This Friday: Join Us for A Celebration of Stand
09.30.2009 // by: Alison
Today is officially the last day of the survey phase of Stand, which means you’ll never be asked to fill out “four questions for the future” again. This does not, by any means, signify the end of our work.
At midnight, Stand will move from this initial phase of information gathering to a planning stage, which will ultimately result in an action era. This transitional planning stage between gathering information to dispersing it will take several months — and it will be highlighted by guest speakers, community roundtables and even an interactive gallery show.
So, on Friday, we’re not celebrating an end, but a beginning. We’re celebrating our graduation from one phase to the next with a party that looks back at how we got here.
On Friday, October 2, get suited up in all of your Stand garb and help us ring in the next incarnation of Stand. Join us at StandHQ/CreateHere from 5 - 8 pm for authentic Southern food from Cafe LeMont, beer from Big River Grille, and a multimedia tribute to the historic achievement we’ve already accomplished in the last five months.
A Big Week for Stand: Stories from the Front Lines
09.14.2009 // by: Alison
The Stand team has been working hard. We spent last week out at high schools and colleges all over the city, finding out what students have to say about Chattanooga – and it was a huge success! Tuesday alone, we gathered 1,000 responses in a mere six hours from UTC, Chattanooga State and Baylor. In exchange for survey responses, Stand’s been handing out plenty of goodies, from wrist-bands, sunglasses and temporary tattoos to popcorn and hand-spun cotton candy. And in spite of a few parking tickets and battle scars, its been a great week. But don’t take my word for it…
Volunteer Bijan Dhanani visited Baylor.
Bringing Stand to Baylor School gives me a reason to be proud of my Alma Mater.
I’ll admit: I went in with a large stack of surveys and very little expectation. After all, it is very difficult to get a large group of people to participate in a civic project without force-feeding them.
After a short announcement, one email, and a few neon shades, I was blown away by the amount of enthusiasm and encouragement I received from both students and faculty.
We received over 500 completed surveys! 3/4 of all students at Baylor took a stand for their future Chattanooga!
I couldn’t have asked for any more from a community I will always feel attached to.
An end note: Once again, we blew McCallie and GPS out of the water.
Field Organizer Blair Waddel went to Chattanooga State.
As the morning dew glistened upon the Chattanooga State campus, I was headed to an event that had been in the making for weeks: Chattanooga State’s “Back to School Blast.” I soon discovered that I was on my own to coordinate and manage a coke wagon, popcorn machine, and cotton candy in addition to Stand surveying. I was in for a tough ride.
Running to different areas of campus and balancing phone calls while dodging the students heading to class, I was armed solely with my yellow shirt, which not only served as a magnet for questions and concerns but also became an intriguing specimen to on-lookers.
Luckily, members of the Chattanooga State student government had, unbeknownst to me, committed to help. In addition to this gracious student support, I was desperately calling and texting Stand headquarters for backup. Soon, with the combined efforts of Stand and Chatt State student leadership, a handful of smiley people were smoothly running the show.
Despite such a chaotic start, just four hours later we’d collected over 300 surveys. More importantly, though, I got a chance to see how the Stand process brings people together. When it comes to doing my job, it is like being on a sports team. I know I have a multitude of people with a passion for Chattanooga and its future behind me — that can pull together in a matter of minutes. Which is priceless.
Campaign Coordinator Katherine Nielson spent the week at UTC.
Over the past four days, we’ve set up tables and sent Stand canvassers to engage students on the campus of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The student body is largely made up of a demographic (18 - 24 years of age) that has not been well represented among the thousands of people who have taken a Stand. I had chalked this up to apathy.
I have had some truly inspiring experiences while canvassing this summer, but I’m only human, so there have also been some frustrating times — some ‘answer the damn question’ moments. I was preparing myself for what was sure to be one of ‘those times.’
UTC gave us permission to set up in five ‘high-traffic’ locations on campus. We had hoped for at least two people at each location, but on our first day we lacked manpower, so Sarah Lester and I were planning to canvass two of the locations alone. Sara’s location was the corner of Vine and Douglas, but when I went to drop her off, I was half expecting to see a tumble weed blowing by. ‘High-traffic’ was far from the reality of this desolate intersection. Sarah tried to stay positive — popping the table open in front of a holly bush that provided absolutely no relief from the noon day sun. We tried relocating her across the street — after all, there was no one in sight to tell us we couldn’t. As I went to drive off to my spot, I was proud in the presence of THE Sarah Lester — the only person brave enough to cross (much less canvass) Vine and Douglas.
I realized we might never see Sarah again if I actually drove away.
‘You wanna go with me?’, I asked. Sarah said, ‘Yes,’ and in half the time it took to set up, we were off, neither of us so much as glancing in the rear view mirror.
So. Long story short, ten Stand canvassers set up at only 4 locations across UTC’s campus. Much to our surprise, the students approached our table from all directions, eager to know who we were, what we were doing, and (most importantly) to participate in the process! Of the 22,754 responses the Stand team has collected since May, there have been approximately 1,200 that have come from UTC students this week.
Thanks to all of our Stand team, from coordinators to volunteers, and especially the students all over Chattanooga who took a little time out to answer four questions. You make it all worth it!
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