A Community Discussion About Our Future
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- What is the history behind Community Profiles?
- What components make up a Community Profile?
- When is the New Boston Community Profile?
- Who is facilitating the profile?
- How can I participate?
- What if I can only attend one day?
Q.
What is the history behind Community Profiles?
A. The original Civic Profile emerged from the Governor's Commission on New Hampshire in the 21st Century as an initiative to help preserve two themes that identify and unite New Hampshire people: Citizen Responsibility - a belief that individual citizens can and will take responsibility for the future; and, Living Landscape - a strong attachment to the environment of the state, including both its natural resources and the working landscape of business and industry, farms, and forests. The Civic Profile was designed as a process to enable communities to solve problems and deal with change by strengthening their "civic infrastructure" - the people, systems and institutions used to make decisions and come to consensus. The Civic Profile provided a forum for people to evaluate the state of ten components in their community, identified by the National Civic League as being qualities of a healthy community.
In the Civic Profile, residents from a diverse cross-section of the community met in a two-day forum to assess their community using the above components. Commission members participated, facilitated discussion, consolidated the results of the session into a report and supported the community in initial follow-up. The goal of the Civic Profile was to measure a community's capacity to deal with change and solve its problems. The end result was a work plan designed to reinforce areas identified in the two-day forum as weaknesses, and to enhance efforts deemed as working well. The Commission performed the first Civic Profiles during 1989 and 1990 in nine communities and one county in New Hampshire.
Q.
What components make up a Community Profile?
A. In the fall of 1999, members of the UNH Cooperative Extension Community Profile Implementation Team again revised the ten component areas, to more closely align them to the issues facing New Hampshire's communities today. They are:
1.
Effective Community Leadership
Healthy communities have, and develop, leaders in the public, private and
non-profit sectors who work together to enhance the long-term future of the
community. Community leadership must be responsive, honest, efficient,
enlightened, fair and accountable. It should have the ability to bring the
community together to participate in open, neutral dialogue on important issues.
Leaders should be representative of their community and be able to envision an
economically secure, environmentally sound and socially viable future. Leaders
should understand the challenges facing the community and be able to take
advantage of opportunities within the community and in cooperation with
neighboring ones. Leadership should empower community members to assist in
resolving community issues.
2. Informed Citizen Participation
In a healthy community, citizens actively participate through voting in local
elections, serving on local boards, attending public hearings, and being
involved in civic organizations and community activities. The increasing
complexity of municipal operations is limiting the ability of government to meet
community needs, escalating the importance of active citizen involvement and
volunteerism. All sectors within a community -- private, public, and nonprofit
-- must each take responsibility for the community's civic education and
exchange information with the public. All citizens need to develop knowledge and
skills to contribute to community life. Shared problem solving and planning for
the future as a community increases local pride and commitment.
3. Sense of Community
A sense of community is an intangible yet vital component of a healthy
community. It encompasses elements such as image, spirit, character and pride,
along with processes such as communication, inter-group relations, and
networking. A community is made up of different people with different interests,
experiences and backgrounds. These characteristics may divide a community into
natural groups but there must be cooperation among them if the community is to
work well as a unit. Increased communication and understanding of different
perspectives among groups and within the community as a whole is an important
factor in establishing a sense of community. Villages, towns, and cities with a
sense of community include those wherein all members: contribute to and hold a
common vision for the future; respect and celebrate their heritage, diversity,
and resources; share information, and; develop and sustain an abundance of
social networks and relationships.
4. Fostering Health Families, Individuals, and Youth
Most communities face a variety of challenging social issues, such as substance
abuse, domestic abuse, poverty, and other concerns related to the elderly,
youth, and families. Addressing these concerns effectively takes the coordinated
efforts of the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Support services such as
adequate child day care, comprehensive after-school, youth, teen, and senior
programs, preventative health and substance abuse programs, parenting and family
support programs, and effective human service networks help strengthen the
social fabric of a community. Aided by effective communication, compassionate
leadership, active citizen participation, and inter-group cooperation, a
comprehensive package of supportive services will enable a community to nurture
healthy community members.
5. Lifelong Education and Learning
Education is a lifelong endeavor, much more extensive than just the K-12 school
system. It starts at home, continues through childhood and the teen years, and
progresses throughout adult life. People of all ages need to develop knowledge
and skills in order to improve the quality of their own lives and those of their
families, and to contribute more effectively to community life. Programs of
higher education and lifelong learning provide local businesses with a pool of
trained employees. Other formal and informal learning opportunities allow
community members to discover hidden talents and develop an array of interests
and skills. Lifelong learning allows citizens to manage their lives more
effectively in a changing economy and to participate in increasingly complex
municipal operations with greater knowledge and skill.
6. Community Services, Facilities, and Utilities
A community provides many essential facilities and services to its members -
public facilities such as municipal buildings, schools, sidewalks, roads,
libraries, a recycling center, and cemeteries, and services and utilities such
as police, fire, ambulance, highway maintenance, water, and sewer. These key
functions consume the majority of tax dollars and sharply influence the
community's quality of life.
7. Recreation and Cultural Heritage
Recreational and cultural activities nurture the body and soul of a community -
individual and team sports, outdoor activities, art, crafts, music, dance,
theater, holidays, festivals, and celebrations. Recreational opportunities allow
community members to experience and appreciate the community's diversity of
natural and human resources. Cultural activities reflect and build a community's
positive sense of itself and strengthen the fabric of social interactions within
the community.
8. Working Landscape and the Natural Environment
The natural and historical assets of a community contribute significantly to the
quality of life for residents and play an integral part in defining community
character. Streams, rivers, walking trails, working farms, forests, valleys,
clean air, historic buildings and bridges, wild creatures, pastures, and open
land help determine a community's personality and contribute to the everyday
pleasures of community life. A sustainable community practices effective
management of natural assets so as not to undermine their existence or ability
to function over time.
9. Economic Vitality
The private, public and non-profit sectors are all important in attracting new
investment and in developing new businesses that suit the character of the
community and meet its needs. The need to sustain successful workplaces is an
important factor to the health of a community. The more often money circulates
within the community before leaving, the more the community benefits. A healthy
community includes access to a variety of environmentally sound businesses,
industries, and institutions that provide reasonable wages and benefits to
workers, engage in family-friendly policies, provide workers with opportunities
to develop marketable skills, and contribute to the overall well-being of the
community.
10. Growth and Development
Through the prudent use of local zoning ordinances and planning regulations that
guide how land is divided, used, and developed, a community can more effectively
manage its growth. These tools allow the community to regulate the development
of residential areas, commercial districts, and the town center. These are key
considerations in managing growth while maintaining the cherished character of
the community. As well as managed growth, another important factor in the
development of a healthy community is the diversity of the housing stock. This
encompasses availability, affordability, and location, all of which affect the
lives of community members, especially the elderly, disabled, and low-income
families.
11. Transportation
A community's strategic location and economic importance bring many people to
live, work, and shop here. Roads get most of us where we need and want to go,
and most people drive their own cars for convenience. However, more vehicles
sharing the roads results in increased highway maintenance, air pollution, and
traffic congestion. Alternatives to automobile travel include pedestrian and
bicycle travel, and bus and rail transportation.
Q.
When is the New Boston Community Profile?
A. The New Boston Speaks Community Profile is scheduled for Friday, April 2 (6pm - 9:30 pm) and Saturday, April 3, 2004 (8:30am - 4:00 pm at the New Boston Central School gymnasium. Childcare will be provided.
Q.
Who is facilitating the profile?
A. This Community Profile is facilitated by UNH Cooperative Extension in partnership with the Town of New Boston. The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. UND, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and New Hampshire counties cooperating.
A. If you are interested either in being on the Community Profile Steering Committee, helping to put on the event or serving as a participant at large please click here to contact the New Boston Community Profile Steering Committee.
Q.
What if I can only attend one day?
A. Participants are encouraged to attend both days to get the most out of the Community Profile experience. However, if you can only come on either Friday or Saturday we still need you to attend and provide your valuable insight and ideas.