Come join well known author and visioning expert Peter Kageyama (For the Love of Cities) as he discusses ways to make the Merrill area even more vibrant and vital. Peter is a community and economic development consultant based in St. Petersburg, FL. He is the former President of Creative Tampa Bay, a grassroots community change organization. He has spoken all over the world about bottom up community development and the amazing people that are making change happen. His book was recognized by Planetizen as a Top 10 Book for 2012 in urban planning, design and development. He was recently designated a special advisor to Mayor Bill Foster of St. Petersburg.
Peter has developed an interactive workshop that allows communities of all sizes to create their own approaches to becoming a more lovable community. The workshop, held May 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Merrill Eagles Club, will explore how people connect within their own community, how to improve and maximize that connection and lead more people towards being “in love” with their place.
The workshop identifies key community assets including the emotionally engaged citizens that shape the city and develops strategies and tactics to engage these local development resources. We emphasize locally based solutions that do not require significant resources and can be quickly implemented.
Elements Include:
• Overview of Lovable Cities
• Map of what you love about your city – “Wall of Love”
• Messages and marks – designing the city’s t-shirt
• Love Notes – samples of what people love from around the world
• Brainstorming the “$500 Dollar” project
• Voting and ranking of the best ideas for next steps
Who Should Attend:
• Elected officials
• Planners and City Managers
• Municipal workers and department
leaders
• Arts and Cultural leaders
• Entrepreneurs and business leaders
• Not for profit leaders
• Education leaders
• Young professionals
• Student leaders
• Neighborhood Association leaders
• Concerned citizens who want to share their ideas on the community
There is no cost to attend the workshop and lunch is free. However, space is limited so please call the Merrill Chamber at 715-536-9474 or UW-Extension at 715-539-1075 to reserve your spot.