Moving Forward

With the initial plan complete, it is time to focus on implementing the vision laid out in the plan. To achieve the plan’s community-driven vision, the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being and community leaders will pilot a People’s Assembly. The People’s Assembly is a community-led method of self-governance and advocacy, creating an open forum for individuals to become active participants and leaders within their communities. This will take the form of regular resident-driven meetings at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being to determine how the North Central Plan drives neighborhood priorities and issues, generate solutions in how to make the North Central Plan a reality, and determine the best course of action to hold accountable the implementation of the plan.

Your Role in the North Central Plan’s People’s Assembly

The People’s Assembly will bring residents of the Covenant Blu Grand Center and Vandeventer neighborhoods together to collaborate, implement, and evaluate the North Central Plan’s strategies which grow community accountability for development. To achieve this, we will cultivate a deliberate space that allows for full participation in the assembly. This requires the diverse perspectives of neighborhood residents of all stages of life, races and ethnicities, economic situations, lines of work, and experiences. Your role is a valued and integral part of the process. We encourage you to visit the North Central Plan website to learn more about how to get involved.

Why the People’s Assembly? 

The current system for local community planning and improvement often leaves out a role for the community in decision-making. Decisions are made behind closed doors between developers and policy makers with a lack of accountability to the people directly affected. The People’s Assembly centers this power within community to determine priorities and to create a process that works best for them. 

What is my role in the North Central Plan? 

To implement the plan, we will cultivate a deliberate space that allows for full participation in the assembly. The success of the North Central Plan requires the inclusion of diverse perspectives of neighborhood residents of all stages of life, race and ethnicities, economic situations, lines of work, and experiences. Your role is a valued and integral part of the process. We encourage you to regularly take a role in the assembly meetings to collaborate with neighbors and other stakeholders in establishing community-led power. 

What is Deaconess Foundation’s role in the People’s Assembly?  

Deaconess Foundation and the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being will serve as a convener and guide for the People’s Assembly process. We will aid the assembly in building the infrastructure to operate successfully and advocate for the values outlined in the North Central Plan. The ultimate goal of this pilot is to achieve complete community ownership of the plan and its implementation.

What is Deaconess Foundation’s role in the People’s Assembly?  

Deaconess Foundation and the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being will serve as a convener and guide for the People’s Assembly process. We will aid the assembly in building the infrastructure to operate successfully and advocate for the values outlined in the North Central Plan. The ultimate goal of this pilot is to achieve complete community ownership of the plan and its implementation.