The founder of Imagine Chicago, a project which has been credited with inspiring a global movement, is to speak at a community planning day in Mataura.
Imagine Chicago founder and president Bliss Brown, who was involved in a community revitalisation programme in Lyttleton, would be the facilitator at the community planning day on November 29, starting at 10am, at the Mataura Community Centre, Mataura Task Force chairwoman Laurel Turnbull said.
She urged people to attend the day and put forward their thoughts on how they would like to see Mataura's future shaped.
Imagine Chicago is a non-profit organisation that helps people develop imagination as city creators, the Imagine Chicago website states.
Imagine Chicago works in partnership with people and schools, museums, churches, businesses and community groups to design and implement innovative civic projects that build meaningful connections across generations and cultures and have a lasting institutional and community impact, the website states.
As well as working with communities, Ms Brown is an ordained Episcopal priest and was formerly a vice-president and division head at the First National Bank of Chicago, where she worked from 1975 to 1991.
Project Lyttleton chairwoman Margaret Jeffries said Ms Brown visited about two years ago and helped people in the community identify issues affecting their community and come up with solutions themselves.
The positive spin-offs of the visit are still being felt in the town.
‘‘People realised they could do something themselves. It empowered them. It's a more subtle shift in our community, where we realise we can do these things,'' Mrs Jeffries said.
‘‘You've got one highpowered person there,'' she said.
Among the 10 issues that the Lyttleton workshop identified were:
- To be real Treaty of Waitangi partners.
- To investigate affordable housing options.
- To investigate having a local money system. The town implemented a time bank, where people carry out work for each other and keep a note of the time spent.
Mrs Turnbull would like people to register for the day as lunch will be provided and she needs numbers for catering purposes.
There would be provision for child care on the day, Mrs Turnbull said.
To register, contact Mrs Turnbull on (03) 203-3417 or email bl.turnbull@xtra.co.nz
