
Identify barriers to efficient and comprehensive
delivery of public services
Create a vision for the future
Identify strategies for action to overcome
barriers, address key challenges and move
toward the vision
Role of Extension
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County office
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Hosts meetings of working group
Assists in training of facilitators
Coordinates scheduling of general community discussion
groups
Jump starts the dissemination process
State specialist
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Conducts facilitator training
Summarizes and evaluates results
Prepares materials for dissemination
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Executive summary with action recommendations
Tri-fold brochure
Power point and overheads
Outcomes of Grassroots Process
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11 counties have completed the grassroots
process
Over 5,000 participants who’ve spent at a
minimum one hour talking about the future of
their communities
Over 350 persons trained as facilitators and a
proportion continue to act as facilitators for
groups in their communities
Use of results by community organizations in
their work plans
Outcomes of Grassroots Process
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The Jessamine County Visioning process
received the 2001 KY Chamber of
Commerce Innovation Award
Pulaski County Visioning basis for joint
city/county planning for economic
development, public housing, a shared
park
Outcomes of Grassroots Process
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Johnson County Visioning led to:
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Establishment of Woodworkers of Kentucky,
a collaborative of wood craftspersons
Establishment of a county recycling center
Opening of a youth center
Creation of a business incubator in a closed
school building
Outcomes of Grassroots Process
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In 2 counties, results represented citizen
input to revision of the land use plan
In 3 counties, results provided evidence
that the public desired land use planning
In 3 counties, candidates for public office
used the results to shape their platforms
In 8 counties, Extension used results to
develop programs and plans of work
Outcomes of Summits
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In Carter County
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2 regional hospitals partner for county’s first urgent
treatment center
Cooperative planning among 5 independent water
districts
Downtown beautification project
In Garrard County
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Support for adoption of land use planning
Formation of recreation task force to find propoerty
for a community park
Outcomes of Summits
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In Greenup County:
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In Lewis County:
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First meetin of city officials from the 8 incorporated
town in the county
Cooperation with regional industrial park
A resulting coalition built a skate park
Establishment of a Tourism Commission
In Pendleton County:
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Employment agreement between solid waste hauler
needing CLD drivers and regional vo-tech school
offering CLD training
General Outcomes
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Affirmation of valued characteristics of
community
Clarification of vision for the future
Identification of strategic actions for local
government and civic organizations
Empowerment of participants through skill
development and accomplishment of
shared goal
Give us a clear vision, that we may know where to
stand and what to stand for Peter Marshal
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To accomplish great things, we must not
only act, but also dream; not only plan,
but also believe.
Anatole France
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Destiny is not matter of chance. It is a
matter of choice. It is not a thing to be
waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
William Jennings Bryan