Friends of the Mad River recently sponsored a two-part workshop, “A Happy and Healthy Valley,” to encourage cooperation, enhance communication and integrate community actions toward achieving long-term goals for the Mad River Valley. Working with Regenesis Group, between 50 and 75 people participated online. Thanks to everyone who dug in together! To follow up, Friends of the Mad River offers a deeper dive with roughly eight two-hour workshops facilitated by Regenesis that will help a smaller group “build muscle” for public involvement and achievement of shared goals for The Valley. There are many different planning and program activities sponsored by our regional and local groups and agencies. How can we, the public, be more effectively and cooperatively involved in these important public processes? As in nature, of course, everything is connected. Can our public create a sustainable balance that is good for our people and communities and for the natural systems that we live within? Can we avoid unnecessary conflict by sharing goals and priorities? Certainly, we can. Some intensive, facilitated practicing can bring us together in cooperative relationships with the foundational skills to do so for the long term. The workshops are expected to start in the first quarter of 2021 with a frequency shaped by the group. There’s no cost to participants because we would like to attract a wide diversity of people interested in major issues of concern in The Valley, from the economy and the environment to housing, agriculture, health care and recreation. If you are interested in participating in the eight-session program with Regenesis learn, you can watch recordings of the first two meetings online at https://www.friendsofthemadriver.org/happyandhealthyvalley.html. When signing up to participate share the issues and challenges that most motivate you. We hope to accommodate everyone who expresses interest, but we also want to ensure a diversity of viewpoints and areas of concern. We need to hear from you by December 21. Thanks for caring about The Valley’s present and future, and we look forward to hearing from you. Ned Farquhar, board president Friends of the Mad River Originally Published in the Valley Reporter (December 10th, 2020) Facilitated by Regenesis Group Sponsored by Friends of the Mad River The Mad River Valley community faces challenges and an uncertain future. We have an opportunity to try a new way to imagine and create our community’s sustainable future so that it is more sustainable, resilient, and just. Friends of the Mad River has worked for 30 years to support healthy land, clean water, and a vibrant community. We are excited to focus on the whole community and bring Bill Reed and Joel Glanzberg of Regenesis Group to facilitate an interactive, innovative 2-part workshop that explores the role regenerative thinking can play in envisioning and building the future of the Mad River Valley. Regenesis Group has worked for over two decades to bring together leaders in the worlds of business planning and organizational development and the fields of permaculture and ecological design. The result is a unique approach to community planning that works to develop a common language, shared understanding, and mutual commitment to who we are in this place and what we can become together. The philosophy is grounded in the idea that human activity can be a source of health and regeneration, rather than destruction and degradation. Bring your curiosity, your experience, and your commitment to build a thriving community here at home. Share the stories that speak to you about this place and help shape a future for all to enjoy and love. The workshop will take place over two Zoom meetings and will be a conversation that explores the vital roles we have as a part of an ecologically healthy and thriving Mad River Valley community. Your voice is important. Let’s work together and try a new approach to land use, community development, and the built environment that recognizes our place in the systems we depend on. We can’t chart the course to a better future without you – get involved. REGISTER HERE The leaves changed so fast this year, we hardly had a chance to get any photos of our own! Were you able to capture the stunning transformation from Summer to peak foliage at the end of September? Have you been apple picking or sat down with a hot cup of cider? We want you to share with us the photos, videos and stories that show your love for the Mad River Valley. #madshedlove is all about life in the MAD River Valley, the waterSHED that connects us, and sharing the LOVE. As the seasons change, the Valley bursts with color! Let us know what you love about Fall in our watershed the most :)
* The fine print - By sharing your photos, stories, and videos you are making them available for Friends of the Mad River to use in promotional print and web content. Credits will be given appropriately. There will be no royalties paid for this content and we will reserve the right to use this content in perpetuity. By submitting your photos, stories, and videos you agree to these conditions. |
Friendsof the Mad River Archives
July 2024
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