Across Ohio, we’ve been holding community conversations in partnership with local journalists to ask: what will it take to make life better here?
The conversation came to the Athens area on November 21, 2019, at Nelson Hall at Ohio University. Participating local newsrooms included the Athens News, Athens Messenger, Vinton-Jackson Courier, Meigs Independent Press, and WOUB. We partnered with the Ohio Debate Commission and Ohio University to host the event.
About 50 people came to discuss their hopes for the community, and think about how those hopes could be achieved. Over the course of the evening they considered three major questions:
- What does a community look like where people are happy and live fulfilled lives?
- What would you change about your community to move in the direction of happy and fulfilled lives?
- What are the assets of the community that can be applied to making change?
Attendees shared powerful stories of small-town poverty, where access to internet and cable can be hard to find. This can prevent many people from accessing news and personal services. One journalist described a nearby town that lost its laundromat, and residents who couldn’t afford to buy their own washing machine often had to drive more than 20 minutes to wash their clothes. Other concerns included a lack of adequate resources, economic opportunities, affordable housing, access to education, and healthy food.
But people also celebrated individuals and organizations working hard to improve the community, including higher education, and discussed the natural beauty of the area.
When the conversation moved to actions that could be taken by leaders, people, and journalists to address those challenges and more fully recognize community assets, participants wanted to see:
- Personal mentoring
- Help for people to stay in and maintain their homes
- increased broadband access
- Assistance for struggling villages
- A positive solutions-focused attitude
- Leadership giving voice to people
We have more events like this in the works across the state! To join a community conversation with local journalists near you, make sure you’re signed up for the Your Voice Ohio email list.
