NEK Collaborative Vision Session

Created by participants in the Northeast Kingdom Enterprise Collaborative’s Visioning Session
March 27, 1999 in Lyndonville, Vermont

Introduction
The Northeast Kingdom Enterprise Collaborative was formed in 1996 to find ways to collaborate on economic development and community development issues in the Northeast Kingdom. Members of the Enterprise Collaborative are united in their commitment to the economic and social well being of the Northeast Kingdom and the quality of life for its people and communities. Members include regional development organizations, educators, social service and employment agencies, local government officials, business people, nonprofit organizations, health care providers and conservation organizations.

In winter of 1999, the Enterprise Collaborative identified the need to create a common vision for the future of the Northeast Kingdom as the first step in creating a long range plan for collaborations to improve family, business, and community well being. The vision would focus on the good things in the Northeast Kingdom, what our lives could be like when the NEK is the best it can be, and how members of the Enterprise Collaborative and others can work together to get there. There was a general feeling that no matter how hard many organizations work to improve the quality of life in the Northeast Kingdom, synergy was often lacking. Individual groups often did not know what other groups were doing. Agreement on a shared vision would help all of us to work together and achieve the most possible with the limited resources available.

The visioning session was scheduled for March 27 at Lyndon Institute in Lyndonville. Invitations were sent to private business leaders, select board members, school boards, legislators, state agency personnel, educators, town administrators, health care providers, nonprofit staff and board members, and others who care deeply about the future of the Northeast Kingdom and might want to be a part. Darvin Ayre, of Ayre and Associates in Boulder Colorado was contracted to help design and facilitate the meeting, based on his experience with the Vermont Agency of Transportation visioning process in the summer of 1998. Visual artist, Karen Stratvert from San Francisco, California was also contracted with to provide a visual representation of the vision of the Northeast Kingdom. Vermont State Economist Jeffrey Carr was invited as a keynote speaker to discuss economic realities in the context of the Northeast Kingdom. The Enterprise Collaborative contracted with members of the Vermont Prevention Institute Consultation Team to provide small group facilitation.

On March 27, approximately 120 residents and others who work in or care deeply about the Northeast Kingdom met in the Lyndon Institute Cafeteria to achieve the following agreed upon outcomes:

Begin to build working relationships amongst diverse Northeast Kingdom community members
Begin to develop an inclusive vision for the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont
Understand the context and history of the Northeast Kingdom and how the region has changed.

Common Themes
Following is a summary of their collective and individual visions for the Northeast Kingdom twenty years from now. Common themes for the vision include:

Economic Development
The workforce skills of the population will be enhanced to meet all workplace needs. Jobs at a livable wage are available for everyone willing to work. There are synergies between large and small industries, with small industries supplying larger ones. Home businesses and entrepreneurship flourishes. Agricultural niche marketing and value added forest products are important economic sectors. Information technology provides opportunities for marketing and creating other businesses. Young people have employment options to “stay”.

Education
Schools will be an important hub in the community, providing opportunities for lifelong learning. Schools will be available to the public year round, all day. All individuals will be able to acquire the skills and knowledge they need. Distance learning and other technologies will broaden educational opportunities. Education will take place in and outside of schools, and people will be empowered to be teachers and learners.

Community
Decisions are made at a local level with a high degree of citizen involvement. Leaders lead by values, and citizens are involved in a number of community activities. Families are supported and quality daycare is available. A high level of communication exists between community members, and between communities and outside government agencies. Communities are linked by goals and mutual assistance.

Environment/Landscape/Recreation
There is significant open space, access to public land, and permission to enter private land. The natural environment will be respected, and sustainable relationships between natural resources and individuals will be the norm. A sound environment will be crucial for recreation and tourism.

Health and Wellness
All people have access to physical and mental health care through local providers. Lack of transportation to health care is no longer a barrier. Prevention and personal wellness are strong areas of focus, including wellbeing of children. Domestic violence and substance abuse are not accepted.

Arts and Culture
Small towns have an excellent variety of arts and cultural opportunities.

Values
Respect for diversity and diverse opinions will be the norm. Strong interpersonal relationships pervade the community. Respect for the individual is not lost. Community responsibility and individual responsibility are important for overall wellbeing.

Summary of Comments by Jeffrey Carr, Vermont State Economist
To set the context for the visioning exercise, State Economist Jeffrey Carr was invited to the meeting to discuss the realities of the future economy of the Northeast Kingdom. Carr stated that because of the globalization of the economy, economic opportunities are only limited by our thinking. The United States has perhaps the most efficient and competitive business sector in the world, in large part do to our infrastructure and information systems brought about by computers and other technology. The implication for the Northeast Kingdom is to think globally, and think out of the box. Develop a vision, analyze it, and move into an action phase. If the only tool you think you have is a hammer, then all the problems will look like nails. The explosion in information technology provides opportunities for tele-commuting to workplaces far outside the region, and to bring other expertise into the Kingdom. Businesses in the high end sectors are now looking for high “quality of life” as a major component of deciding where to locate. We need to take advantage of what we are without becoming like everyone else. We need to look at ourselves and maintain our quality of life.

A question was posed that if Orleans County has significantly lower wage rates than the rest of the nation, then why isn’t industry anxious to move here. Carr’s answer was that companies are not searching for the lowest wage as their primary location criteria. Quality of life is a factor, as is the complete package of what do they get in return for their investment. Productivity is a key factor, as well as distance to markets for consumer goods. Carr stressed taking a 15 to 20-year look into the future and taking actions to move the local economy in the direction the Northeast Kingdom would like to be.

The Visioning Process
Darvin Ayre, lead facilitator for the day, introduced the visioning process. He defined vision as:

The dreams, aspirations, and desires of a group or community.
An ideal future state resulting from collaborative efforts.
The first step toward building a path to reach a destination.

The reasons to create a vision included:

To provide a focus to give direction to the future.
To build a foundation for determining strategies to reach an ideal state.
To bring diverse voices and ideas together around common aspirations or values.

Darvin then gave directions for small groups to begin brainstorming their ideal vision for the Northeast Kingdom 20 years from now. Small group tasks were to describe the Northeast Kingdom and how it will be in the year 2020.

Participants were asked to consider the following categories to assist them to develop their vision:

Physical Infrastructure
What does it look like, including roads, buildings, communications?
How do we design our houses?
How do we fund our infrastructure needs?
What do transportation and communication systems look like?
How have workplaces changed?

Learning
What do our learning systems look like?
How do I gain access to learning in the future?
What technology is used?
What values does the community hold regarding education?
What are the priorities for education?

Business
What does the economic base look like?
Are there new companies?
What types do we have?
Have traditional businesses changed?
What is the business climate like for new business?
Who makes up our workforce?
How are employees trained?
What is the role of business leaders in the community, and how do they connect to the community?

Environment
How would you characterize our environment and our relationship to it?
How do we deal with land use planning?
How is the health of soil, water, and air?
What kinds of environmental challenges have we addressed?
What is the mix of developed and undeveloped land and open spaces?
What kind of access to open space do we have?
What are the challenges and changes that affect our lifestyles?

Arts and Culture
What kinds of facilities do communities have?
What kinds of expression take place in our communities?
How do we support the arts?
Are there new community events?
What do we honor and celebrate?

Governance and Leadership
What does leadership look like?
What is the predominant style of leadership?
Does leadership represent all interests?
If your grand daughter is elected to a regional governance board, what kind of leader will she be?
Do the public and private sectors work together?
How do different ethnic groups, races and classes of people get along?

Health and Well Being
How has the perception of health care changed?
Do we go to a place to get health care?
Do hospitals and clinics still exist as we know them?
What are the health priorities for our communities?
What about access?

Spiritual Life
How has spiritual life changed?
Where do people worship?
What opportunities are available?

Families and Youth
How are families and youth connected to the community?
What are the opportunities to engage in the communities?

Other Questions
What is the most unique or special thing about the Northeast Kingdom?
How would your grandchildren or cousins from Boston describe the Northeast Kingdom?
What would tourists or out-of-staters say?
If your grandchild were to thank you for some thing you did to improve the future of the Northeast Kingdom, what would it be?

Participants then broke up into twelve small groups and met for approximately ninety minutes to brainstorm their ideal vision for the Northeast Kingdom. Each small group was lead by a facilitator from the Vermont Prevention Institute Consultation Team. The small groups then gathered after lunch and reported back highlights of their findings. The report highlights are represented on “Vision Map” drawn by Karen.