-start a community forum-
The West Marion Community forum keeps their community growing strong. Members come together to support projects such as a community garden, housing discrimination workshop, and book bag drive.
West Marion Community Forum Marion, NC
McDowell County
It’s no secret that partnerships and collaboration are key to building better communities. In Marion, a group of over 70 community members have joined together to form the West Marion Community Forum.
This group identifies problems within the Town of Marion and collaborates to find solutions. They support local initiatives and health-related projects to make life better in Marion. The Forum is made up of like-minded individuals from diverse backgrounds, including county and city government employees, community garden coordinators, teachers, community residents, food bank coordinators and youth. It takes a group of people with different skill sets, experiences, and knowledge to make a forum work.
Some of the efforts the forum have focused on, include: youth development and leadership, increasing access to reliable transportation and healthy foods, affordable housing, and living-wage jobs.
With community representatives from all work places, organizations, and nonprofits, the West Marion Community Forum has a wide range of experts. Other community forums cite similar strategies: It takes partnership and representation from all areas of your town, city, neighborhood, or county to be successful.
Community forums are an innovative way to share resources, form partnerships, and build relationships
with people from your neighborhood who might not otherwise connect. Whether it’s for a small
neighborhood or a whole city, your community forum should include people from all backgrounds.
Consider inviting people from different income and education levels, houses of worship, ages, and
abilities. This way the most prevalent problems can be identified, and more resources and solutions can
be created. Most community forums meet monthly for discussion. You will need an accessible meeting
location. Churches, individual homes, libraries, community centers, or town halls could all serve as
meeting spaces. Advertise and recruit members for your forum starting with people you know and
expand to people from varied backgrounds, connections, experiences to truly enact change in your
community.
Resources
Try
it!
You might also try...
People sitting in a half circle
Volunteers put salad on plates
People setup for a potluck lunch