11/28/06
Creating New Patterns for Positive Change

The intention of the Community Challenge is to transform the way business is done in Genesee County by demonstrating the power of citizen involvement and by developing new patterns of collaborative leadership.

This Thursday, November 30 from Noon - 8 p.m. at the Northbank Center on the campus of the University of Michigan-Flint, "Tools for Positive Change: a civic engagement fair" will be held.  This “Fair” is a way to educate and activate an ever-expanding network of people and organizations engaged in participatory problem-solving. Kathi Horton, President, Community Foundation of Greater Flint states “By joining forces with the American Democracy Project, the Community Challenge is intentional positioning itself to be about involving younger adults in its civic engagement work...the fair also provides an opportunity for "town and gown" to work together to improve the community we all cherish.”  What began years ago as the Community Challenge under the direction of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint is now evolving into a committed compact of engagement that reaches across many organizations and into all corners of the Genesee County.

One of the distinguising features about this event - "Tools for Positive Change" - is that it displays the skills and accomplishments of local leaders and community groups. These proven patterns of positive change can then be used by others across the community. Rather than relying on outside expertise, we begin to take responsibility ourselves. “This fair provides an opportunity to showcase the engagement practices Community Challenge has been doing and to highlight the many success stories that resulted from the work. It gives people a strong model to build their own success stories within their community”, noted Tracy Atkinson, Project Coordinator for Community Challenge.

Community Challenge is not so much a program, but a setting or space for dialogue, strategy, action and change. Now in the third Phase this setting needs to be made more open and more inviting of both people and ideas.

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