by Julie Fitzpatrick
Sounding like a broken record, this past year has been a lot of things to all of us. It has been challenging. It has been life-altering. It has been an opportunity to re-evaluate the things that are important to us – personally and professionally. We have all experienced some form of personal loss – the loss of a loved one, the loss of face-to-face smiles, hugs, coffee breaks, happy hours, and dinner with family and friends. We have experienced the loss of our day-to-day routine, the faces we no longer see throughout the day, those whom we know by name and those whom we recognize by their daily walk by our windows, and we may have experienced the loss of our favorite local business.
However, it is now time for a re-evaluation of our communities. This is a time of a rebirth – a potential renaissance. Let’s use this time to take a step back, to consider working through a visioning or planning process – to determine new priorities or dust off and give consideration to reviving older, existing ones that may now be more relevant than ever.
As an art history major, my favorite art period has always been the Renaissance – a time of renewal after the Dark Ages and the Bubonic Plague. It was a time that was influenced by the classical past but rooted in the present and looking forward. It was a time of imagination, invention, growth, and creativity, in art, architecture, science and literature. I believe we are at this critical juncture once again.
As you are moving forward planning the future of your community, here are a few ideas on what to consider:
Reconnect – host small discussion groups (virtually or in person, as safety allows) to check-in with your stakeholders.
Listen – to their needs and be aware of their level of confidence in moving forward.
Recommend – how you may be able to assist them. Remind them of your existing initiatives or assess whether a new initiative is needed as a response to their current needs.
Innovate – be willing to be creative. Identify new ways of thinking about and doing things differently.
Remember, you do not have to do this alone: consider new partnerships, ones whom you have never pursued in the past. They may be able to provide new services, new ideas, new volunteers, and even new matching funds. Many funding applications are open now, and other opportunities are constantly changing – look for ongoing updates in PDC communications as we learn of new initiatives.