LET’S DISCUSS INCLUSIVENESS

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Last fall, the City of Thomasville launched a new series of public meetings to help spark thoughtful discussions concerning topics that are relevant to community engagement. Beginning in January, those conversations will continue with the 2018 “Let’s Discuss…” community forum series and will focus on topics such as inclusiveness, utility services, economic development and more.

“The ‘Let’s Discuss’ series is very timely, as our community is having more straightforward discussion than ever before about the future of Thomasville,” said Kha McDonald, Interim City Manager/Utilities Superintendent. “Our first session for 2018 will focus on how we can engage in meaningful and potentially difficult conversations and work together so that our community continues to grow smartly.”

“Let’s Discuss Inclusiveness” will be held January 23 at 6 pm at Thomasville High School. “This will be an important discussion jointly sponsored by the City of Thomasville, the Thomasville Payroll Development Authority and the University of Georgia’s Fanning Institute for Leadership Development,” said Lauren Radford, Director of Outreach and Engagement. “Participants in the discussion will learn proven techniques, such as Reflective Structured Dialogue, to help successfully guide more inclusive conversations. We will also gain practical information on ways our citizens can get involved with their municipal government.”

Reflective Structured Dialogue has been proven to build the capacity of communities and organizations to engage, live and thrive with their differences. “By enabling people to have new conversations about the issues that matter deeply to them, we can grow both new and existing partnerships and relationships,” said Radford. “It is a way we can work together to understand diversity while also creating a foundation for trust, resiliency and collaborative action,” said Radford.

“We want our community to actively partner with us as we develop new plans and solutions to move Thomasville forward,” said McDonald. “Those discussions can only happen when we all come together with our hearts and minds open to respectful conversations that explore our similarities and differences. Understanding that and using techniques that help move conversations forward is what the ultimate outcome is for this session.”

“Our goals for this session are to build a true understanding of what inclusiveness means for the community, identify the barriers that exist and develop sustainable, long-term plans to overcome those barriers,” said Radford. “We very much see this as a sustainable initiative that will continue long after the session has ended.”

McDonald said that while there is change within our community, there can still be forward progress. “The City of Thomasville’s vision is to be an innovative organization that exceeds community expectations,” she said. “In order for us to accomplish our goal, we need to know how we can better serve. This session will be a step forward in that direction.”

For more information about the “Let’s Discuss…” series, contact Lauren Radford, Director of Engagement and Outreach, at 227-4015 or lauren.radford@thomasville.org.


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