The biggest changes begin with the smallest and most collaborative actions. Thanks for coming.
The event is this Friday, November 11th. Here is a parking map→ of Burke Mountain→.
NEK Together will be the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative’s third region-wide convening, and certainly our most ambitious. These past three years have been historic periods of radical social, infrastructural, and economic change in the Kingdom. Much work has been done toward the priorities identified in our 2020 Recovery Action Plan, and much work remains to be done.
The people, businesses, and organizations of the NEK continue to face challenges like housing, business development, connectivity, and community engagement with energy and resilience. We look forward to convening with all of you to keep moving this work forward.
NEK Together 2022
NEK Together 2022 is an all-day community summit scheduled for Friday, November 11th, in-person at Burke Mountain hotel and conference center. Lunch and refreshments are included!
You can register→ up until the last minute, but only those registered Wednesday, November 9th will receive a custom nametag.
How can we:
1. Build and foster community-based leadership and engagement that brings NEK residents together to achieve goals and solve problems in their communities and in our region?
2. Create and maintain a healthy civic discourse in the NEK, with open lines of communication with our NEK Legislative Caucus and other town and local officials, and opportunities for citizens to exercise their voices and make contributions to policy and initiatives?
3. Convene individuals and organizations (businesses, nonprofits, government entities) to support solutions to challenges in our priority areas of housing, workforce development, and others?
Let’s find out.
NEK Together Full Event Schedule (Agenda→)
9 AM - Conference Welcome
Jennifer Carlo, Northeast Kingdom Collaborative
9:15 AM - Plenary Panel: Seizing The Moment- Updates from the Recovery Action Plan and Looking Toward the Future
In 2020, the NEK Collaborative worked with individuals and organizations across the NEK to create our Recovery Action Plan, built around five priorities: Broadband, Housing, Education, Small Business Support, and Community Vitality.
Much has been accomplished through the collective struggle of the pandemic, and the NEK as a region drew together to address our mutual challenges and support each other through the experience. We find ourselves now in a singular moment in time, to continue our healing and leverage unprecedented resources and opportunities in new ways toward a bright regional future.
This panel will discuss the progress made on the priorities of the Recovery Action Plan and our next steps into the future.
Facilitator: Sarah Waring, USDA Rural Development State Director, Vermont and New Hampshire
Broadband- Christa Shute, Executive Director, NEK Broadband & Rob Fish, Deputy Director, Vermont Broadband
Housing- Patrick Shattuck, Executive Director, Rural Edge
Education- Tom Lovett, Retired Headmaster, St. Johnsbury Academy, and Member, Vermont State Board of Education/Representative from NVU
Small Business Support- David Snedeker, Executive Director, NVDA
Community Vitality- Jody Fried, Executive Director, Catamount Arts
10:45 AM - Breakout Sessions
A Vision for Vermont State University
Dr. Parwinder Grewal, President, Vermont State University
Dr Parwinder Grewal became the inaugural president of Vermont State University in July 2022. VTSU will combine and build upon the history of Castleton University, Northern Vermont University, and Vermont Technical College. Pending final approval of NECHE, VTSU will become a single accredited institution on July 1, 2023. The new University is meant to increase the reach of learning opportunities for all learners, fueling Vermont’s economic pipeline, and creating opportunities for learners of all ages. Join this session to learn more about President Grewal’s vision for what will be the first statewide, hybrid institution in the United States.
Racial Literacy, A Healing Practice
Sha’an Mouliert, The Root Social Justice Center
Until the last few years, you’d hear, “We have made so much progress; I don’t think racism is a problem anymore”. How often have we heard, “I’m not racist”, or “I have Black and Brown friends?” Most people fail to recognize or act on racial micro-aggressions because the stress of negotiating such conflicts is extremely high due to fears of incompetence, public exposure, and accusation. This introductory workshop will explore the challenges facing people of color living in Vermont. Using cultural humility practices, participants will be introduced to a foundational understanding to develop their racial literacy skills.
Raising Voices: Learning about Community Organizing
Meghan Wayland, Lead Organizer, Northeast Kingdom Organizing (NEKO)
Framing Challenging Conversations Through the Lens of the Arts
Amy Cunningham, Deputy Director, Vermont Arts Council Jody Fried, Executive Director, Catamount Arts and Film Ryan Newswanger, Director of Programs, Vermont Humanities Council Molly Stone, NEK Zone Agent, Vermont Creative Network
Post-Pandemic Workforce and Business Leadership
Julie Laforce, Owner and Director of Organizational Development, Built by Newport, Abby Long, Executive Director, Kingdom Trail Association, Johnny Lotti, Co-Owner, Cafe Lotti, Steven Wright, President and General Manager, Jay Peak
12:00 PM - Lunch/Tabling/Weaving Project
1:15 PM - Breakout Sessions
NEK Caucus Legislative Forum
Senator Jane Kitchel (D)- Caledonia/Orange District, Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Robert Starr (D)- Essex/Orleans District, Chair, Senate Agriculture Committee, Representative Scott Beck (R)- Caledonia-3, House Committee on Ways and Means, Representative Michael Marcotte (R)- Orleans-2, Chair, House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development
Join some of our veteran legislators from the NEK Caucus for a conversation about priorities and challenges in Montpelier in the coming session. What are the issues important to NEKers, and what can we anticipate in the coming year?
Moving Stories
Sha’an Mouliert, The Root Social Justice Center
Stories have been a method of documenting and experiencing the human condition throughout the ages. In this problem-solving workshop, participants will experience a sense of agency and accomplishment through storytelling. They will have the opportunity to creatively explore their strengths, identify their challenges and develop a strategy to overcome obstacles.
Strategies to Address the Housing Challenges in the NEK
Dawn Cross, HomeOwnership Center Director, RuralEdge, Jim Kisch, CEO, President, Passumpsic Bank, Evan Oleson, NEK VT Program Manager, Northern Forest Center, Patrick Shattuck, Executive Director, RuralEdge
Housing is a challenge throughout Vermont, and especially in the NEK. Many organizations in the Kingdom are working on initiatives to increase affordable housing stock and create economic development in our communities.
Creating Community Space- NEK Outdoor Recreation Community Hub
Abby Long, Executive Director, Kingdom Trail Association, Brooke Pierce, Operations Director, Kingdom Trail Association
Learn how Kingdom Trails is putting into action the NEK Collaborative’s Tri-Sector Plan, to enhance economic growth through rural community hubs. We believe that by investing in infrastructure improvements to create outdoor recreation-friendly communities, we can connect outdoor recreation assets to other parts of the economy, including the creative and food sectors. KT will share how their USDA-funded Capacity Study led them to-USDA funded master planning for an NEK Outdoor Recreation Community Hub to elevate economic development, enhance visitor experiences, improve residents’ quality of life, and support the local workforce.
Get NEKed! Using Destination Stewardship to Support Economic Opportunity
Joe Short, Vice President, Northern Forest Center, Facilitator, Gillian Sewake, Director, St. Johnsbury Chamber of Commerce, Pam Sullivan, President and Creative Director, Sullivan Creative, Rick Ufford-Chase, Director, Newport City Downtown Development
What are the benefits of marketing and stewardship on a regional scale? Recent collaborations have built on the work done in the NEK Collaborative’s 2018 Tri-Sector Report to build regional resources, and help chambers and businesses leverage those resources to help support regional businesses. How do we collaborate to align messages, attract the right visitors, and multiply our individual efforts? And how do we sustain these efforts?
ARPA Updates
Annie McLean, Community and Economic Recovery Specialist, Northeastern Vermont Development Association
The Working Communities Challenge in the NEK
Juliet Emas, Director, St. Johnsbury Community Hub
2:45 PM - Plenary Workshop: Equitable Community Engagement
Sue McCormack, Business Development Leader and Co-Founder, The Creative Discourse Group
Transformed people transform organizations.
All of us are seeking ways to create equity, justice, and inclusion in our communities, and we need conversations and tools to do that. How do we come together and work toward a more equitable culture?
