Over three nights in February, nearly 300 people braved sub-zero temperatures to share their big ideas for Valparaiso, Indiana. These Big Idea Workshops were the public kickoff for ValpoNext, a community-driven process to create a vision and action plan for the community. It’s an effort that has many in the community excited — as evidenced by chatter on Facebook and Twitter before, during and after the events.
Despite the weather, it was “well worth the 2-hour investment” said one participant (via Facebook). While another posted, “Valpo Next, it’s not about the little stuff that bugs you. It’s about grand ideas for the future that will make Valparaiso a better place to live. I attended the ‘Big Idea Workshop’ tonight and I’m glad I did.”
As pleased as these participants were, we were excited and encouraged by the number of kids who came and got involved. About a dozen children, some as young as nine, sat with groups of adults and shared their ideas for the city’s future. They were accompanied at tables by their mothers (and a few infant siblings). Often, it’s these young families that are the hardest to attract to public workshops.
During the Big Idea Workshops, participants were challenged to think big about making their community even better. Over 881 ideas were generated and 536 issues were raised during the three workshops. In May, ValpoNext will host a Community Summit to dive deeper into some of those big ideas.
