Through the Community Action Lab, Strong Towns is bringing to Chisholm everything we have learned over the last decade not only about building stronger and more resilient cities, but also about building a movement. Strong Towns is helping to shift the vital center of dialogue using our broad reach, nonpartisan appeal, and accessible messaging.
The Chisholm Community Action Lab is a two-year initiative. In the first 12 months, Strong Towns provides active community engagement, while in the second 12 months, we provide ongoing support for local leaders and community groups.
Strong Towns will develop preliminary messaging and targeting for launching an online marketing campaign. We will conduct a baseline survey of community members and ask you to connect us with local media contacts with whom we can collaborate. Strong Towns will work with the project sponsor to form an Action Team. The Action Team will engage with us in coaching sessions during the first project year, and in check-in sessions during the second year. Members of the Action Team should be individuals eager to learn Strong Towns concepts and apply them through problem-solving as part of their ongoing public service work. Our team will assist you with scheduling and communication as you plan the logistics of your kickoff event.
Strong Towns will work with you to kick off the Community Action Lab, starting with a large, multi-day event that engages your community. Our team will participate in public lectures, Q&A sessions, and other activities to most effectively introduce Strong Towns principles to your community. We will brief community leadership to increase their participation, outline mutual expectations, and establish communications protocol. Our team will meet with the Action Team to discuss project format, deliverables, and education materials.
This substantial phase of the project will include coaching sessions with the Action Team every 2–3 weeks, done virtually except during the three on-site events. Coaching sessions will be used to uncover critical topics and issues, exploring local challenges through a Strong Towns lens. Strong Towns will develop a community-specific online curriculum for the Action Team, lessons that will also be available to the public on the Strong Towns Academy. We will implement a full content marketing strategy to increase local engagement with topics of community interest, and monitor engagement across all of our platforms. The engagement phase will be punctuated with a second public event.
After the second event, we will shift our emphasis from education and discussion to the implementation of the Strong Towns approach. Action Team members will focus on addressing local challenges with solutions grounded in Strong Towns principles. To assist the Action Team with implementation, our staff may invite select outside experts to attend coaching sessions. Content marketing and media outreach will continue as we assist in the planning of your third public event.
After an intense year, we will begin winding down Strong Towns’ active engagement in your community. In the second year of the project, the Strong Towns team will support your community with remote briefings and one final in-person speaking engagement. Action Team members will maintain access to all Strong Towns Academy courses, and Strong Towns will continue to engage with activity within the public Strong Towns Academy course designed for your community. Our team will also connect Action Team members and key leadership with similar people from other communities that have gone through the program, so we can continue to learn from and support each other.
Media Inquiries can be directed to Lauren Ronnander, communications manager for Strong Towns. Email her at lauren@strongtowns.org. Find more information about the Community Action Lab at our Press Resources Hub.
For questions about upcoming events and logistics, please contact Tony Harris, our action team coordinator, at anthony@strongtowns.org.
If you’re a member of the Leadership or Action Teams in this community and you have a question, please contact Edward Erfurt, our director of community action, at edward@strongtowns.org.
The Chisholm Community Action Lab is made possible by the generous support of the Blandin Foundation. Established in 1941, the Blandin Foundation’s mission is to connect, fund and advocate for ideas and people to inspire resourcefulness and move rural places forward. You can learn more about the Foundation at blandinfoundation.org.
