What barriers keep some younger adults from community participation?
Two gatherings - planned this month in Crosby and Brainerd - seek to ask the young adults those questions in an informal, conversational meeting. As an incentive, participants will have a chance to win prizes such as a 32-inch Sony flat-screen TV, $50 gas cards and grocery gift certificates.
A free supper will be served and child care will be provided on site.
"The goal is really just to get this group of people in the room and hear about what the problems they face in their every day life," said Richelle Winkler, a student researcher from the University of Wisconsin who is organizing the gatherings.
Winkler said the meetings are the first of several steps in a project to improve the community participation and economic opportunity for jobs for younger adults. Small discussions, with four or five people around table settings, are planned.
Questions participants will be asked to discuss include:
¥ What are three most important problems facing lower income young adults in your community?
¥ What are some of the constraints or barriers that lower-income young adults face to being more involved in community activities?
"This informal meeting is popular and people usually come out of there telling you how much fun they had," Winkler said. "We really want to try to make it very welcoming. It will give them an opportunity to have their voice heard and express what their interests are and relax in an informal group of their peers."
Winkler said the greater community participation would be a way to help younger adults make the connections that get them better jobs and better access to the community and its resources.
The meeting in Crosby is planned from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at the Hallett Community Center in Crosby. The session in southeast Brainerd is planned from 5-7 p.m. July 22 at the Brainerd Public Library.
These meetings will be followed up by a second session in October.
Winkler and a group of community leaders from around the Brainerd lakes area are working together with the Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation and the Initiative Foundation on the project that developed as an off-shoot of a recent social capital survey. The survey looked at community connections.
Research on the subject indicates communities rich in social capital tend to have desirable attributes - higher achievements in education, better performances in government, faster economic growth and less crime and violence.
For more information, contact Winkler at (218) 678-2787 so just show up at the meeting.
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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