Shared Vision Meetings

Part of our strategy involves hosting Shared Vision Meetings in communities around train stations in the region, bringing local people together to co-create a shared vision and set of priorities for improving their communities.

Asset Based Community Development is an approach that asks “what’s strong, not what’s wrong,” within communities, and seeks to enable local people to make change happen for themselves on the things they care about. We have found that local people really appreciate the opportunity to talk to each other about what they want to see happen in their local areas; and that many community members have ideas and projects that they would like to work on.

From each meeting, we emerge with a list of potential project ideas for placemaking and improving well-being, and an enthusiastic group of local people keen to take them forward. Now, our goal is to support the community in turning these ideas into workable initiatives led by local people. It has become clear that this facilitation and practical support is the “missing link” between the energy, gifts, skills and assets of community members, and change actually happening.