Overview
Foundational for community well-being is open dialogue that cultivates collective wisdom and action. Building on the success of our past Community Conversations, the OCS will continue holding inclusive dialogues in areas that are important to community. The next Community Conversations series is aimed at developing a deeper understanding of sustainability – specifically, how transforming underlying social and economic systems are needed for a flourishing future.
Objectives
- Invite community members into circular practices that build capacity to listen deeply, share from the heart, and to hold diversity of perspectives.
- Guide community members through an un/learning journey where they begin to question status quo norms, while exploring new possibilities for how we can restore collective economic capacities.
- Capture areas of focus identified by community so that we can begin co-authoring the story of a holistic and flourishing community.
Approach
Utilize the OCS’s proven Community Conversations methodology to convene community members into inclusive dialogue practices, un/learn status quo norms and new possibilities, and begin to identify areas of focus for community to develop. The Community Conversations methodology integrates collective wisdom with sound business principles to test ideas that both resonate with the group, and which rebuild community wealth and well-being.
Success
The initial Community Conversations culminated in presentations in areas of food resilience, energy resilience, and community collaboration. Specifically, the food resilience presentation informed current work by the OCS on its food resilience initiative. Building on this success, future Community Conversations will continue to cultivate actionable areas of development within the OCS Community Enterprise.
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