Community Visioning Process

Building Our Foundation of Work Vision Statements Vision Discussions and Stories Guiding Principles August Discussions Issues and Projects – Pilots Decision Matrix Community Engagement Proposal Meeting on January 29th Community Engagement Action Plan

Building Our Foundation of Work Vision Statements Vision Discussions and Stories

Vision Elements  a tangible sense of our interconnectivity, a set of relationships and a process that allows us to work together as a community.  an influence base that gives support and direction to our elected officials  a way of imagining Mendocino County of what it could be 20 years from now and mobilizing the community around the common areas of passion and crisis (through conversation) to get us to our vision  a positive legacy for people 20 years in the future (7 generations).

Vision Elements Position Mendocino County in the World. We want to be known for: A healthy community that responds to the ecological, economic and equity issues of our community. E3 Community that has a shared identity and sense of ownership for its activities and future Sustainable practices A place that knows how to work together. A place that has an “infrastructure” of effective community engagement and communication processes A place that mobilizes and focuses its resources toward its future A place that honestly appraises itself in context of the state, country and world A place that encourages and facilitates “education and learning” in its broadest definition We are a community of people, resources and unique beauty. We need to leverage our unique qualities through tourism. Producing economic vitality that is highly visible, is good for people and is good for the ecology.

Vision Statement Elements  Civic Community Processes and Leadership  Environmental Go-To Community  Local Economic Vitality, Viability and Equality  Community Engagement and Ownership  Resource Based Economy  Energy Independence

Building Our Foundation of Work Vision Statements Vision Discussions and Stories Guiding Principles August Discussions

Operating Principles 1. We utilize a way of communicating through our differences that is based on strong relationships and shared values. 2. Operate using a network of “glue people” that weave our communities together. 3. Use our life stories, best practices from around the world, and our positive assets to shape our strategies. 4. Mobilize the silent majority as a way of moving community rather than reacting to the vocal minority. 5. Mobilize young people and disenfranchised people into the conversation process as a way of building identity and ownership. 6. Work from the common issues that bond people together and resonate across cultures and ages. 7. We plan and work together in ways that gets us ahead of the curve rather than responding to current reality and crises. 8.Operate on what it is that motivates people to take action. 9.We need to build and support what already works in Mendocino County. Success breeds success.

Building Our Foundation of Work Vision Statements Vision Discussions and Stories Guiding Principles August Discussions Issues and Projects – Pilots Decision Matrix

Project Filtering Criteria 1.ROI – the amount of gain towards our vision to the amount of energy expended through the issue 2.Sustainability (economic, environmental and social) created through the issue/project 3.Issue touches many of our communities in the county (geographic, social, etc.) 4.Provides a framework for our platform issues (vision and principles) 5.High probability for quick success or results

Decision Matrix Results - January 2007 Suzann eArtJesseDavidBrianRickDougKateJimPaulTotalsNAVG Meat Process Transportatio n Comm. Model Ag Open Spac Slow County Raise Value Marijuanna Green Bus Prk Bus. Incuba tor Watershed Re-invent Ed Celebrate Com Comm Proce ss Foodshed

Building Our Foundation of Work Vision Statements Vision Discussions and Stories Guiding Principles August Discussions Issues and Projects – Pilots Decision Matrix Community Engagement Proposal Meeting on January 29th

Community Engagement Proposal – Key Insights 1.We want to build on the existing successes in the county – both on-the-ground projects and processes 2.We want to create a set of long term sustainable processes that develop new and replicable ways of doing business and making decisions in our county 3.We want to develop and utilize a set of specific and actionable operating principles that guides the work across all sectors of our community 4.We want to develop a set of integrated plans that keep all the efforts meaningfully connected and that continuously raises the value of our local resources 5.Operate in ways that we continuously and rapidly learn from our individual and collective work 6.Develop a way of operating that influences formal decision making in our county

Process Journey Map Process Outcomes Issues/ Projects Raise the Value Existing Resources Process Work Results Short Term Longer Term

A cow is a system Dividing a cow in half does not give you two smaller cows! Malcolm Davies

Look at the parts - “Part thinking” Look at the connections between the parts which is “Connection thinking”

The real world?

The task in system’s terms

MendoVision

Diffusion of Innovations Do good ideas sell themselves?

Research: S-Curves

Innovators Early Adopters Late Adopters Traditionalists time take up take off Innovation and Social Change S-Curves Opinion leaders Middle Adopters

Innovators: Venturesome Early Adopters: Deliberate Late Adopters: Cautious Traditionalists: Suspicious time take up take off Innovation and Social Change S-Curves Opinion leaders: Judicious Middle Adopters: Respectable

Innovation and Social Change S-Curves time take up take off Trialability: Let’s try it Relative Advantage: Sell it to me Observability: Show it to me Simplicity: Prove it to me Certainty: Give it to me Compatibility: Is it us; values OpL Inn EAd MAd LAd Trad