Hamilton Place, meet Stand. And vice versa
07.28.2009 // by: Sarah
After months of canvasing in the hot summer sun downtown, I’ll admit it was a bit of a relief to sit in the air conditioning of Hamilton Place Mall. Armed with a stack of free Chick-fil-A sandwiches, Great American Cookie Company cookies, and Barnie’s Coffee, I thought I was in a for a sweet deal. I had visions of mall patrons flocking to myself hungry for freebies and eager to share their thoughts on Chattanooga.
After about thirty minutes it is safe to say that fantasy was crushed.
The early morning “mall walkers” blazed by before I could even squeak out “WouldyoumindansweringfourquestionsforthefutureofChattanooga?” However, 15 years growing up in the suburbs of East Brainerd lead me to have confidence in Hamilton Place as meeting point for a whole variety of people… I would just have to wait on those that aren’t awake at 9:30 on a Tuesday. The infamous words of Kevin Costner “If you have free stuff, they will come” repeated like a mantra gave me hope for the next 30 minutes, gave me hope until I witnessed a most glorious sight.
Families. Families coming in droves. Moms, toddlers, teens and dads all coming together to fill out the survey. The variety of answers seemed endless and each family member brought a different perspective. Family engaging as a unit and talking about the future of their region, a region that looks different to every sibling but enjoyed together. I saw families from East Brainerd, Dalton, Ringgold, and downtown (just to name a few) sat down on the front benches of Hamilton Place Mall and discussed issues that matter to each person. A few days of canvasing brought in 286 surveys, but more importantly gave more than a few families the chance to share their vision for the future. So keep your eyes open for the bright yellow in and around Hamilton Place and talk to your family about the future of Chattanooga.
A Summer Spent with Chattanooga Stand
My name is Fynn Glover. I’m 21 years old. I was born in Chattanooga and raised in Chattanooga. I’ve experienced and witnessed first-hand the transformations that this city has undergone during my two decades as a member of this community, and I am undoubtedly one of Chattanooga’s biggest fans.
My years here have never diminished the excitement I get when driving across Veteran’s Bridge. In fact, I found tangible proof of this two days ago, when I discovered a letter from my mother from 1994. She wrote to me with the loving tenderness that only a mother can exude, describing my six year old fascination with the flags on the bridge, as they blew against the back drop of Chattanooga’s ancient mountains and ridges.
As many times as I’ve stared out at this city, I still cannot, and may never be able, to take in all that the Chattanooga panorama has to offer. The city’s physical beauty is extraordinary…it is breathtaking… it is unparalleled for its symbiotic integration with the land that has made this region home to people for over 9,000 years.
This summer, I’ve had the privilege of working as a Field Organizer for the Chattanooga Stand Campaign. My work has been exciting and challenging, frustrating and infuriating, tedious and demanding, but more than anything, it has been irrevocably rewarding. I have been able to channel all of my passion for Chattanooga into work that allows me to talk to other people about their own personal love affairs with this city. The beauty of Stand is that it creates conversations about a diverse citizenry’s most common asset: our home, Chattanooga.
The second question of the Stand survey asks people to “imagine the best possible Chattanooga region and describe it.” For me, the best possible Chattanooga is one that is always striving to be as ideal as possible for its peoples—a city that is in constant forward motion—a city that honors its successes and assets, but refuses to abandon perpetual improvement.
I couldn’t be more honored to have the opportunity that I have had this summer with Stand. It has been one of the great experiences of my life.
Hello, my name is Sarah. And I ask questions.
07.25.2009 // by: Sarah
I’m the coordinator of the Stand campaign, and some days I’m reminded how simple Stand’s message really is.
I spent yesterday afternoon in Avondale, a predominately African American neighborhood in East Chattanooga. I walked down Dodson Avenue passing out flyers for today’s BBQ with District 9 Councilman Peter Murphy. I’d driven through Avondale a few times, never stopping to get out of my car. Today I walked in gas stations, car washes, laundromats, hair salons, rec centers, fish fry tents, and street-side vendors. I’ll admit some nervousness when I first got out of the car, leaving my comfort zone behind. After all, I’m a very short 24-year old white girl, naturally reserved, wearing a bright yellow t-shirt. Talk about standing out!
But Stand gives me an opportunity to give other people a voice. And this makes me unusually bold. I walked in to the first gas station with a warm “hey, how are ya?” And realized within moments that I wasn’t talking with a demographic on the other side of town. I was just talking to people who live in the same place I do, inviting them to eat some BBQ and talk about how to make this a better place to live.
I believe that living in community means living in the context of others. When I take the time to look, I see a great deal of need in the lives of the people around me. I don’t know what the answers are. But I do know that it’s time for this conversation to take place - and every member of this community needs to be a part of it, knowing they’re valued, that their ideas are heard.
To me, it’s pretty simple. Stand isn’t a survey. It’s a conversation that starts on paper to continue face to face. It’s about People and it’s about Place.
Join the conversation today - at the District 9 BBQ at the East Chattanooga Rec Center, 2409 Dodson Avenue, 12:00 - 2:00 PM. We’ll be talking about home and giving away stand-out yellow t-shirts.
Chattanooga Stand: Another Successful Weekend
07.21.2009 // by: Sarah
Chattanooga Stand received another huge boost this weekend at Nightfall, Movies in the Park, and the Chattanooga Market. Over a thousand surveys in 48 hours! Thanks to everyone who took a stand for our cool little city.
The four questions that compose the Stand survey are unique and powerful for their ability to inspire sincere contemplation from anyone that earnestly considers his/her own personal answers. Conversation, vision, thought, and passion are exuded from many of those willing citizens, and such dedication to an idea of ‘home’ is exciting to witness for everyone working for Stand.
What’s important to you? The answers vary… The citizens are diverse in mindset and background… But from the many different opinions within this region come common themes for collective growth and progress.
Collective? Progress? To the skeptic, these words represent the vocabulary of the idealist ‘do-gooder,’ the hippie activist, the philanthropic posers… But for anyone that has taken a Stand, it is clear that conversations amongst many, for the well-being of a common neighborhood, city, or region, can produce a citizenry that is deeply vested in the well-being of that community. This is the mission of Stand—to provide a means by which citizens take collective ownership and responsibility. Chattanooga’s future will be determined by anyone and everyone who believes that the common person can positively influence this place—our place. Participation is key! To have a voice in the direction of something, one must always be willing to get involved.
Take a Stand! Share your thoughts about this region that we all call home.
Chattanooga, You Amaze Me
07.20.2009 // by: Sarah
Chattanooga, You Amaze Me.
Hey there, Chattanooga. I answered four questions for the future. Have you?
Please, take your stand now.
Nearly 10,000 people have spoken up about what they want for Chattanooga’s future. Already, Chattanooga’s participation is an astounding success! The Stand campaign is raising the bar across the country, even the world, for survey-based community visioning efforts.
How high is the bar being raised? Really, really high: our goal is to get 25,000 responses to a four-question survey by August 31.
The numbers speak for themselves:
ImagineCALGARY*
City: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Population: 956,000
Total Participants: over 18,000
Campaign Length: estimated 12 months
Participation Rate:1.88%
*ImagineCALGARY maintains “the largest community visioning process of its kind anywhere in the world!”
VisionPDX
City: Portland, Oregon
Population: 568,000
Total Participants: over 17,000
Campaign Length: 24 months
Participation Rate: 2.99%
And now….
Stand
City: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Population: 170,880
Total Participants: nearly 10,000
Campaign Length: 2.5 months
Participation Rate: 5.7%
Proud to be a Chattanoogan,
Sarah Lester
Campaign Coordinator for Stand