The Bozeman Area Community Foundation And Future West Invites Area Residents To Have A Seat At The Table To Make Their Voices Heard
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2018
CONTACT:
Bridget Wilkinson, President and CEO
One Valley Community Foundation
(406) 587- 6262 ext. 50
bridget@onevalley.org
www.onevalley.org
The Bozeman Area Community Foundation And Future West Invites Area Residents To Have A Seat At The Table To Make Their Voices Heard
Building and maintaining strong, safe and dynamic communities is the topic of conversation on Oct. 25th
Gallatin County, MT – In communities across the region, thousands of Gallatin County residents will come together in small groups on Thursday, October 25th to break bread or share a cup of coffee to discuss how to collaboratively build and maintain strong, safe and dynamic communities. This imaginative public square called A Seat at the Table, an initiative of the Bozeman Area Community Foundation and Future West, is designed to generate new ideas, inspire bold solutions, and cultivate relationships for the betterment of communities county-wide.
The goal is to have more than 1,000 people of all ages, from all walks of life and socio-economic circumstances, participate in over 100 substantive conversations throughout Gallatin County on October 25th. The topics, issues and ideas discussed during each of the A Seat at the Table conversations will be guided by three simple questions and driven by the interests and perspectives of the participants and the opportunities and challenges in their community that are most important to them.
“The growth and change that Gallatin County and its communities are experiencing is not a surprise as we are one of the country’s best places to live. That growth also creates tremendous challenges and opportunities. The only way we’re going to address those challenges and opportunities is by coming together as a community to put the best ideas on the table,” said Randy Carpenter, Project Director for Future West.
At the conclusion of the events on Thursday, October 25th, the A Seat at the Table Steering Committee will send participants a brief mobile survey to learn more about their participation in this project, the interesting ideas they discussed and how this experience may impact their civic engagement moving forward. Partners at Montana State University will compile and interpret community responses and the Bozeman Area Community Foundation and Future West will publicly share these outcomes, including trends, common themes and new collaborations developed to advance some of the ideas and solutions generated.
“A Seat at the Table calls on the tradition of gathering around a table and sharing personal experiences and ideas, and takes it to the next level. The A Seat at the Table platform leverages community networks to host conversations through nonprofit organizations, schools, businesses, neighborhood associations and places of worship to engage people who would otherwise not participate in a public meeting to have their voices heard,” said Bozeman Area Community Foundation Executive Director Bridget Wilkinson. “The survey responses from participants at each table will help guide the Community Foundation’s resources and will be provided to city and county leaders and other organizations who are grappling with the challenges and opportunities from our community’s growth. Together, we hope to identify and address relevant community needs through this initiative,” said Wilkinson.
A Seat at the Table is asking local community members throughout Gallatin County to sign up to host their own conversations on Thursday, October 25th at www.AtTheTableGV.org. There will also be public tables where anyone is welcome to attend. These tables will also be listed on the A Seat at the Table website. There will be an A Seat at the Table Host Training on Wednesday, October 3rd from 5:30pm - 7pm at Barnard Hall at Montana State University in Bozeman with dinner provided. During this training, hosts will be provided with an overview of the initiative, tips and tricks for hosting a conversation and information on how to collect feedback from your conversations. For more information or to sign up to participate as a host, Gallatin County residents can visit www.AtTheTableGV.org or call 406-587-6262.
About Future West
Future West works to realize a future where communities have a shared sense of place, robust economies, and sound stewardship of natural, cultural, and community assets. We help communities identify, choose, and achieve their desired future. To learn more, visit https://www.future-west.org.
About the Bozeman Area Community Foundation
Established in 1998, the Bozeman Area Community Foundation is connecting people who care to causes that matter most to them. The Bozeman Area Community Foundation serves the areas of Bozeman, Big Sky, Belgrade, Manhattan, Churchill, Three Forks, and the rural areas in between. Since its inception, the Foundation has distributed more than $2.6 million dollars to 194+ local nonprofit organizations. Learn more at www.bozemanfoundation.org.
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