| In
an effort to honor the “voices” behind the 3,500 survey
ideas collected, the Community Education Advisory Council members
spent four months reading, rereading, sorting and categorizing responses.
After all the sorting, council members went through several sessions
of studying, talking about and prioritizing categories.
Over 40 council members chose the following five
priorities through a consensus-building process. These items will
shape the work of the council for the next five years and beyond.
Focus – Clarify and nurture qualities
that are important for individuals, families and our community.
Issues – Busy lives, daily pressures and
societal norms can distract or dissuade us from what matters most.
Focus – Recognize and value youth, their
voice, their contributions. Engage youth in fun, enriching, meaningful
activities that meet various needs and interests.
Issues – We all benefit when youth are
valued, engaged and connected with the community. Many activities
are expensive, too competitive or geared toward those who excel.
Youth need a safe place of their own to go, socialize, have fun.
Focus – Engage senior citizens in activities,
learning opportunities and community decision making. Create links
among senior citizens, children and families to learn from and
help one another.
Issues – Senior citizens have great wisdom,
skills and character to share but need avenues to do so. Seniors
who have needs don’t always know how to make them heard.
Focus – Address behavior in youth and
adults that causes harm in their own lives, families, work and
community.
Issues – Drinking, drug use, bullying
and crime hurts everyone in our community. Issues related to substance
abuse are often denied.
Focus – Engage citizens of all ages as
resources in meeting community needs.
Issues – Service can develop relationships,
build character and strengthen community in addition to helping
others. Opportunities to serve need to be readily available to
all.
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