Our communities will be sustained by the young - are we ready to bring them in?

Tim Elmore, who has a calling for young people, had an interesting blog post today about the entry of what he calls the iY generation into the work force.  Last evening students of the Class of 2013 of Hartsville High School made their commencement into the new chapter of their lives -- as adults. I enjoyed Tim Elmore's concept of the "iY" generation and thought it might be interesting to share that as we think about this part of the Millenial generation (those born after 1990 taking their place as our colleagues, coworkers, friends and fellow community builders.  Here is what Tim Elmore wrote for June 6, 2013:

Employers:

 Ready or Not, Here Comes Generation iY

It’s June and millions of high school and college students will soon be graduating, nationwide. Today’s grads are part of the Millennial Generation. They represent the second half of this generation, and I call them Generation iY, because they grew up influenced by the “i” world, iPods, iTunes, iPhones, iChat, iPads…you get the point.
These grads from Generation iY (the kids born since 1990) are now job hunting. Business media is inspecting them like scouts hunt gifted athletes. About 10,000 of these kids turn 21 every day. Their generation is 80 million strong and growing. Their presence in the workplace is already causing a splash because they are…well, different. While the media describes them as “entitled” or as MTV’s “no collar workforce,” I think if we understand them, we can make the most of their gifts. Based on stats from Pew and Mediapost.com, let me de-code them a bit below.
1. They appear “choosy” or picky…but they want work to have meaning.
These students are primed to “give it their all” but only if they find jobs that offer meaning, mentors and merit. They want their job to matter, they want to grow and they love being “heard” by supervisors even though they’re young and have no experience. The desire to make a difference is a core Millennial trait.
2. Their work ethic appears low…but they want to connect socially.
The average adolescent is disconnected from others only one hour a day, out of 24 hours. They sleep and often shower with their cell phone. The quest for meaningful work and relationships seem odd to elder employers. “Loving what I do” outranked a big salary or a bonus, according to Pew Research. 89% agree it’s important to be “constantly growing at my job.” 
71% want coworkers to be like a second family.
3. They want to belong…before they believe or behave.
To understand the “cart” and the “horse” in a Gen iY kid’s life, it’s important to know that they’ll work till midnight on work projects, but only if they’ve been given a sense of “ownership” and have been listened to by colleagues. 50% of them would rather have no job, than have a job they hate. 95% are motivated to work hard if they know where their work is heading. We will get the conduct we want if we first connect the mundane task they perform with the big picture.
4. They appear to be cocky…but they believe they offer something valuable.
Raised by “peer-ants,” (parents are like peers), they’ve always had a say. 76% of them believe “my boss could learn a lot from me.” 
65% say “I should be mentoring older coworkers when it comes to tech and getting things done.”
 This doesn’t mean they don’t think they have a lot to learn from a boss. It’s a sense that learning is a two-way street, regardless of seniority.
5. They want to apply themselves…but they don’t separate work from play.
In one study of Baby boomers and Millennials, they were asked to anonymously send postcards in which they explained what it would take for a
 company to get them to do the best work possible. A typical Boomer response was: “Give me my objectives and get out of my way.” A typical Millennial response: “I need flexibility, respect… and snacks.” According to Generation iY, work should be fun.
6. They appear to be insubordinate…but they just want to create their job.
These conforming non-conformists are a paradox. They want to invent their job, then add value. 66% of them agree they want to invent their own position at work. 60% agree “if I can’t find a job I like, I will try and figure out a way to create my own job.” 83% of Generation iY is “looking for a job where my creativity is valued.”
7. They appear to be different…but actually want to be part of the big picture.
A full 70% of Millennials say they need “me time” at work, almost twice as many as Baby boomers.
 93% said they want to be themselves, yet they do want to blend and be part of something bigger than themselves. 75% of Gen iY want a mentor, or as one participant said “I don’t so much want a boss; more of a Yoda.” Bottom line? If we will invest in them—they will invest in the work and furnish a huge ROI.

Are you ready to lead them?

Rome, New York was the place I grew up...

And I grew up a long time ago.

Essentially, I left Rome, NY in the Fall of 1964 to go to to the State University of New York at Cortland, which I spent the next four years. And from 1968 on I have been in the South of something. The first stop was Quantico, VA for The Basic School and then, after a stint in language school and Psy Op school it was to South Vietnam.

Since 1971 it has been South Carolina. My parents remained in Rome so I did a lot of visiting. Recently, Mike Colangelo, a Roman has started a Facebook group showing lots of old photos of Rome. One of the many visitors to the group just included a blog post from someone who reflected on the growing-up years in Rome. While I am from the more Irish side of the Roman experience (St. Peter's not St. John's) the blog spoke volumes to me. In some ways it may point to why I believe so strongly in the need to continue building your community, wherever

your community might be. If you click the link, I think you might enjoy the visit to one of the city's that was on the front lines of the cold war.

Getting the best from all helps us build community

Seth Godin, a leading thinker of our era, has been pushing the idea of individual art. He has been urging his readers to make their art, ship their art and live their art.  If you read THE ICARIUS DECEPTION, you will get a much better idea of his thinking.  He believes we all have art to provide to make a difference -- for ourselves and for our world.

Today he wrote a blog about how many people only allow that some of us have art. The rest, they lump into the idea of "those people."  That blog encouraged this blog. We know in small communities that if we do not tap into the contributions of all, we are not going to achieve the potential that can be our's. We also know that we are not tapping into that potential because so many of us are like the person Seth quotes, sure that others just are not as capable of making a difference. My reason for today's blog is to wonder how many times I have been guilty of the same hubris.

Here is the blog post from Seth Godin:

Those people

At a recent seminar, a woman who helps run a community college stood up to ask a question.
"Well, the bad news," she said, "is that we have to let everyone in. And the truth is, many of these kids just can't be the leaders you're describing, can't make art. We need people to do manual work, and it's those people."
I couldn't believe it. I was speechless, then heartbroken. All I could think of was these young adults, trusting this woman to lead them, teach them, inspire them and push them, and instead being turned into 'those people.'
You know, the people who will flip burgers or sweep streets or fill out forms all day. The ones who will be brainwashed into going into debt, into buying more than they can afford, to living lives that quietly move from one assigned task or one debt payment to another. If they're lucky.
No, I said to her, trying to control my voice, no these are not those people. Not if you don't want them to be.
Everyone is capable of being generous, at least once. Everyone is capable of being original, inspiring and connected, at least once. And everyone is capable of leading, yes, even more than once.
When those that we've chosen to teach and lead write off people because of what they look like or where they live or who their parents are, it's a tragedy. Worse, we often write people off merely because they've been brainwashed into thinking that they have no ability to do more than they've been assigned. Well, if we brainwashed them into setting limits, I know we can teach them to ignore those limits.

Things like that are not supposed to happen Newtown

Still reeling from that shooting news.

I know I am not alone as the President's comments in his radio address this morning will attest.


People in Newtown, CT say "things like that aren't supposed to happen here." When these things happen and people make that comment we all need to realize THINGS LIKE THAT should not be happening anywhere.  But they do!

So, do we act or do we stagnate in helplessness?

As much as that question seems a proverbial "no brainer" all who are involved in regular thinking about "community thinking" know that stagnation is likely to be the answer.
         1 -- We have to contend with human nature (that is not easy to change)
         2 -- We have to contend with the politics of the second amendment
         3 -- We have to contend with the horror of the experience and the desire to hope it will pass      without a lot of discussion.
         4 -- Will Newtown, CT be the tipping point in Americans taking a closer look at who we really are or will we await something just a bit more horrific?
         5 -- Can we answer the question of why, even a crazy person, thinks this kind of violence is a means to their ends.

It is easy to see why most of us are going to take a Scarlett O'Hara approach to this problem -- and "think about it tomorrow."

Social Offerings, Openness Key to Community Attachment

Social Offerings, Openness Key to Community Attachment

As we discuss the attributes of the Hartsville, SC community as compared with those remarked upon in BOOMTOWN, we can see that Hartsville has a great deal going for our small cosmopolitan community. The above link takes the reader to a gallup discussion of some of the data collected in 2001 and before on a study called the "Soul of the Community." It seems to me that these are good ways to begin tracking the assets of our own community.

This coming Friday The Byerly Foundation in conjunction with the City of Hartsville and the Hartsville Chamber of Commerce is hosting a discussion with some of the Human Resource managers from businesses in and around the Hartsville community to get some of their thoughts on the strengths and challenges of the community. It promises to be an interesting discussion.

Boomtown Key - Adopt a Can-Do Attitude - Hartsville, SC

Can-Do Attitude --

• High School softball champions - 2012
• High School basketball champions - 2012

New boundary-spanning Community Development Foundation in formative stages with City and Chamber collaboration.

Aggressive strategic growth plans at Coker College that include a new School of Education, a new graduate degree, new residence facilities and plans for a new Wellness Center.

Community people taking on the formation of a Community Garden and sustaining a monthly Good-Living Marketplace in downtown Hartsville and a summertime Gospel in the Park (Pride Park).

A state-wide residential high school for Science and Math students adding new faculty and new programs as it continues to expand its student population.

Overcoming obstacles to bring new hotels into the downtown business district

An almost overnight makeover of a dynamic Hartsville Family YMCA with crowds of all ages demonstrating the "can-do" behaviors of physical exercise, entertainment and energy building.

Two brand new buildings in downtown Hartsville -- one First Citizens Bank and the other the modern law office of Senator Malloy along with the Foundation of a new office building that should be up in the next couple of months.

Individual entrepreneurs working on opening new businesses and others working hard at continuing to build successful businesses in a core downtown business district.

An educational initiative that gives Hartsville one of the most unique approaches to education change in the nation.

THIS IS A SHORT LIST OF WHAT COULD BE A VERY EXTENSIVE LIST OF CAN-DO EXAMPLES IN THIS DYNAMIC, COSMOPOLITAN COMMUNITY. Hoping that others will add some of their own can-do examples to we can build this list.

Does Hartsville have "Boomtown" tools?

Admittedly, I sift out a lot of what I might consider "noise" when it comes to my own view of the world; especially my view of my Hartsville, SC world. Mostly I only listen for the potential, not the problems.

 I like Hartsville and have lived and grown here since 1973.  I get the warm, fuzzy feeling when hearing visitors describe the sense of community they FEEL as they visit our town.

I feel a little adrenaline rush when I discuss the possibilities inherent in this community. I get really excited when talking to a person who started her business here about 9 years, eight months ago and now is planning a major Art/Prom/Music event for the TENTH Anniversary.

A conversation with the Mayor about how we might find a way to develop a walking connection between the ample parking on College Avenue and the retail stores on Carolina Avenue and maybe be able to create business incubator space pumps up my thinking.

Another conversation with a visionary entrepreneur who puts his money where his heart is sets off more sparks about a downtown that can not only be quaint but thriving.

A look at the Coker College plans for immediate growth within our community shows how Hartsville can be a real college town and the new Loft residences downtown with the even newer college apartments opening this Fall shows how those plans are quickly becoming realities.

My answer to the question -- Does Hartsville have Boomtown tools is by now obvious. What are Boomtown tools? Jack Schultz, author of the 2004 book, BOOMTOWN USA, The 71/2 Keys to Bug Success in Small Towns gives the tool list. They are the 71/2 Keys:

1. Adopt a Can-Do Attitude
2. Shape Your Vision
3. Leverage Your Resources
4. Raise up Strong Leaders
5. Encourage an entrepreneurial approach
6. Maintain local control
7. Build your brand  and 71/2 -- Embrace the Teeter-Totter Factor

The plan is to sort of use the Schultz approach for this blog to discuss Hartsville's possession of these keys to success. What would be really great would be for anyone who might read this posting to contribute some of your own comments to the question of Hartsville's readiness for real growth and prosperity.

Education is Focus in Hartsville, South Carolina

Comer applauds program's success in Hartsville

The big news in educational activities this week was the talk by Dr. James Comer about the initiative that bears his name that Hartsville is implementing in four of the city's elementary schools. The article is interesting and makes several points worth repeating but most importantly that all our children need educations that  will help them function well in society. Everyone should read this article as Hartsville is becoming a national leader in educational innovation and the Comer program and PULSE initiative are key examples.

Without going into detail here, some other examples include:
The Governor's School for Science and Math and Technology
The Hartsville High IB Program
The Byerly Foundation sponsored Team Foxes program at the Hartsville Middle School
Sharing a Chinese professor between Coker College, HHS and GSSM

Truly, the list can go on. 

This is a big week for education news as area school graduate their 2012 classes. Let's think education -- let's do education --- let's educate and be educated. Make Hartsville the Education center of South Carolina!

Sonoco announces major investment

News was exciting to read yesterday as Sonoco announced its intention to invest more than $100 million in new infrastructure (biomass-fed boiler) at the Hartsville plant site.

We have to be in the Future Business

Am currently reading a new book by former President Clinton and the one line that is the theme of the book is the need for us to be in the future business.

Almost every day in Hartsville I am talking with someone about how we can grow our small city of Hartsville and why we need to grow our small city of Hartsville. The answer is that We have to be in the future business. A couple of days ago I met the Mayor who was having a late lunch and we talked about this idea of being in the future business by reflecting on some of what we are seeing today --

In Hartsville we need to be in the future business and we are fortunate that there are those within our area who are working to help Hartsville move to that future. We need more of those efforts and people behind those efforts. There are businesses and people who are not in our community who often tell those who are seeking to build that we are too old, too small, too isolated. But, much like our small, private college that has been home in this community for more than 100 years (we find if they visit they often catch the vision.) Word is there is a developer who is working aggressively to find a way to make a new hotel a reality. Word is that the Winn Dixie store will not be vacant for much longer. Eyesight tells you that First Citizens sees the future of Hartsville with their new bank, which is right across from Heritage Community Bank, which is just about right across from a modern office building that is soon to become the home of the Malloy Law Firm. Senator Malloy and his staff are looking forward to taking possession of this state-of-the-art office.

Those offices show proof that people in Hartsville are in the future business. And, when speaking of financial institutions in that business we should not forget that Wachovia is now Wells Fargo with an enlivened presence in downtown Hartsville and during a resurgence of downtown a few years back SPC Credit Union set the standard in future thinking. Mutual Savings is not exactly downtown but their thoroughly remodeled building was a forerunner of some of the current growth.

There is real proof that Hartsville is in the future business and word is that some additional formal announcements coming this week from the big company in town will underline some of this discussion.

And, when you really want to look at being in the Future Business the Governor's School for Science and Math could be the new Standard Bearer. How great was it to see an ad in the Sunday paper looking for new, high-quality faculty members to fill NEW positions at the expanding school. GSSM is creating jobs in Hartsville whose main goal is teaching some of the best and brightest high-school age students that South Carolina has to offer-- our FUTURE.

Just up Second Avenue from GSSM, Coker College is continuing on planned growth path that is adding new programs, (the recently announced Masters Degree in College-Sports Management for example); new students, new faculty and a growing commitment of partnership with its host community. This is being in the future business.

Being in the future business is hard work that requires nerve, energy, investment, vision, leadership and collaboration. Being in the future business means pulling together, creating a team ready and willing to build. Being in the future business means listening and then MAYBE, responding with something like -- How could we make that happen -- rather than, No, no way that can work.

Look at the resources we have in this community. As we move close to this new year let's all work to remind ourselves that if we are going to have the tomorrows we want, we have to be in the future business today.


(author's musing -- Hope some of that makes sense. I am going to look at it as sort of a first draft because there are lots of things I have left out and probably many things that still need saying. Guess it goes without saying that I would love to have some of your thoughts and comments as we all work to make Hartsville one of the best places in the world in which to live, work, study and play.)

STATE Newspaper has excellent story on Charlie Coker

Charlie Coker is one of the business legends in South Carolina. Here The State newspaper provides an interesting overview of a long career building a company and a community. Charlie's efforts continue today. I think you will enjoy reading this story from The State newspaper on the influence Charles W. Coker has had on the State of South Carolina, Sonoco and Hartsville.

How does a small community create jobs?

One of the major questions that some people in Hartsville have been discussing over the past several months is "How does a smaller community like Hartsville engage in economic development and create needed jobs."

One idea that is being discussed is finding a way to infuse more new and niche businesses into the Hartsville retail community, taking advantage of the amazing downtown ambiance that many of us seem to take so much for granted. But, as this idea is being discussed, we also hear of some of those same nice, niche, new businesses that we have considering closing their doors because business is just not good enough to pay the bills.

In fact, one of our major communication businesses is moving from their home and for a number of weeks they had problems finding a location in the rental-price range they were needing to pay.

So, as this question of how to create jobs is being discussed, one idea is that we find a large retail space in downtown that could be subdivided into smaller stores that could give a new business enough space to create their "SPACE" while keeping rent low enough to be affordable for a start-up enterprise. If you were going to give a name to such a business, it would probably be incubator -- at least that is what Mayor Pennington calls this space when he is thinking about what might work. A retail incubator could be an idea with merit. There are certainly some major questions. How would a building owner recoup investment? Would it be possible to add to the downtown-loft apartments that have been built the past couple of years and get enough rent from those to make some money on the building, which might now even be able to get enough retail floor rent to pay bills. Would a public passage from the parking lots on College Avenue to the store fronts on Carolina Avenue be a incentive for more shopping in the downtown. Would such a building area be available at price that could make the dream a possibility.

There are many people I have spoken with who say they would like to open a business but looking at space costs of more than $800 a month give them a great deal of pause. But, they would love to be in a downtown area that looks like Hartsville's downtown -- if they could afford it.

So, this might be one idea for creating opportunities for people to open new businesses in Hartsville. And, new businesses can create jobs. What other ideas are there for creating jobs in a community like Hartsville?

"Old Geezer" is nearly a month into eight year of not missing a day of running

He’s one of the fastest old geezers you are ever going to know

For the past 2,570+ days Robbie McLendon has been pounding the pavement for at least three miles and in the past three days he has logged 47 miles, including a marathon distance of 26.2 miles. For those who are not much into math, or even basic arithmetic, that is seven years without missing a day as of August 29, 2011. The 56-year-old self-proclaimed “old Geezer” is on a streak of every day running that puts him in some rare company. Robbie is not only consistent, he is fast. He is fast not just for a 56-year-old, he is fast. This past March, at the 2011 Myrtle Beach Marathon he finished in 3:11:4, placing 65th among more than 3000 runners.

Is there a reason for all this running?
So, what is it that will make someone keep running and running and running. “Welllllll,” said Robbie who was trying to come up with a reason, “If I do it every day, I don’t have to worry about starting back.” In our current era when obesity is a major health concern in the American population and chronic illness like diabetes sidelines hosts of people from active living, Robbie knows he does not want to there…again.
Exercise as a life style
In this age when we have a culture fighting against obesity, chronic illness and disease and a sedentary, sit-in-front-of-the-screen lifestyle, Robbie McLendon shows there are other ways to live.
Daily running streak began in 2004
The running streak began August 29, 2004 about three days after he got out of the hospital with a high blood sugar count that almost put him in a coma. He has always been active and at another time in his life, in his 30s, he was a runner. Back in 1986 he ran a 2:40:05 marathon and finished the famous Charleston “Bridge Run” in 34:45 for the 10-K (6.2 mile) event. He knew what it was like to be in shape. He knew what it was like to be super healthy but then things like work began to take the toll on working out. He was employed with Wellman Industries outside of Darlington. “It was a good job, paid well and was challenging. But, it was not unusual to work 12 and 13 hour days and not get home until midnight or after.” The running and exercising became something he used to do, not something he did.

Eye-opening hospital stay
That day in August 2004 it caught up to him. At the time he was hospitalized, Robbie says he was about 240 pounds and he was carrying most of it in stomach. “I have a small frame, so that was a lot of weight in the middle,” he said. He decided a change was needed and went out for a run and that first run went three miles. He did not record the time but he remembers it being 10 or 11 minutes a mile. He jotted the time and the distance down in a journal and that journal is still where he keeps the daily running record.

One day, then another, then another
The August 29 run led to the August 30 run to the August 31 run and before he knew it, Robbie had a year of running without missing a day. “I started back running to lose the weight, to get back being healthy and it worked,” reflected Robbie as he thought back to that first year. “Then it became a competition and I did not want to stop.”

Running for health
Today, Robbie weighs in at about 160 pounds. He has been off insulin for years and his blood-sugar chemistry is where both he and his doctors like it to be. Once he beat the illness he found he had developed a new drive. Turns out that Robbie is not only a runner, he is one of the most active physical fitness gurus around. His daily workouts at the Hartsville Family YMCA include heavy weight training, usually 30 to 45-minutes ab work, and even occasional classes in P90-X or some of the other programs that are popular. In 2008 it became a little easier for him to expand his workouts as he lost his job with the closing of Wellman. There were not a lot of other jobs available at the time. He didn’t sit around; he got into even better shape. Several months ago he did land a part-time job at the Hartsville Y as a building manager. That is afternoon and night hours and it doesn’t get in the way of his runs his lifting or one of his new-found enjoyments – Yoga. “I started yoga in P-90 X and it not only helps me stretch better, I find it relaxing.”
"Have to run faster..."
And, relaxing is not an adjective that you often hear associated with the old Geezer, who this past week recorded 77 running miles in the journal as he gets ready for the Savannah Rock and Roll Marathon that will be run in November. And, relaxing is not something you associate with someone whose September 22 Facebook post described a workout day that included three (3) mile repeats, 4-200 meter repeats, 10-100 meter repeats…all with a resistance parachute strapped to his back. He uses that type of resistance and repeat training to build up other muscle groups that he hopes will aid him in his continuing quest to win, not just place, in the race.
He loves the thrill of the chase
The old Geezer competes just about every weekend. If he hears there is a starting line and a finish line he is on his way. “Lately, a 52-year old from Sumter has been beating me and I want to get him. I really do love the competition.” His major goal now is to run the Savannah Marathon in 3:05 or less. “I think I can do it,” he says with jaw-set determination. He will continue his 70+ miles a week training for another couple of weeks before he begins his tapering down process where he will reduce those miles to 50 or 60 as the race gets closer.

Easier to run than to stop
On those long runs he does often wonder why he is doing it. He says even today, with all these miles behind and so many yet to go, “It is a love hate type of relationship. I do like the way it makes me feel but it is always hard getting started but then I hate to stop.”

Writer note: I included this story in the Community Building blog because I think people who are doing notable things in our community are examples of how we continue building community. A community of runners and exercisers has been established in our Hartsville area and Robbie McLendon is right in the center of that community. Would love to have you post some of your "Robbie" snippets to this blog.

Hartsville in the news

The Oakdale Neighborhood has long been an important part of the city of Hartsville. For decades the majority of the residents worked at the Milliken textile mill and the Mill Village moniker was part of the lore of Oakdale. The mill went the way of of the American textile industry -- away.

In the mill's place is one of the testaments to South Carolina's creativity, ingenuity and cooperation -- the South Carolina residential Governor's School for Science, Mathematics and Technology. The school is home to some of South Carolina' brightest high school students, who spend their junior and senior years in Hartsville preparing to become tomorrow's leaders. Next to the GSSM is Oakdale, again in the shadow of a crucial Hartsville institution.

Oakdale is currently the focus of some redevelopment and some of that is noted this evening in a story on WMBF's web site and television station. And, the city has put in a grant that would give an even bigger lift to this neighborhood if it is awarded. These are things that bring communities back to life and that we call home. This is another and the city is fortunate that one of America's Marine Corps warriors,who worked civil affairs in tours of Iraq and Afghanistan is leading the effort.

Rebuilding a sense of community is priority

This past weekend Coker College joined in the Service Day that was part of the commemoration of the events of September 11, 2001. Nearly 300 students and a few faculty and staff headed off to work on a variety of service oriented programs from cleaning up school yards to painting at a Boys and Girls' Club. Coker College is working hard on a goal of building even stronger community with Hartsville, the host community of the college for these past 100-plus years.

And, at lunch this noon in a conversation with Hartsville's City Manager the question of some particular projects needing assistance in our community was one of the discussion items. She mentioned an old cemetery in the South Hartsville area that has again become overrun with weeds and bushes and stuff. She mentioned renovations that are taking place at a park that could use additional volunteer assistance to make happen more quickly. My guess is these projechttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifts can and will happen once people are made aware of the need. One former Hartsville mayor is fond of saying that in Hartsville there are a lot of people who will complain that the trees need watering and then will go and get buckets and water those trees. Some things need government assistance and some things need people assistance and most of the team we get a great deal accomplished when it all works together.

But, as Rich Harwood notes in his recent blog , much of what is going on in areas of our country is not allowing solutions. He calls the politics of today "toxic." The Harwood Institute is working with communities around the country in community building efforts and Rich is a recognized authority in this area. What follows are two paragraphs from his current blog that I think speak to how we can begin chipping away at the problems and finding some solutions:

Harwood says: "Instead, it is everyday citizens – you, me, and others – who ultimately will place the nation on a better trajectory. The task before us is to “rebuild” the nation – but not solely by constructing new memorials and buildings at Ground Zero and elsewhere. For bricks and mortar are not the most important building blocks for this rebuilding.

The first and most fundamental need is to “signal” each other that we are ready to step forward and join together. To achieve this, we must embrace and spread small public acts and rituals that get people out of their homes and demonstrate a sense of connection and compassion for one another – acts such as helping a neighbor, painting a local school, singing public-spirited songs together, and displaying the flag, among others. I am not advocating make-work volunteer efforts, or superficial initiatives, but small acts grounded in a sense of common purpose and accomplishment and the greater good."

Last night People to People in Hartsville held a "Meet the Chief" gathering to further the conversation about law enforcement in our city. I heard that one person stood up and discussed the importance of neighbors joining neighbors and taking back control of their neighborhoods - now -- not later. There is a will that is emerging in cities like Hartsville that we must hope flows across communities and becomes a tipping point of community building before it really feels too late to make a difference.

Masterful 9-11 Commemoration at Coker College

A 9-11 college and community event called "9-11-2001 A Community Remembers" could be a textbook case history for how to build and execute a meaningful, memorable gathering of forces to honor both memory and community. Will Carswell, who had the idea and chaired the planning, demonstrated a leadership that we need much more of throughout this country of ours.

The focus of this 9-11 remembrance was how the performing arts can translate, transmit and transform emotions. The mix of artistry was, by itself, awesome from targeted choral selections, to modern chance choreography,, to poetry, to readings, to a Brass Quartet, to piano and horn to a short story ending in a solemn Tolling of the Bells.

In addition, this was a combined Coker College and community event with the Hartsville Middle School Magnet Chorus under the direction of Kim Roberts and the Hartsville Chamber Ensemble under the direction of Anna White Hill.

Short comments from Dr. Carswell, Dr. Robert Wyatt, Coker's president, Mel Pennington, mayor of Hartsville and the Reverend Phil Thrailkill, who led the totally filled auditorium in the "OUR FATHER" began the program.

The memory of 9-11-2001 will remain and now we can put "adjacent" to that horrible day the splendor of arts helping in the attempt to make sense of it all.

The Watson Theater was filled and many people were unable to attend because of safety and fire regulations preventing standing in aisles. The capacity crowd is another proof of the needs communities have to honor, to remember and to engage.

Innoventure Blog Post focus on education in Darlington County

We are used to telling some sad and mad stories about education in Darlington County and in South Carolina. That may be one reason that this http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifparticular blog post needs some highlighting -- it is a story of success and a story of hope. It is also a story of Darlington County.

Here are a few of the opening paragraphs to this blog, which was written by John Warner:
Submitted by: John Warner on Aug 11, 2011 at 9:14 am Tagged with: K-12 education Source: Darlington Country School District

I attended an annual planning meeting of the SC Education Oversight Committee on August 8, 2011. There I met the superintendent of the Darlington County School District, Dr. Rainey Knight.

Let's first define a term. The "Poverty Index" includes students who are eligible for the free and reduced price Federal lunch program and/or Medicaid.

Based on the 2010 SC Annual SC Annual School District Report Card, Darlington is the 12th best performing out of 85 school districts in the state. On a 5 point scale, Darlington is a 4, performing similar to Richland 2 (53% poverty index) and Dorchester 2 (56% poverty index). Darlington's performance is blowing away districts with a performance of 3 like Greenville (58% poverty index) and York 3 (61% poverty index).

Here is the deal though. The poverty index in Darlington is 81%. Wow! Darlington is performing significantly better than districts whose poverty index is 20 percentage points lower. Mind you this is not the exceptional performance of just one school with high poverty. This is the exceptional performance of an entire district of schools with high poverty. (End quote text)

The new school year is beginning. Our garage door slammed shut at 6:50 this Friday morning with my wife off to St. John's Elementary where she teaches music four days a week and then to Cain Elementary, where she teaches music one day a week. Teachers all over Darlington County have been at work since Monday and they begin seeing students this coming Monday. At Coker College, where I have one of my jobs, we began faculty week meetings with a panel-audience discussion about teaching and learning in what we call at Coker the "Circle of Learning." What we continue to uncover when we discuss the learning process is just how crucial education is to the FUTURE. I hope our teachers begin to tell us the stories of the miracles that occur daily in their classrooms so that you can begin to feel the the power that is education;even when it is in need of serious repair on many fronts.

How do you know a program is working

The Byerly Foundation is in the community building business and we do this by providing grants for programs that the Byerly Board hopes will make a significant difference in helping Hartsville become an even better place to live and one of the best places to live -- anywhere. That is a stretch goal, by almost any defihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnition.

One of the major problems the Foundation has and nearly all Foundations and community development types of programs is how to know if programs work. Normally the groups implementing the programs will set their goals and list the measures they want to use to measure effectiveness. Then you assess the program based on the approved metrics. Sometimes this gets you the information you want and sometimes it doesn't.
More-Than-Good-Intentions
One thing that those working with Foundations and other funders do is continue to explore ways to measure effectiveness. This week the Stanford Innovation Review has a review of a book that discusses how programs might be measured. Just a few minutes ago I ordered this book from Burry Bookstore -- More Than Good Intentions: How a New Economics Is Helping to Solve Global Poverty by Dean Karlan & Jacob Appel

According to the reviewer, Kevin Starr, "Karlan and Appel believe that understanding what works for poverty alleviation programs boils down to one deceptively simple question: “How did people’s lives change with the program, compared with how they would have changed without it?” The primary—but not only—tool that Karlan et al. use to answer that question is the randomized controlled trial (RCT). In an RCT, a pool of subjects is randomly divided into intervention and control groups; the former gets the interventions and the latter does not. The two groups are fundamentally alike—both are measured before and after, and the impact is the difference between what happened to the intervention group and to the control group. RCTs are not new. The novel element here is the systematic and creative application of RCTs to test poverty solutions in the real world."

This is an interesting concept because when you are working on social interventions, it is difficult to keep something that is working away from control groups and often times you have try designing your research project to somehow give those randomized out a chance for being in. While I have not discussed this fully with Dr. Eve Puffer I believe this is a tactic she has used in a major innovation project fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in Muhuru Bay, Kenya. The Byerly Foundation is currently funding a major project with the Hartsville Middle School called Foxy Leaders that aims to take students at real risk of not finishing school and giving them an even stronger foundation than they might get in regular classes. I am not sure how this could be an RCT. That is why it is going to be interesting to get that book and discover what they authors have found in their research.

Driving Social Change

Paul Light, a professor from New York University, has a recent book called DRIVING SOCIAL CHANGE, How to Solve the World's Toughest Problems.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif It is an interesting book but more for the academic side of exploring social change than the implementing side. That said, he has some great discussion points.

In discussing the "breakthrough cycle" he mentions some tools developed by RAND that "participants in social breakthrough can use to increase their effectiveness and targeting..." page 142 This is the idea that I wanted to highlight: ..."the key to alertness starts with a landscape of possible futures against which to plan, and continues with an honest assessment of what has to go right for nothing to go wrong and what cannot go wrong for a plan to go right."

Not totally sure why I am taken with this phrase but I think it points to a way of thinking about solutions that may often be ignored in the planning process.
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The truth in today's world is that many of the smartest of social innovators are getting crushed by limiting visions of possible futures that are only based on their assumptions and views of the world. For example, when it comes to our present, who among us would have believed that two years after the recession ended we would still be experiencing nearly unparalleled unemployment? RAND does have something to say about this type of situation. When participants in a breakthrough cycle notice assumptions breaking down they need to be agile, adaptable and aligned. (page 142/143)

As I reread this post I wonder if there is enough context for understanding but instead of letting that be a worry I think will publish to see this generates any thoughts or aligns with some other reading and researching that is being accomplished in current innovation programs.

We are in the midst of driving some of this social change at Coker College and as I think of the things being planned, I wonder "what cannot go wrong for the plan to go right?"

Afghanistanism Takes on New Meaning

Tonight President Obama is going to outline his plans for some type of troop draw-down in Afghanistan. For many of us the thought will be it is about time and for many of those the conclusion is likely to be "too little and almost too late."

Years ago when I was learning about some of the principles of journalism there were instructors who were on the soap box of local news and local opinion as a way to make newspaper more relevant. The term Afghanistanism was an unflattering term for editorials that took on issues so far away from the local people that the writer could be emotional - hard hitting -- vehement in his call to action. He could be that way because it was an issue too far away. That same editor would seldom take on the local political establishment or the the local hot-button issue. Those were some of the things separating good papers from fish wraps.

Unfortunately, we now find ourselves in the middle of Afghanistan with thousands of Marines and other combat troops and the issue is very real for Americans. Kabul is now a very real place. When the President talks tonight he is going to be addressing life and death issues with the American public.

I am longing for the time that Afghanistan was only the answer to some obscure Jeopardy question and not one of central problems of American foreign and domestic policy. I wish the President would take the unpopular road and pull most of the troops from garrison duty and put in forces like SWAT teams that can be deployed when required for a specific mission and then pulled back. The people in Afghanistan have never liked foreigners invading their land and it might be amazing to see what would happen if they were fighting their own battles. The President accomplished the major mission -- We got Bin Laden. We can leave with heads held high!