First sessions held in response to ‘Building a Better Owensboro’
Last week, the Greater Owensboro Leadership Institute held two days of training as it begins to address the civic culture issues Owensboro-Daviess County was found to have after the completion of “Building a Better Owensboro: A New Path Forward for Owensboro-Daviess County,” a report released in June that it partnered with the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation to produce.
The extensive report documented that Owensboro-Daviess County has much work to do to be “inclusive,” which Harwood said is a must for a community to thrive.
The opening session was the Public Innovators Getting Started Lab, with the training designed to get started in the practice of turning outward to the community. It initiated work that is designed to take root and continue to grow for years to come.
Edds-Ellis said the training expands on the public knowledge that was gathered for the report.
“Our initial work will focus on youth, housing/homelessness, health and the arts,” she said.
When the report was released, it was expected that about 50 community members would participate in the opening labs. However, that number grew due to outstanding buy-in from community leaders.
“Both the Greater Owensboro Leadership Institute and the Harwood Institute are very pleased with participation,” Edds-Ellis said. “The training this week was over capacity, and we have a list of citizens who are eager for the next training opportunity. Participants were engaged during the training, hopeful and ready to be a part of meaningful work in our community.”
Rich Harwood, founder and president of the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, was equally impressed with the interest the community showed in the opening labs.
“Their engagement was phenomenal,” he said. “It is clear to me that Owensboro as a community has what it takes to build on the good and create an even stronger community moving forward.”
Edds-Ellis said the enthusiasm of those who participated in the starting labs is consistent with what she’s heard from the general public about the initiative.
“The community is ready to work together,” she said. “I am excited about the energy surrounding this initiative and where it’s heading. People are stepping forward to be a part of this work with the desire to deepen their understanding of the community’s aspirations and concerns and to work together to get things done in a positive direction.
“We are taking the right steps to grow and strengthen our civic culture.”
The Harwood report emphasized the importance of government support for the project, including elected officials being leaders and advocates for the initiative. Edds-Ellis said she has been pleased from the start with how officials have bought in.
“We have been delighted with the participation of our elected officials in our work throughout this past year and in the training,” she said. “The door is always open for any community member to join the initiative when they are ready.”
The next steps in the process have already begun, with initial teams having been formed at the end of the training session in the areas of youth, housing/homelessness, health, and the arts.
Edds-Ellis said anyone who was unable to attend last week’s training sessions can still join a team.
Anyone interested in learning more or joining in should contact the Leadership Institute at 270-663-1048 or GOLI@owensboro.com.
By Scott Hagerman Messenger- Inquirer