Achieving Community Values (ACV) met at the Historic Y on Monday October 3, 2011 from 11:30 AM until 1 PM. In attendance were Anita Fonte, Ron Spark, Michelle Crow and Donald Ijams. The group reviewed past meetings, current events and the issue of limited and consistent participation in the ACV group.
The broad ACV purpose remains the same: to use the full range of community values as uncovered during Imagine Greater Tucson's Phase I, and through other processes, as guidance for community-based decisions and actions. ACV believes that community values expressed by the public through purposeful public dialogue should play a strong and continuing role in the life of the region. Connections between decisions being made and underlying community values and aspirations should be overt, continually sought and celebrated when found. Tough questions should be asked by ACV about how and whether programs and directions connect with community values. For example, when public policies are being created, ACV can ask: “By this effort are we achieving community values?”
The Achieving Community Values group is looking for support and collaboration from any source in the region which shares ACV values and principles. ACV welcomes participation by and alliances with like minded individuals and organizations. For example, consistent with its purpose and vision, ACV is currently serving as a public values advocacy resource as it assists Community360 in developing a 2012 Arizona Humanities Council's Project Civil Discourse Proposal. If funded, Community360 and its fiscal agent and project convener, Pima Community College-Downtown campus, will be implementing a series of campus and community public events in 2012 which focus on the Livable Tucson issue and IGT Phase I identified values within the Governance and Leadership area.
ACV will meet again in early 2012, if not before, to connect and to review inquiries and prospects.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
September 12, 2011 - Meeting Notes
Achieving Community Values (ACV) met at the Historic Y on Monday September 12, 2011 from 11:30 AM until 1 PM. Attendance included Anita Fonte, Bob Hungate, Ron Spark, Kathy Wilson, Melissa Miller, Michelle Crow and Donald Ijams.
Ron Spark and Bob Hungate updated ACV on recent activities of Imagine Greater Tucson including information about a portion of the Friday September 9 IGT Board meeting. A strategic plan for IGT is being discussed, work groups are proceeding and relations with outside groups were considered. No definitive actions by the IGT Board were reported.
Ron Spark and Bob Hungate updated ACV on recent activities of Imagine Greater Tucson including information about a portion of the Friday September 9 IGT Board meeting. A strategic plan for IGT is being discussed, work groups are proceeding and relations with outside groups were considered. No definitive actions by the IGT Board were reported.
ACV has been working on a statement of internal values that help describe what ACV is about and how it will operate. The group adopted the following as its statement of values, subject to further consideration:
- Truthfulness (of effort and intent)
- Transparency (of our processes of analysis and information)
- Collaborative willingness (to partner and share information with those who share ACV values)
- Inclusiveness of democratic (small "d") community values as gathered from diverse and reliable regional sources
- Respect for value differences as long as those differences to do not include prejudices of race, ethnicity, age, disability or gender
Don reviewed his “template” for moving forward: Each interest/values area would develop a current status summary including selected metrics and trends, review relevant community values, study/involve current key players, identify congruences and gaps – where status/trends and values converge or diverge, review promising strategies, consider public perceptions and develop action items.
Anita proposed a broad community networking event as a means of explaining ACV's purpose and inviting participation. She noted the willingness of Pima Community College Downtown to provide facilities and possibly partnership for such an event. A new group, Community 360, is also interested in coordinating with ACV. After a general presentation, break out groups centered around interest/ value areas would be formed to explore ACV's approach/goals and to establish momentum. Ron pointed out that this approach should be tabled until it is clearer what the steps following such an event would be and how attendees will be persuaded that continuing with the effort is worthwhile.
Conversation turned to what ACV is and what it is not. Here are some phrases that seem to say what ACV does or is:
- Asking What Comes Next, i.e. community-based action – Are we achieving community values?
- Insuring continuity of community effort for "aligning community decisions and actions with community values"
- Assessing redundancies of community effort
- Helping organizations [and businesses] achieve their potential by doing the following:
- Understanding and incorporating community values gathered through diverse community-based research (Livable Tucson, Imagine Greater Tucson, other sources)
- Identifying metrics to measure progress toward implementation of those values that match the organization/business' mission and values
- Assisting organizations and businesses to focus their efforts on community-based values
- Increasing the community's support for the organization/business
Action items:
- Don will begin to shape the K-12 draft package to possibly share with the Metropolitan Education Commission, as a potential ACV partner
- Melissa will do the same in the smart energy area for the Metropolitan Energy Commission
- We need to craft a document with brief ACV description, tag line, contact info and logo as promotion for ACV moves forward. Michelle seems to have skills to search for a logo if we can be clear about who/what we are.
- Maybe Kathy can dig up more infomation about the Community Indicators project being considered by United Way and CFSA.
- Meeting participants were asked to make a list of items describing what ACV is and what ACV is not, for discussion at the next meeting.
Next meeting: 10/3, 11:30 Historic Y Board room.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
August 29, 2011 - Meeting, Group Name and Plans
The Values Group met at the Tucson Historic Y at noon on Monday, August 29, 2011. Meeting particpants included: Anita Fonte, Bob Hungate, Ron Spark, Kathy Wilson, Michele Crow, Joe Silins and Don Ijams.
As part of discussing the purpose of the group, a new name was decided – Achieving Community Values. The tag line for the group remains as Don suggested: Aligning community decisions with community values. Some of the preliminary names considered were: Community Values Alliance, Values Catalyst Group, Network for Values in Decisions, Community Values Action Network and Achieving Tucson Values. Words like actuating, motivating, results, decision making and enstilling were considered.
The group's purpose centers on bringing community values more into the everyday life of organizations, groups and institutions that affect the region's future. Achieving Community Values (ACV) believes that our future can be better if we make a conscious attempt, on a continuing basis, to align community decisions with community values. The geographic reach of this effort is the metropolitan area centered on Eastern Pima County.
The group discussed its relationship with Imagine Greater Tucson. Achieving Community Values is an offshoot of the IGT's Values Stewardship Working Group. ACV wants to maintain cooperative and friendly relations with IGT but is its own group, not a part of IGT. Working in partnership with IGT and with others (such as United Way, PRO-Neighborhoods, public and private organizations, and governmental jurisdictions) in metro Tucson is a welcome possibility.
Achieving Community Values wants to focus on a wide variety of community values, including all IGT value areas, as well as on other sources of information about the region's values. In particular, ACV wants to assist in honoring the effort expended by participants in IGT Phase I's conversations and surveys. ACV's goal is to use values from multiple data sources as guideposts in community decision making.
The group discussed a major strategy for moving forward. Subgroups relating to value areas were suggested. Each subgroup would begin by creating a trend report for its area, highlighting current status, trends and trajectories: where we've been, where are and where we're headed if current directions and practices are maintained. The trend report would be fact based, with source annotations, with an eye to building a widely accepted baseline of where we are and where we're heading.
As part of the report, the subgroup would compare trajectories with community values, to identify positive areas where congruencies exist and problem areas where significant gaps are apparent. Also, a review of currently existing groups and institutions working in the area, emphasizing their missions and current programs, would fill out the picture. The next ACV agenda will include discussion of subgroups, what they are, how they will operate, what areas they will cover and what their work programs might look like.
ACV agreed to meet weekly at noon on Mondays at the Historic Y as a regular course. Meetings are open to all – new interested persons are invited. Given Labor Day Monday 2011 and full schedules, the next meeting will be held on Monday, September 12, 2011 from 11:30 AM until 1 PM at the Historic Y Conference Room.
As part of discussing the purpose of the group, a new name was decided – Achieving Community Values. The tag line for the group remains as Don suggested: Aligning community decisions with community values. Some of the preliminary names considered were: Community Values Alliance, Values Catalyst Group, Network for Values in Decisions, Community Values Action Network and Achieving Tucson Values. Words like actuating, motivating, results, decision making and enstilling were considered.
The group's purpose centers on bringing community values more into the everyday life of organizations, groups and institutions that affect the region's future. Achieving Community Values (ACV) believes that our future can be better if we make a conscious attempt, on a continuing basis, to align community decisions with community values. The geographic reach of this effort is the metropolitan area centered on Eastern Pima County.
The group discussed its relationship with Imagine Greater Tucson. Achieving Community Values is an offshoot of the IGT's Values Stewardship Working Group. ACV wants to maintain cooperative and friendly relations with IGT but is its own group, not a part of IGT. Working in partnership with IGT and with others (such as United Way, PRO-Neighborhoods, public and private organizations, and governmental jurisdictions) in metro Tucson is a welcome possibility.
Achieving Community Values wants to focus on a wide variety of community values, including all IGT value areas, as well as on other sources of information about the region's values. In particular, ACV wants to assist in honoring the effort expended by participants in IGT Phase I's conversations and surveys. ACV's goal is to use values from multiple data sources as guideposts in community decision making.
The group discussed a major strategy for moving forward. Subgroups relating to value areas were suggested. Each subgroup would begin by creating a trend report for its area, highlighting current status, trends and trajectories: where we've been, where are and where we're headed if current directions and practices are maintained. The trend report would be fact based, with source annotations, with an eye to building a widely accepted baseline of where we are and where we're heading.
As part of the report, the subgroup would compare trajectories with community values, to identify positive areas where congruencies exist and problem areas where significant gaps are apparent. Also, a review of currently existing groups and institutions working in the area, emphasizing their missions and current programs, would fill out the picture. The next ACV agenda will include discussion of subgroups, what they are, how they will operate, what areas they will cover and what their work programs might look like.
ACV agreed to meet weekly at noon on Mondays at the Historic Y as a regular course. Meetings are open to all – new interested persons are invited. Given Labor Day Monday 2011 and full schedules, the next meeting will be held on Monday, September 12, 2011 from 11:30 AM until 1 PM at the Historic Y Conference Room.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
August 2, 2011 - Initial Meeting of Values Group
The first meeting of the Values Group met today at the City of Tucson's Ward 6 Office. Though lightly attended, we had a good beginning discussion.
Attendance:
Tina Neil, Sarah Popovich, Melissa Miller, Bob Hungate and Don Ijams
Meeting handouts:
IGT Phase I Values, Livable Tucson Values/Goals, Trends Scenario Overview
Background Reading:
Tucson Knows What It Wants: . . . (AzStar April 8, 2011)
After introductions, we talked over why we were here and what purpose our group might have. A tag line for the group was suggested: Aligning Community Decisions with Community Values.
Imagine Greater Tucson history was recounted with discussion of the wide variety of input received in Phase I. IGT's followup Phases are focusing on land use, urban design, the environment and transportation. A number of important value areas, not related to urban design, are not currently receiving IGT focus. The group around the table saw it as important to keep a broad focus and to seek ways to bring future decisions about the Tucson area more in line with relevant value areas.
One method to proceed would be to support subgroups, each focused on one of the value areas. Picking up from the IGT Trend Scenario and from the statement in the April 8 article: "The next step is how you take those value sets and alter the trends.", each subgroup could work to create its own trend report. This effort would involve knowledgeable people in each value area identifying widely accepted measures that would help detail where the value area is at the current time, where it has been and what the trajectories are. When juxtaposed with the values, a useful picture would be produced. The picture might lead to research into what it would take to alter the trends.
Each subgroup could also examine the reputation of each area, trying to separate fact from fiction, and could identify continuing problems as well as myths worthy of correction. Mission statements of the wide variety of groups and organizations working in the value area could be examined as part of painting a picture of the area's current state.
The group spent some time discussing marketing the use of values in the daily decisionmaking/policy development process of local groups and institutions. Simple distribution of the values within organizations, along with some explanation, might be a start. Persuading organizations of the value to the community of considering their hopes and aspirations in decisions being made would be worth attempting. Easily attainable, simple steps might be brainstormed that would raise the profile of community values. Even at the neighborhood level, presentations could be made and roundtable discussions supported.
There was some discussion of our relationship with IGT. The shared view was that our Values Group is a separate entity from IGT, but one with many similar goals. We want to work with IGT, giving and receiving information and support. Once our organization is further along, we may entertain some form of partnership with IGT. This may become clearer when our own directions are firmed up and timeframes/directions can be compared with those of IGT.
The group decided that more people who expressed interest in the Values Group should be at the table before a name for the group is considered. Conflicting obligations and vacations kept a number of participants away. D.S. Ijams
Attendance:
Tina Neil, Sarah Popovich, Melissa Miller, Bob Hungate and Don Ijams
Meeting handouts:
IGT Phase I Values, Livable Tucson Values/Goals, Trends Scenario Overview
Background Reading:
Tucson Knows What It Wants: . . . (AzStar April 8, 2011)
After introductions, we talked over why we were here and what purpose our group might have. A tag line for the group was suggested: Aligning Community Decisions with Community Values.
Imagine Greater Tucson history was recounted with discussion of the wide variety of input received in Phase I. IGT's followup Phases are focusing on land use, urban design, the environment and transportation. A number of important value areas, not related to urban design, are not currently receiving IGT focus. The group around the table saw it as important to keep a broad focus and to seek ways to bring future decisions about the Tucson area more in line with relevant value areas.
One method to proceed would be to support subgroups, each focused on one of the value areas. Picking up from the IGT Trend Scenario and from the statement in the April 8 article: "The next step is how you take those value sets and alter the trends.", each subgroup could work to create its own trend report. This effort would involve knowledgeable people in each value area identifying widely accepted measures that would help detail where the value area is at the current time, where it has been and what the trajectories are. When juxtaposed with the values, a useful picture would be produced. The picture might lead to research into what it would take to alter the trends.
Each subgroup could also examine the reputation of each area, trying to separate fact from fiction, and could identify continuing problems as well as myths worthy of correction. Mission statements of the wide variety of groups and organizations working in the value area could be examined as part of painting a picture of the area's current state.
The group spent some time discussing marketing the use of values in the daily decisionmaking/policy development process of local groups and institutions. Simple distribution of the values within organizations, along with some explanation, might be a start. Persuading organizations of the value to the community of considering their hopes and aspirations in decisions being made would be worth attempting. Easily attainable, simple steps might be brainstormed that would raise the profile of community values. Even at the neighborhood level, presentations could be made and roundtable discussions supported.
There was some discussion of our relationship with IGT. The shared view was that our Values Group is a separate entity from IGT, but one with many similar goals. We want to work with IGT, giving and receiving information and support. Once our organization is further along, we may entertain some form of partnership with IGT. This may become clearer when our own directions are firmed up and timeframes/directions can be compared with those of IGT.
The group decided that more people who expressed interest in the Values Group should be at the table before a name for the group is considered. Conflicting obligations and vacations kept a number of participants away. D.S. Ijams