A grassroots initiative is working to have Big Conversations about the needs of the community.
The Big Conversations group had its first meeting Nov. 12, bringing together representatives from a number of avenues to discuss current issues in Okotoks and how groups might work together toward solutions.
“It’s having that conversation about what are we seeing, what are the needs, how do we come together to crystalize the basic needs in the community so that we can approach it in a different way,” said organizer Julie Kimmett of the Okotoks United Church.
Other members at the table remained somewhat anonymous, she said. Each was given a nametag to provide first names only, and the groups they represented were left out.
“We really want it to be a collective,” said Kimmett. “We had citizens, we had people from government services, we had service groups, and some people from the church.”
She said the intent is to pull down the silos around organizations and groups in the community designed to help with various needs of Okotoks residents.
It seems like a big undertaking, said Kimmett, but it could be well worth the effort for the community.
Conversations will focus on how to come together and find new solutions to problems that are no longer being solved at ground level by individual groups, she said.
“So how do we come together and create something that we’ve never thought of before, that may just be that big idea that brings all our resources together to create some synergy that does more than just meet individual needs,” said Kimmett.
When group members take off their organizational hats they are able to speak to the wider problems in the community and work toward broader goals than only what their own services provide, she said.
It’s a matter of working together to do what each group already does, but to do it even better, she said.
She said it’s important to have a vision for the community and work toward that, rather than focusing on what’s been done before.
“We can learn from the future as well as the past,” said Kimmett. “We get stuck thinking we need to learn from the past but the future – all future possibilities are out there.
“If we can learn from our ideal future and then start learning what it might take to get there, then that’s another way to look at things. It’s just big conversations about really our community right now and where we would like to go.”
The next Big Conversations meeting won’t be until January, as many local organizations get busy during the Christmas season, she said.
Ideally, she would like to meet every six to eight weeks moving forward and see more people from different agencies, schools, service clubs, or citizens at large come out to join the discussion.
Those interested can email Kimmett at [email protected].
