A question of size ;-)

[Steve Cochran]

Hi Irv - A couple of thoughts:

1. Perhaps determine in advance what "...good representation of people from
these neighborhoods..." looks like by studying the census-type data about
the demographics, population, etc. Some public records probably exist via
the City, and interviewing several key institutional heads about the makeup
of the neighborhoods could help. (i.e. - school principals, local
clergy/faith community leaders, major employers, etc.)

2. Develop a community 'profile' (the good kind, not the bad kind!) that
addresses age, ethnicity, families, singles, etc. and then reach out to
populate that profile - again perhaps recommendations from the same
community leaders and others, staying within your parameters and logistics.
By inviting people with a particular perspective and hopefully gaining their
commitment to participate it may be possible to design 'broad
representation'.

Just a thought....such a design feels sort of counter to the 'Whoever
comes..." principle, but your desire for broad input for neighborhood issues
is understandable.

Good Luck! - Steve

PS - Providing food is always a good draw!
On Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 12:05 AM, Irv Sheffey <irv.sheffey at sierraclub.org>wrote:

>  I’m working with a local community group to organize a one day forum on
> creating local sustainable neighborhoods, here in the District of Columbia.
> We want the forum to be inclusive of a wide range of perspectives from
> environmental NGOs, local government, civic leaders and most important,
> folks from the community at large, namely the “grassroots”.  The theme is “
> *Getting from here to there, creating sustainable east of the river
> communities*.” We are targeting people who reside in a part of DC that is
> geographically separated from the other, two-thirds of the District, by the
> Anacostia River.  This part of DC is the home of over 140,000 people, many
> who have been historically neglected socially and politically.  We envision
> the forum to be a place where their voices can be heard
>
>
>
> This brings me to my question and I hope someone out in the network has
> some suggestions.  How do we open space such that we get a good
> representation of people from these neighborhoods, without overwhelming
> ourselves?  Whereas it’s relatively easy to work in a context of a given
> organization, i.e., a company, a school, a profession, since affinity is
> defined and numbers limited but what do you do when you’re seeking a broad
> cross section of the public?  We have a modest budget and a venue that could
> accommodate upwards of 200 people.  How can you be “open” while reasonable
> as to how many people can be logistically accommodated?
>
>
>
> The forum is scheduled for late October and we will begin outreach efforts
> over the summer.
>
>
>
> I hope that this doesn’t sound like a “duh” question for you more
> experience facilitators.  I could truly use your insights. I’ve taken the
> liberty of copying my co-organizers of this event.  It would be great if you
> can hit “reply to all” in responding, so that they can be directly informed.
>
>
>
> Thank you,
>
>
>
> *Irv*
>
> _________________________________
>
>
>
> Irv Sheffey
>
> Associate Field Organizer - Washington DC
>
> Environmental Justice & Community Partnerships Program
>
> Sierra Club
>
> 3101 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE  No. 314
>
> Washington, DC 20020
>
> tel:   202-575-1469
>
> cell:  202-299-6503
>
>
>
> e-mail: irv.sheffey at sierraclub.org
>
>
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