JAX2025 Ten Targets Series: Environment

What specific strategies would YOU like to see implemented in regards to the Environment Target? To put your voice in the discussion, join the next JAX2025 community visioning event on Saturday, April 27th.

The next JAX2025 meeting discussing strategy implementation will take place Saturday, April 27th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Parking and entrance is free, with coffee provided. For more information and to register for the event, visit www.JAX2025.org.

Name: Candace Thompson

Role with JCCI: New (and excited) Board Member

JCCI - What do you do from 9-5?

CT - My title is Sales Consultant and Solutions support.  I create proposals and presentations for the Convergys sales force.

JCCI - What do you do outside of work?

CT - I am active member of The Jacksonville Chapter of the Links.  I am also an obsessive scrapbooker!

JCCI - How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

CT - After I graduated from Blueprint for Leadership program, I served as the intern on the JCCI board.

JCCI - What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

CT - I love the Riverside Arts Market!

JCCI - What issue or concern is on your radar that doesn’t get enough of the community's attention right now?

CT - I would like to see more job opportunities and attractions located downtown for the citizens of Jacksonville.

JCCI - Why is JCCI important to you and to Jacksonville?

CT - JCCI provides tools and information that reflects the “voice” of Jacksonville.   JCCI is the credible resource that is the “pulse” of the leadership in Jacksonville

This is my house in November 2002.  Just the other night I realized that I bought it 10 years ago.

It was not possible for me to do such a thing at the ripe age of 38 (now you know how old I am) mainly because I was in school earning a doctoral degree until 30. The First Time Homebuyer's Club was a great program that allowed me to buy these digs with a 1% down payment.

The Community Reinvestment Act (which some blame for the housing market crash) obligated banks to work with community nonprofits to make lending easier. The end of this story is that I became the poster child for the 1st Time Homebuyer's Club-- literally. I was in a video and featured in larger-than-life size pictures at an Annual Meeting along with other Jacksonvillians who were helped out.

No, here's the end of the story: In the 10 years that my partner and I have been in the house, neighbors have come and gone. We are here to stay. We maintain the alleyway and distribute flyers for the neighborhood association. So the Community Reinvestment Act worked here. And it worked because of a nonprofit whose mission was to stabilize neighborhoods. 

All this was made possible by a nonprofit called the Housing Partnership of Northeast Florida, which offered the 1st Time Homebuyer's Club. This wonderful nonprofit was led by Carolyn Ettlinger. Last night she spoke to Forward's "Shifting Gears" Forum. 

Dr. Shannon Perry, President of Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida also spoke. Their topic was about transitions- how does the younger generation start stepping up and taking leadership positions in nonprofits? And how do folks who founded amazing nonprofits pass on their expertise, vision, and passion to the younger folks?

This is not a question without consequence. I would not have been able to buy my house if not for the vision that Carolyn and others had. What happens when Carolyn is ready to retire?

Well, for one, she looks around for a Dr. Shannon Perry, who is a highly-competent, very smart person, has broad experience and can step up to the challenge of leading a nonprofit. And that's what Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida did. They looked around for a new President by doing a national search. It turned out that their national search found someone right here in Jacksonville.

Why is that? This is a question that I've wondered about many times. Why do Northeast Florida nonprofits hire people already living here? Why is it that when a national search is conducted, the person selected for the Executive Director job is already here? This happened at JCCI, for example. A national search was conducted, and the Deputy Director of the organization was offered the job. Good choice.

Buy why? Why is it that nonprofits need more than a highly-competent, very smart person who has broad experience, can step up to a challenge, and comes from some other place-- outside Northeast Florida? The answer was offered up last night.

A leader of a for-profit can move around relatively easily and bring their knowledge with them. Strategies for maintaining and improving the bottom line are not that different from Topeka to San Francisco to Key West. Leading an organization to make more money involves processes that can be learned in school and tried out in lots of different places for the best set of outcomes, and tweaked when necessary. 

The nonprofit, it turns out, has a different bottom line. Its bottom line is its mission. And a nonprofit's mission (excluding large national ones such as American Cancer Society and so forth) is specific to a community, which is shaped by history, geography, culture, even expectations. And the mission is sometimes quite unique-- as in the case of JCCI.

Two take-aways from the Nonprofit Night at Shifting Gears...

Nonprofit leadership is in transition because Baby Boomers are retiring, and this situation is not the same as it is for for-profits. Successful nonprofit leadership requires internalizing a mission that is unique to a specific community. And finding leaders to take over those jobs might be more usefully thought of as cultivating new leaders...

Younger leaders need to step up and start cultivating themselves as nonprofit leaders. Its a big step. The community depends on it, too.

As we talked with people this summer before launching JAX2025, one of the important aspects of the project that always came up was the need to be inclusive and pull together all of the community's voices. I was reminded of those conversations last night at the 1st Hispanic Heritage Month Town Hall Meeting sponsored by Jacksonville University Political Science Society and LULAC Northeast Florida. I had a chance to speak with a number of Jacksonville residents about their desires for the future of this community, and many filled out surveys (in English or in Spanish.) One of the comments on a survey struck me: "Hispanics are invisible in Jacksonville." Can you see why this commitment to outreach and making sure we hear everyone's voice is so critical to the success of the vision?

In a few moments, I'll be on a conference call with the National Association of Planning Councils. JCCI is a founding member of this organization, which seeks to improve the human condition through encouraging research-based community planning and action. We're about to review the organization's values, and I thought I'd share them with you, because the JAX2025 project and everything else we do at JCCI are built on these values.

The values are:

1.  Commitment to community and involvement of a broad and diverse constituency

2.  Comprehensive perspective reflected in decisions and actions

3.  Inclusive decision-making that strives for consensus

4.  Diverse viewpoints respected and encouraged in decisions and actions

5.  Positive working relationships with all sectors of the community

6.  Objective data and information used to support decisions and action

7.  Focus on systems change and sustainable, long-term solutions

8.  Principled leadership producing measurable results

I like this picture that came out of one of NAPC's conferences:

Sounds like JCCI, doesn't it? 

Last year’s JCCI Forward Prom was way better than my high school prom, but not just because I’m much more comfortable in my nerd skin as a grown-up. My sister was an 8th grade pest when I was a senior, but now she’s my friend and a welcome addition to prom in her still-fitting sequin dress from 1995 (I know, right?!). 

Perfectly in synch with the “flashback” theme, last year’s prom featured a Bennigan’s-style self-serve daiquiri machine.  Unlike in my waitressing days, I got to sip rather than serve (to people who demanded more rum because they couldn’t taste it.  Hello!  That’s the point of a girly frou-frou drink!).  I danced all night in crimped hair, a slap bracelet, and the perfect black dress (originally $200, on Dillards’ clearance for $26, with totally awesome 80’s crinoline!).  I couldn’t have been happier than when I was dancing among my costumed and bedazzled friends and shaking it to--and singing all the words to--“Ice, Ice, Baby”. 

Mary’s approach:  start with the wig, and build the costume from there.

Though not a JCCI employee, I had so much fun at last year’s prom that I was happy to help Michelle tear down and pop a thousand or so balloons before she and Dave carted me to Waffle House for further sobering (those daiquiris really do sneak up on you, especially when you don’t know better and have a massage earlier in the day!).

But THIS YEAR promises to be even better!  I found a $15 perfect black dress at Ross, with not only what is becoming my signature crinoline layer, but it is a fountain of lace.  Think Madonna’s Like a Virgin album cover, but with MORE LACE.  It has a row of bows up the bodice, y’all.

Dancing is what it’s all about, and I’ve heard that this year’s DJ promises an even more dance-tastic night.  (Do you think I still have time to coordinate a routine to “Baby Got Back”?)

Last year’s Waffle House jaunt was, sadly, the last, as that nostalgic location is permanently closed, but I won’t care this Saturday, because On the Fly Sandwiches & Stuff will be ON SITE.

This year’s prom even has a balloon pop (which, now that I AM a JCCI employee, I think/hope means less tear-down time!) with fabulous prizes--I love to watch my friends get great loot—including cupcakes from Sivada’s Cupcakery!.  

And because last year’s prom was so fun, Mary and Sandra and my sis are coming again—all of them one-upping last year’s attire--but other friends are joining me, too!  Also, there won’t be a delicious—but rather stealthy--daiquiri machine to get me so tipsy that I plan to read a book in my car for at least an hour before so much as touching my keys.   There will, however, be an open bar, featuring a fancy schmancy local brew, Intuition’s The People’s Pale Ale. 

This year, whether or not I imbibe, I will be getting into a CAB and going back to the HOTEL at night’s end.   It’s called planning ahead.  (I’m pretty sure my new job as Program Planner is helping here.)

You’re older than you’ve ever been, and now you’re even older.  And now you’re even older.  And now you’re even older.  You’re older than you’ve ever been, and now you’re even older.  And now you’re older still.  --from “Older” by They Might Be Giants

William Bell, the 90-year-old pole-vaulter, reminds me of my grandmother.  When Gramma recently complained to her doctor that it’s getting more difficult to do things that used to be easy for her, the doc asked if she still had her original birth certificate (yes), if the date on it was accurate (yes), and if she was able to calculate that she is, in fact, 84 years old (begrudgingly, yes).  

As we age, some things may, against our wishes and despite our best efforts, get more difficult.  My grandma has gone dancing every Friday for many decades, even with a few major health setbacks, but now the arthritis in her foot is moving her dancing days to the “history” chapter of her life story.  This breaking down, this betrayal of the body, is the part of becoming an elder that we collectively dread.  It’s the harsh truth of mortality looming, the horror that our anti-aging, youth-obsessed culture fears and fights—mostly in vain.

In Dylan Thomas’s famous poem, a child begs the father not to go gently into that good night, to rage, rage, against the dying of the light, and while a desperate attempt to keep our parents with us resonates, we may also hear the message:  live, live, with all your might.  Live hard, live well, live this brief life you have to the very end.  Don’t succumb to the temptation to dwell on ailments, pain, and loss as you age.  Keep doing what you love, what you can, even if it is—maybe especially because it is—getting “more difficult.”

Our Am I My Parents’ Keeper? series has explored issues surrounding health care and end-of-life planning, and experts have shared wisdom and experience to guide us (check out the audio recordings of the sessions!) through the financial, emotional, and legal aspects of aging and caring for the aged, but  how are we aging?

We might allow ourselves to disintegrate, succumb to isolation, become consumed with ailments and losses, let patronizing attitudes do their damage, sink into feelings of dependence and helplessness (or, worse, inferiority).  Or we might be like my great-aunt Jo and my great-aunt Fran, who—in their late 70’s—walked 17 miles (according to Fran’s pedometer) to cover three Disney theme parks and stayed to watch the late-night fireworks, proudly sporting their Splash Mountain tees.  (I was 20-something, so I certainly wasn’t going to complain about being tired, even if we were still on the highway at 2 a.m.!)

It breaks my heart that dancing is getting harder for my spunky grandma, but I know her tenacity will lead her to get more involved in some other activity if medicine and technology can’t solve her foot problems.  I hope for each of us to have her kind of stamina, that we will be keep pursuing experiences and finding joy in life, like the St. Augustine 90-year-old who went skydiving.

I hope we will keep achieving, earning medals at ski races when we’re 100 (or whatever it is you do!).

In a single conversation my grandmother expressed sadness about yet another funeral of a close friend and prideful glee in having taken her great-grandson roller skating and getting to show she still has moves.  My best friend recently moved to Poland, and I have felt a tremendous loss in her absence, but I Skyped with her yesterday, and it was almost like she was in my living room.   Instead of focusing on loss and limitations, I hope I will keep adapting and seeking ways to maintain an exuberant appreciation for my quality of life at any age.

This means I can’t focus on the ache around the osteophyte in my back or the alert my left knee gives me when I overdo it, feeling pitiful, saying “I’m getting OLD” every time I stand up and creak a little.  If you catch me moaning or whining, remind me that unless I want to get busy dying, I need to focus on getting busy living (thanks for that wisdom, Andy from The Shawshank Redemption). 

I’m not going to let age “set in” in my body and mind. 

As long as I can, I have to keep getting out on the dance floor where, somehow, I don’t notice any pain in my back or knee (it’s always the next day!).  Sure, at some point I will have to give up going out for breakfast after last call, and I already have to sit down more between songs, but I have to keep moving, keep finding joy in living.  It’s the only way to age.

The final meeting of Am I My Parents' Keeper? focused on the legal complexities surrounding the end of life and what we could do to prepare. I found out that the time to prepare is right now; that as soon as you're old enough to be called a legal adult, you're old enough to make plans about what should happen when the inevitable happens. After all, as the great philosopher Jim Morrison was wont to say, No one here gets out alive. 

Mike Jorgenson, of Senior Counsel Law, identified five documents everyone should have as soon as they turn 18:

1. Durable Power of Attorney. This identifies who can act on your behalf when you are not able to do so for yourself. The law changed October 1, 2011, so even if you already have one, get an updated one to reflect the changes in the law.
2. Designation of Health Care Surrogate. Here you need to find someone who will do what you want, not what they might prefer should happen to you.
3. Living Will. This is not your Last Will and Testament (which is also an important thing to have), but instead the document that allows you to refuse unwanted medical treatment, even if you aren't in a position to communicate your wishes.
4. Mental Health Directive. I had no idea that you needed a separate form for expressing your wishes regarding mental health treatment. If you don't make your wishes known, a judge will decide for you.
5. Declaration Naming Preneed Guardian. Guardianship takes away our right to make certain decisions on our own, such as to enter into a contract, get married, vote, and more. If at any point I need a guardian to make decisions on my behalf, it would be better to have someone who will make the decisions I want.

Even with these documents in place, you don't lose any of your constitutional rights -- you only designate someone to make certain decisions for you if the time comes that you can't make them on your own. In Florida, if it looks like you need guardianship, an examining committee of three doctors will review the situation and recommend to the court if you need full guardianship, limited guardianship, or none at all. Once the court makes its decision, then the power to make designated decisions goes to the guardian.

Skip Cramer shared his personal experience with the legal issues in end-of-life care. He pointed out the following lessons he learned:

1. We're never really ready for the end to happen.
2. Even if you have all the paperwork, advanced directives, insurance, and benefits in place, not everything is going to work the way you expect it to.
3. Listen to the lawyers. Don't try to tackle the IRS, CPAs, and other issues on your own, especially not at a time when you're at lowest capacity.
4. Ponder long-term care insurance, but look carefully at what the policies really cover. You'll most likely very quickly get to the point when Medicaid kicks in.
5. Don't underestimate the time lag between when you apply for your benefits and when they actually kick in. 

Other important messages I got from the meeting include:

• Keep your documents where your surrogate can easily get to them. I hadn't thought about it, but the paperwork that allows someone to get into your safe deposit box shouldn't be kept within the safe deposit box.
• Power of attorney ends at death. Get done what needs to get done while you can get it done and before probate kicks in.
• The legal paperwork kits out there may not work for you if they don't have the specific Florida statute language in them. 
• Estate planning attorneys are not the same as elder law attorneys. Both are important, but they do different things.

The series left me with a lot of sobering thoughts, and helped nudge me into having some difficult conversations I had been putting off. Maybe it has done the same for you. We don't like to talk about the inevitable shared human experience of death, or that difficult stage of life that often precedes the end, but it's as necessary a conversation as the birds & bees talk with our children. I hope you have found it useful. I'd love your thoughts about how we share this information (and the audio podcasts) with more people.

_____________________________________________________

Special thanks to Pat Vail, JCCI volunteer, for facilitating our opening and closing sessions of this series.

Visit the Am I My Parents' Keeper? site for audio recordings of each session, links to all six meetings’ highlights, and many other resources you can use to get your own conversations going with family and caregiver team members.

Okay, so it’s the last stop on the line, the last call for alcohol, the last bowl of cereal, there’s one more sock in the dryer….I’ve, ya’ know…

Huh? It’s the truth. Everybody needs to think about how they want to go out — call a funeral home! Start planning on who, what, where and how your body will find its final rest. And take a minute to find out what it will cost, too.

My last party will probably be on a beach. Our resource expert representing a local funeral home said that Florida law prohibits my ashes from being strewn on the beach. Phooey. They also have this thing called ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’

And who’s going to know if my ashes are strewn at the beach at 7pm when the sun sets?

About 35 percent of us go with ashes and 65 percent are buried. What do you want to do? Be in an urn? Buried in the ground at a cemetery? What kind of cemetery? It could be the very beautiful National Cemetery on Lannie Rd. on the Northside.

Here’s the beauty of planning (I’m a plannah-plannah…like a playah-playah so I love this stuff): if I make the funeral arrangements now, the cost of the funeral is what it is when I pre-planned and pre-paid. If I buy life insurance to pay for my funeral in 40 years, I have to pay the cost of a funeral in 40 years. Just like a Florida Pre-Paid College Plan. Except I know I’m going to die. I have no idea whether someone is going to college.

As a result of this meeting, I’ve already decided on the cremation idea. It’s way less expensive than a burial! Way less! ($2,000 vs. $10,000) I want money spent on the party, not on my long-gone body. But that’s just me. That’s just me…signing out…not just yet…just planning on signing out…

Special thanks to Ashley Trapp, JCCI Forward Executive Committee member, for facilitating this session!

Our Am I My Parents' Keeper? conversations continue Thursday, July 26, 11:30-1:00 at JCCI.  Join us to about the legal matters that require attention in end-of-life planning. Lunch is provided. Please RSVP!

Visit the Am I My Parents' Keeper? site for audio recordings of each session, links to resources, and a calendar of speakers.

Here’s a fabulous story we heard from Janet Chamberlain. Her Dad become quite ill very suddenly and went into the hospital with trouble breathing. He didn’t get to leave the hospital. In order to find out what was creating the breathing problem, doctors wanted to (Big Word of the Day coming up) INTUBATE him. Well, we’ve been learning in our discussions that this is where the rubber hits the road. Think carefully about being intubated.

Janet’s Dad learned that once he had the tube in his windpipe, the hospital would keep it in to prolong his life. Well, Janet’s Dad was incredibly aware, lucid, and clear about what he wanted the end of his life to be like. He saw what was out there, what was coming and he planned— all from his hospital bed.

And you know what? He decided against the intubation. He gathered his entire family around him, and very mindfully defined when he would go off oxygen and stop taking breaths.

Which brings me to one of the advanced directives everyone must have: A LIVING WILL. This says, ‘hey, do not resuscitate (if you don’t want to be resuscitated). Hey, do not prolong my life if I can’t eat or breathe on my own.” That kind of thing. Very important because not everyone is as lucky as Janet’s Dad. He was aware, lucid, and clear until the end. The health professionals just asked him, “What do you want to do?”

My parents might be in the hospital at the end of their life and be in a coma. Or have dementia. And you know what, that set of instructions for what to do if they can’t make their own decisions…it’s not the only document needed.

Not Enough?! Not by a long shot. Documents can’t tell doctors what to do when they are faced with a decision to do this or that. Only a person can do that. And you know what the doctor and hospital will do. They will prolong life for as long as possible.

Medical technology is stellar, amazing, and a lifesaver without a doubt. It also means we have 50,000 decisions to make about what to do and not do while in the hospital. Which brings me to another document your parents must have: HEALTH CARE SURROGACY. Some people call it the health care proxy. But there has to be a person who makes the decisions and this document names that person.

1. Got a will, check

2. Living will, check

3. Health care surrogacy, check.

4. Durable power of attorney, check.

5. Pre-need guardian designation, check.

You’re done! Well…not finished…I mean you’re done…with planning on being finished…or you’ve planned to be done…or…you know what I mean….

Special thanks to Ashley Trapp, JCCI Forward Executive Committee member, for facilitating this session!

Our Am I My Parents' Keeper? conversations continue Thursday, July 26, 11:30-1:00 at JCCI.  Join us to about the legal matters that require attention in end-of-life planning. Lunch is provided. Please RSVP!

Visit the Am I My Parents' Keeper? site for audio recordings of each session, links to resources, and a calendar of speakers.

On Friday JCCI hosted an international expert on children’s rights, Gerison Lansdown. She is the founding Director of the Children’s Rights Alliance for England.

We’ve all seen amazing parents devoted to creating an environment for their children that is based on love and respect. My co-worker, Tonia, who worked on the Children: 1-2-3 report is an example of someone committed to parenting her son, River. She sees herself as responsible for his growth and development, and ensures that all the adults around him respect his right to express himself, be safe, and be the total intellectual genius that he is. And did I mention JCCI’s President, Ben? Father of eight? Well, he is a committed and responsible father of beautiful young adults and children. All children should be so lucky.

Or should I say: all children have the right to grow up in a safe, clean, healthy and nurturing environment.

It turns out that human rights start at home. One of the early participants in the creation of the United Nations knew that human rights begin where the individual lives and breathes.

All well and good except for the fact that not all homes, schools, and neighborhoods are safe places where children are listened to, learn and grow. Can we make that happen for all children? Absolutely, and we should.

This is where the Convention on the Rights of the Child comes in, a.k.a the CRC. The CRC is a treaty that countries involved in the United Nations sign on to and abide by as they govern themselves. It was ratified in 1989. There is accountability when it comes to the CRC because the United Nations spawned a children’s rights organization after World War II.

It’s called UNICEF-- you might remember them from Halloween. At least I do. We got little orange boxes that had a slit in them for putting in coins. And when we went trick or treating, we asked for donations to UNICEF.

Well, it is UNICEF which now operationalizes the CRC.  UNICEF is making the CRC a reality on a grand scale.

Quite frankly, I don’t know a lot about the United Nations and my understanding of UNICEF extends to Halloween. So I need some ‘splainin’ when it comes to children’s rights. Gerison changed my framework for thinking about rights because she repeated frequently three words: commitments, obligations, and entitlements.

This was a little mind-blowing for me. I’m used to the right to have and the right to do.

Like the right to drive a car. Our laws limit the right to drive a car to those who are physically able. I know people who don’t have the right because they have epilepsy. And my Dad, who survived three strokes, is not allowed to drive a car.

Like the right to have an education. In the U.S. we take this right seriously. In many countries an education is a privilege. On the other hand, in many countries the human right to health care and medical attention is much clearer. In the U.S. we think of medical attention and health care as a privilege dependent on having a full-time job. However, we do use one of Gerison’s words (“entitlement”) when it comes to health. We consider people over 65 to be entitled to healthcare. They use Medicare.

And the individual right to have a gun. This is also how I think of rights: I get to have something. And that is my right—no ifs, ands, or buts.

In contrast to the individual right to have or do, there are responsibilities and commitments to the larger community. This is the part that people in the U.S. forget about frequently. We are super-aware of the individual right to be all we can be, own a gun, and so forth. We are less likely to act on the responsibilities and commitments that individual rights require.

Individual rights require a larger community creating conditions for rights to be exercised. And this is where Gerison said something pretty shocking. She said, ‘the reason the United States is the only so-called ‘more developed country’ on the Earth that has not signed on to the Convention of the Rights of the Child is because the U.S. is not yet committed to creating conditions required for all its children to be safe, have a voice, and be healthy.’

But she said it sweetly, so nobody took offense. Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!

"That is so not funny,” says Mary Poppins.

Here are similar words from our own Sherry Magill, President of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund:

I’m so used to thinking of individual rights as the freedom to do something (go to a rally in Memorial Park) and have something (access to my partner’s pension benefits when I get old) that I often forget what is most important. Rights must be created and expanded continually. If they are reserved for a couple of groups or only some individuals, then those are privileges.

So do children have the right to safety, information, health, and a voice-- and am I obligated to create those conditions for children in my city and neighborhood? Yes.

And we want that in Jacksonville. The Children: 1-2-3 Implementation Task Force is working right now on:

A Child Friendly City? Absolutely. We can make policy with children in mind so that children’s rights to safety, growth, and a voice are respected. The first step in this journey has already been taken. It is getting youth involved in the processes and activities that we already have going on. The Duval Youth Voices Council is starting up now, with Gerison’s guidance and inspiration.

We do stuff to youth every day. We school them, take them on trips, promote them, diagnose them as mentally ill, award them prizes, find them delinquent and arrest them. We develop programs, assistance, and workshops. We take them out of their home and family for the sake of safety. We develop all kinds of things for children and youth without ever asking: What do you think?

Incredible when you think about it. The right to be heard is serious and crucial when it comes to children and youth.

Gerison asked everyone to check out what happens when a Youth Council takes off. So check out Funky Dragon-- a website about the amazing things that Welsh youth are doing with their country’s government.

And many thanks to Jeff Goldhagen for making Gerison’s visit to JCCI possible. We love having people from all over the world come into our conference room to speak about their work. Stay tuned to JCCI for more cool people, presentations, and discussions!

Noted University of Chicago economics professor Dr. James J. Heckman, an expert on the economics of early childhood development, made the linked presentation in Monterey County, CA, on March 8, 2012.  Of particular note is that investing in early childhood development has proven long-term rates of return of 7-10%, higher than the return on equity from 1945-2008.

For those following JCCI’s Children: 1-2-3 project, this is a fascinating read.  Dr. Heckman’s bio:

James J. Heckman is the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, where he has served since 1973. In 2000, he shared the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel with Daniel McFadden. Heckman directs the Economics Research Center in the Department of Economics and the Center for Social Program Evaluation at the Harris School for Public Policy, and Professor of Law at the University of Chicago School of Law. In addition, he is Professor of Science and Society in University College Dublin and a Senior Research Fellow at the American Bar Foundation. His work has been devoted to the development of a scientific basis for economic policy evaluation. He has developed a body of new econometric tools that address these issues. His recent research focuses on inequality, human development and lifecycle skill formation, with a special emphasis on the economics of early childhood. He is currently analyzing new social experiments on early childhood interventions and reanalyzing old experiments.

Dr. Heckman’s Monterey presentation can be accessed through this link:

http://www.heckmanequation.org/content/resource/march-8-monterey-presentation-and-private-notes

Thanks to Children: 1-2-3 Implementation Task Force member Ray Holt for bringing Dr. Heckman’s work to our attention.

Steve Rankin

How do you complete this sentence? “Children have the right to . . .”

-protection from violence?
-nurturing emotional care?
-an hour of time outside?
-food?
-health care? 
-quality education?
-clean air and water?
-be treated like people whose thoughts and feelings have value?

We’ve come a long way from the days of exploiting children as chimney sweeps and factory workers, and public education is now available (compulsory, even).   But how well can you argue that Jacksonville is an ideal environment for children, that people want to come here because it’s a “great place to raise your kids”?  Do our policies and practices foster their thriving in body and mind?  

As we mull and make decisions about the obligations we have as a community to address issues in child care, safety, health, and education, JCCI volunteers are hard at work, implementing our Children: 1-2-3 inquiry recommendations to close gaps in policy and promote effective practices so that this community becomes more child-friendly (which, as these children grow, leads to Jacksonville’s being—say it with me!—more adult-friendly).

This week, you can learn about the U.N. Convention on Rights of the Child and how grassroots and organizational efforts can transform how children are treated, and in turn, how they shape their community as they grow.

Clear your calendar for Friday, August 10 at noon. 

You don’t want to miss this very special Issues and Answers forum!

Gerison Lansdown, international expert in child rights and founding Director of the Children’s Rights Alliance for England will lead our community in a discussion about children’s rights, child-friendly cities and child and youth participation.  She will be accompanied by members of Funky Dragon, a youth council promoting the effective participation of children and young people in decision-making about policies and services in Wales.

RSVP here now!

It happens to pregnant mommies and baby shower attendees all the time.  You might have heard a rumor, or you might suspect or even know deep down that crib bumpers are potentially LETHAL, that they could actually mean the suffocation of a newborn, and yet, you see this and absolutely cannot resist:
 

It’s easy to think products are safe, especially when they’re so cute.  But a ten-second internet search of any baby info site will show you that the Academy of Pediatrics has said that to be safe, you reeeeeally need to skip the adorable death trap and go with bare crib slats (properly spaced, post-1970’s slats).  

The same goes for what my now five-year-old calls “stuffies.”  Here is a staged photo of him in a pile of cuteness:
 

They didn't sleep in the crib with him, but if I had thrown them into the crib with him for the “unbearably cute” photo, I wager that you’d be unable to suppress an “Awwwww!” and that the cuteness would override your ability to focus and articulate:  “Those cute bears will murder that baby!”

Our Children 1-2-3 Inquiry Report made the staff rounds for editing and proofing before publication.  Many of us have status as fairly knowledgeable parents, and all of us have seen our own Infant Mortality Study, so we should know that babies need to sleep on their backs to lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.  And yet, every single one of us failed to stop the presses and state the obvious:  “That baby is on his tummy.  And he appears to be sleeping.”  How did we miss this?! The cuteness consumed us.
 

Our cover features “Baby Buddy” (JCCI’s own Amanda Gazaleh’s newborn), who is posed specifically for this shot.  As staff, we know he’s safe because his mama knows not to let him stay sleeping in this position, especially in a crib out of sight, but we can see how this image may inadvertently send a subtle, mixed message in terms of infant safety.  Those reading the report may perceive this as a captured image of a sleeping infant, and the position may not register as dangerous at all, perhaps especially because it’s so cute.  This sweet, peaceful baby is in danger?! 

Murderous teddy bears?!  But these images are so cute!

When Anne Geddes uses this pose, it is clearly meant to be whimsical or artistic, and nobody thinks the featured baby is going to sleep in a crib this way, so advocates for infant safety can probably let themselves say, “Awwww” to the image and not feel alarmed.  Our image, however, may not be as obviously for effect, so it is potentially alarming.
 

One of the recommendations in our Children 1-2-3 Report is that we educate parents about the ways they can best ensure healthy, hearty physical, social, emotional, and intellectual growth, all of which influence each other.  We can hope—and we want to trust—that parents will educate themselves and be able to “know better” about everything from sleep positioning to how to engage children in healthy play, but we also know that even those of us who hung the tiny quilt on the wall and used sleep sacks could use a refresher, a reminder, and, occasionally, a “What are you thinking?!” when we are caught up in the cuteness.

Please keep babies safe.  The only soft item in the crib should be the baby, lying on his or her back.

JCCI's Children: 1-2-3 implementation work is gearing up this summer.  As we found in the nine-month inquiry, brain development occurs rapidly in the first year after birth, particularly the first three months.  This study suggests the more time in the mother's womb, the better:

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20120702/US.MED.Timely.Births.Risks/ 
 

Early full-term babies may face later school woes

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP

CHICAGO — Even for infants born full-term, a little more time in the womb may matter.

The extra time results in more brain development, and a study suggests perhaps better scores on academic tests, too.

Full-term is generally between 37 weeks and 41 weeks; newborns born before 37 weeks are called premature and are known to face increased chances for health and developmental problems.

The children in the study were all full-term, and the vast majority did fine on third-grade math and reading tests. The differences were small, but the study found that more kids born at 37 or 38 weeks did poorly than did kids born even a week or two later.

The researchers and other experts said the results suggest that the definition of prematurity should be reconsidered.

The findings also raise questions about hastening childbirth by scheduling cesarean deliveries for convenience — because women are tired of being pregnant or doctors are busy — rather than for medical reasons, the researchers say.

Women should "at least proceed with caution before electing to have an earlier term birth," said lead author Dr. Kimberly Noble, an assistant pediatrics professor at Columbia University Medical Center.

The study involved 128,000 New York City public school children and included a sizable number of kids from disadvantaged families. But the authors said similar results likely would be found in other children, too.

Of the children born at 37 weeks, 2.3 percent had severely poor reading skills and 1.1 percent had at least moderate problems in math. That compares to 1.8 percent and 0.9 percent for the children born at 41 weeks.

Children born at 38 weeks faced only slightly lower risks than those born at 37 weeks.

Compared with 41-weekers, children born at 37 weeks faced a 33 percent increased chance of having severe reading difficulty in third grade, and a 19 percent greater chance of having moderate problems in math.

"These outcomes are critical and predict future academic achievement," said Naomi Breslau, a Michigan State University professor and sociologist. Her own research has linked lower IQs in 6-year-olds born weighing the same as the average birth weights at 37 and 38 weeks' gestation, compared with those born heavier.

The study was published online Monday in Pediatrics.

The research "will cause quite a stir," said Dr. Judy Aschner, a pediatrics professor and neonatology director at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

"There are still a lot of babies who are being delivered more or less electively at 37 and 38 weeks, with people thinking, `This is no big deal — these babies are full-term.' I think this is a big deal," Aschner said. She was not involved in the study.

Aschner said no one is recommending trying to delay childbirth for women who go into labor at 37 weeks or 38 weeks.

"I don't want to panic moms whose babies come at 37 weeks," she said. "But those elective early deliveries really need to stop."

Some hospitals including Vanderbilt require obstetricians planning elective C-sections to complete a checklist and if appropriate boxes aren't checked, the operation can't be performed, Aschner said.

In the study, 15 percent of children were born in C-section operations but there was no information on how many of these were elective or medically necessary procedures. C-sections can cause birth complications that also increase chances for developmental delays. But the researchers took that into account, along with other risk factors including low birth weight, lack of prenatal care, smoking during pregnancy and neighborhood poverty — all of which could contribute to academic difficulties. And they still found that birth at 37 weeks and 38 weeks was an additional risk.

__

Online:

Pediatrics: http://www.pediatrics.org

Pre-term birth: http://1.usa.gov/NNmf6U

___

AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Posted by Steve Rankin

JAX2025 has been an exciting opportunity to have the community come together to craft a vision for our future. We began the process by asking the community to Imagine It -- and the outpouring of responses was nearly overwhelming. You had thoughts, hopes, dreams of the future of this community, and over 16,000 people let us know what you wanted the future to be for Jacksonville.

We have the 10 Vision Targets in place. We've determined the metrics of accountability we will use to measure progress toward that vision. We've determined what our priority strategies are to reach that vision.

And now it's time to get to work.

On Saturday, May 18, at the West Touchdown Club at EverBank Field, we will release the full JAX2025 report, celebrate those who have created it, and launch the implementation effort. Working together, we will build that vision.

How will the JAX2025 Vision get implemented?

Implementation will have three components, and there's a place for you in all three areas.

First, the Visioneers identified at the April 27 meeting which key organizational partners need to be involved in reaching the vision. Institutional action -- public, private, and non-profit -- is a necessary component for sustained community change. This is the strategy area called They Should -- we highlighted the institutions, organizations, agencies, and coalitions that need to be involved as we align our efforts in the community to reach the vision. Part of the implementation process will be advocacy teams working to assist and encourage these institutions in their important role in the process.

Second, the Visioneers also created a list titled You Can for each of the Vision Targets. These are the places where individual action is an important component in moving the Vision forward. Part of the implementation effort will be linking individuals in the community to where they are most needed in helping build the future Jacksonville -- in both large and small ways, we all need to be part of creating our future together. If we are serious about creating the future we want, we can't wait for someone to do it for us. There is no place for people to sit in the bleachers and criticize the action on the field -- it's time for us all to suit up and move forward. Together.

Third, coordinating and aligning institutional and individual action requires constant communication with the community. We've created a new email address -- Progress@JAX2025.org -- for people and institutions to report in. We encouraged (and will continue to encourage) people to make personal commitments to action on I Will pledge cards -- one task they can complete within six months in order to move the vision one step further. We'll be sharing stories, measuring progress, highlighting areas that need additional work, and keeping you informed on what's happening. There is no shelf for this report -- it's an active document, and you'll be hearing a great deal more about that activity.

So join us on May 18, and find your role in building Jacksonville's vision. We need your help.

As the JAX2025 meetings move along, I thought we might take a moment to explain the process and invite your comments and questions.  The JAX2025 process is based on JCCI's research-validated Model for Community Change, and it's how we've been successful helping other communities create a different future.  Let's see how all of the pieces fit together to get us to the year 2025.

Real community change has to begin with a Vision. We conducted a Vision Scan to look at all the work that had gone before -- over 200 visions created over the past 20 years in many different areas, as people came together to reach for something better. That Vision Scan helped us define the questions for our Community Survey, which resulted in over 14,000 people telling us of their hopes and dreams for Jacksonville. Then on January 19, we pulled together nearly 1,000 people to talk together and set priorities and themes for that Vision.

On February 2, we took the results of the January 19 meeting and the survey results and found 10 themes you had told us were important parts of that vision. Those who were there on February 2 created Vision Statements of boldness, clarity, and power. We have been transcribing these statements and will be bringing them together into ten consensus statements of how we Imagine It -- what Jacksonville should and could become by the year 2025.

A Vision without measures of accountability is just a dream. In March we will add to JAX2025 ways to measure progress. We need to know what success will look like. We'll have some tools to help us out, including JCCI's Quality of Life Progress Report and Race Relations Progress Report, as well as other ways our community has defined measurements of success in the past. The committee will be free to select from or add their own measures. That will provide the knowledge we need to move forward. 

With a Vision and an understanding of where we are and where we are heading, we can then develop a plan of action. We will do that in April. The Plan will contain specific action steps we can take as a community, including what institutions, organizations, and government agencies can do to help us reach our vision, but more importantly, what we as members of the community can do as well.

In May we will present our report and begin the implementation phase. We will move from Imagine It to Build It. Together we will move forward to reach the goals we create.

We will need to continually evaluate our results to see where we need to focus further efforts. You will see regular reports highlighting progress and targeting areas of concern through the year 2025 as we continue to move toward our vision.  Because the goal of JAX2025 is not just to Imagine It, but also to Reach It.

Thank you for joining us to create this Vision. Please go to www.JAX2025.org to reserve your seat for March 19.

Do you ever find yourself (or hear others) saying, “Well, if it were up to me . . .”?  This time, it actually is.

Today we celebrated a year of community volunteers’ achievements in improving Jacksonville.  At our annual meeting we recognized the work of those involved in our Race Relations Progress Report, our Quality of Life Progress Report, our Children 1-2-3 Inquiry, our Our Money, Our City:  Financing Jacksonville's Future Implementation, and more.

As we look to the coming years, we are ready to change the approach.

Our Keynote, Darryl Byrd, CEO of San Antonio 2020 (SA2020), spoke of transforming San Antonio in bold ways that could only be articulated in impossible-sounding aspirational statements.  With JCCI’s help, San Antonio did not take the usual approach:  beginning with the Mayor’s vision and garnering support from the “usual suspects” (the stakeholders and already actively involved advocates and business and community leaders).  Instead, the Mayor wanted to know what every citizen in San Antonio envisioned.  Yes, it is the Spice Girls question:  Tell us what you want—what you really, really want.

And they did.

And as San Antonio residents invested themselves in the process, articulated their visions, and reached together, they accomplished much.  Here is a taste:  "This Is Progress."

And now JCCI is ready to do it here.

Rather than focusing on the potholes and other issues that we already have systems and leadership in place to address, Jacksonville community members from every zip code will be shaping the JAX2025 vision with ideas like an education system that boasts exceptional graduation rates or an arts community that makes Jacksonville the premiere city for attracting innovation.  It begins with a survey and continues with conversations.

The idea is to find out what we really, really want from everyone—as Darryl said—from the board room to the family room.  And our own Mayor Alvin Brown is not only a supporter, but he is the Honorary Chair of JAX2025, and he couldn’t be more excited!  At today’s meeting, he spoke of the importance of this endeavor as the key to taking Jacksonville “to the next level.”

It all begins with you.

You can start here: www.JAX2025.org

Five Ways to Get Involved:

1. Complete and tell everyone you know—from your boss to your neighbor to your BFF—to complete the Community Survey, available in English and Spanish.  We also have a youth version!
2. Request a presentation to your civic, business, social, faith, school, or community group at www.JAX2025.org, or email us at info@JAX2025.org.
3. Participate in a Community Meeting where you will learn, contribute, and come away knowing how to help build Jacksonville’s future.  Visit www.JAX2025.org for event dates and times.
4. Follow and share JAX2025 progress.  Sign up for our free e-newsletter at www.JAX2025.org.  Like us on Facebook.  Follow us on Twitter.
5. Support JAX2025 through a tax-deductible cash or in-kind donation, or volunteer your time and talent.  For more information, go to www.JAX2025.org.

Some years ago, I heard a story about piano moving that I've never forgotten. It seems a group of guys had to move a piano and were struggling with how to accomplish this task. As they gathered around the piano to discuss different options, one person spoke up and said, "Stand close together and lift where you stand." With that, they successfully moved the piano -- and provided a great title for this blog post. 

We've been talking about ways to build community and asking people for their ideas. How do you build community? is the theme of our annual meeting on September 14. And yesterday we had a moment to reflect on the passing of a true community-builder.

As we prepare for the annual meeting and the launch of a transformative project for Jacksonville, I think it's time to think about what we can do -- as individuals, as people working together -- to build a better Jacksonville. Perhaps in all the political clutter surrounding the notion of who built what we can think instead of how we build something together that we couldn't ever build separately -- this notion of community.

I like repeating my favorite definition of community -- "In a community, there is no them." Building community is not them doing something -- it's about us taking action. It's not about doing something for them -- it's about lifting us all up. 

So what can we do, we who are not wealthy philanthropists or powerful makers of policy or front-line fighters? We can lift where we stand.

And working together, we can create a better Jacksonville.

Find out more at our annual meeting on September 14 when Darryl Byrd will speak of the power of community action.

“Mommy, I want to go to a school with dilapidated buildings, dreary décor, and lackluster teachers in a crime-ridden community!”

This week, Jacksonville Public Education Fund (JPEF) sponsored a One by One conversation at JCCI about public education in Duval County.  The idea is to hear from every neighborhood, to think from many perspectives, and to create a vision for our public education system and the goals for achieving it.  In this conversation--one of over 100!—a comment struck me.  When asked what aspirations we have for our community’s schools, someone said that they need to be inviting structures.  Yes, when you picture the kind of learning environment you want for your child (or any child), you see a clean, bright, inviting structure, and it’s humming with the energy of committed, creative professionals who love their work and do all they can to ensure every child is thriving and reaching toward the upper limits of potential.

When you think of the kinds of schools you want for your children, you picture children smiling, listening, and leaning forward to pay attention.  You see musical instruments, art supplies, sports equipment, and parents volunteering in the classroom, cheerfully taking pride in their children’s involvement.  If asked which schools are which—the “good” ones and “bad” ones—in Jacksonville, most people have a quick answer and rattle off names.  Others make blanket statements and lump all the “public” schools into a hopeless stereotype.  But some say Jacksonville has some of the top schools in the nation.

Citing everything from gang loyalty and related violence to bullying, our group talked about safety issues.  One participant noted that she had pulled her child from public school (and sent him to Florida Virtual School) because of bullying.  Others said they knew neighborhoods where gangs converged in the district and were always fighting at school.  Could community-engaging activities and events promote a sense of belonging that would diminish these problems?  David Kennedy, author of Don’t Shoot:  One Man, a Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America shows that Operation Ceasefire works by bringing gang members, their families, social workers, and police officers together in the same meeting with the message that the police want to keep the gang members from getting shot or arrested.  To this end, the police officers and community members would provide support for leaving the gang but crack down on retaliation, punishing the whole gang if it was uncooperative.  It came down to engaging moms, asking them to bring their sons to the meetings to save them, and they did. (David Kennedy was a resource speaker for JCCI’s Reducing Murder inquiry (2006), and Operation Ceasefire is named in the first recommendation. The murder rate has declined in our community.)

At our One by One meeting, it was clear that at least our table full of participants would not only like to see the “bad” schools move to the “good” schools list, but they could see that they need to be part of making this happen.  We talked about how to get involved and how to energize the whole community to be the change.  What began as a complaint quickly became a creative suggestion.  The media only cover controversy and have an “if it bleeds, it leads” approach, argued some.  Others interjected that the new editorial board at the Florida Times-Union was different, changing the tide.  Finally, in response to the note that the media only respond to silly things like “kissing a pig on a rooftop,” that Jacksonville is not attracting talent without an excellent reputation for top-notch schools, and that we barely hear of the successful efforts in the community, one participant suggested organizing a flash mob to get attention where it’s needed.  We know little and assume much, and efforts like One by One are getting the conversations going, but with the amplifier of a broadcast, “those schools” become “our schools.”

Consider why families are so enthusiastic during Magnet Mania.  Jacksonville has a dual reputation.  On the one hand, you’ll hear people muttering that the public schools here are no good, unsafe, to be avoided, and that your only hope is to send your child to private school.  On the other hand, spots in the magnets are highly sought after.  But, as one participant astutely observed, they are public schools, so conceivably, whether through marketing or community advocacy efforts, all of Duval’s schools can achieve this kind of status and success.

Whether the question was what aspirations we had for our city or how we could best achieve results in reaching them, the answer—almost every time—came down to “community”:  a sense of community, community responsibility, serving the whole community, and developing the value of education within the community.

Some of the discussion focused on diversity and the importance of equitable access to materials and high quality teacher-student ratios.  Participants emphasized—and many nodding heads concurred—that tolerance of diversity is not enough, that saying, “I don’t see color” is not only disingenuous but ineffective as an approach to addressing inequality or promoting acceptance among diverse students.  (Some scholars have actually observed that not talking about race reinforces in-group discrimination.)  What is the solution?  Maybe better training?  Again, the answer was:  community.  A true sense of community, that is.  Someone suggested more community-rallying events.  Another suggested making, for example, transportation available to take kids to the beach, that this staple of our community experience is inaccessible for many of our community members.

As we learned in JCCI’s Children 1-2-3 Inquiry, the full report for which is now available, community interaction and connection is often key to educational success, beyond the socioeconomic so-called predictors.  In a Canadian study, when students in a neighborhood scored low on an assessment, the introduction of a community center had a significant impact.  The community had a sizeable immigrant population, and once families were interacting with each other in the center, they not only felt connected to their peers who spoke the same language, but they were able to connect with those who spoke the local language, reinforcing their skills and gaining confidence.  Most importantly, they did not feel isolated and excluded; they connected with their neighbors and felt included, a very important part of whether or not a student succeeds.  (See question #5  in this meeting summary.)

The problem of seeking something better for your own child at the expense of others’ affects the whole community.  Many in our group expressed dismay at the trend of families abandoning their neighborhood public schools and valuing voucher-assisted moves to other “better” schools as well as the assumed preference of charter or private schools over public, without so much as meeting the teachers or administration.

The conversation turned to the importance of investing in and reaping the benefits of a community in which education—for all of the children in each neighborhood—is valued.  The tone reflected a commonly held belief that the cause-effect-cause-effect cycle of a state system with good intentions—to measure efficacy and ensure accountability via testing—has impaired teachers’ ability to teach vital material and limited students’ opportunities for growth and enrichment, stifling their development and shrinking their learning potential.  (You want arts to be part of your child’s curriculum?  You’re in a long line for Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.  College prep?  Cross your fingers for Paxon School for Advanced Studies or Stanton College Preparatory School.) 

The discussion veered into some gripes about the drawbacks of the FCAT and other top-down policies, but we also recognized that policymakers can make better policies when bad ones fail.  There were hints of hope for advocacy, comments about the importance of addressing mental health issues in both children and their parents, and even a short chat about how focusing on moms really gets to the heart of the matter.  When moms are educated, their children fare better.  When moms have stable mental health, their children fare better.  And so forth.

To this point, I said I wanted to see children entering school ready to learn.  This means they have been nurtured and cared for with loving consistency, fed healthy meals from infancy (see the JCCI Infant Mortality Study and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ 2012 executive summary on breastfeeding policy) and engaged with appropriately.  Depressed mothers often have more difficulty bonding and engaging with their children, so policies that support mental health screening and interventions may also be significant to educational success.  How much teaching happens when a distracting student is demonstrating self control issues or acting out?  Getting at the roots, preventing the problems, fostering community investment, all of this pushes toward creating better learners, who make a better classroom environment for the other students, keep parents invested in the school, and so on.

We were asked what we can do now, and participants suggested everything from knocking on doors to educate parents or mobilize neighborhoods to change policy to staging events for media attention.  My favorite suggestion, though, was to establish parent mentors.  In my personal vision of a parent mentorship, not only would a parent mentor help a Mom or Dad navigate past the overwhelming sea of bad information and misguided advice, but he or she could illuminate the best practices and current knowledge of parenting to best support children’s learning.  Experienced, trained mentors could point parents to the community’s resources while serving as a support for the parent.  Just like our children, some will need more coaching and support than others, but we can all learn how to do it better.  The question is:  do we each want to do what it takes to help each other do it better?  The One By One conversations are covering ground.  The energy is there.  And when the group spoke of accountability, they pointed the fingers back around to themselves.

We agreed that some programs and organizations collaborated, but a shared vision is essential for the community to make real progress.  This is exactly what JCCI is thinking, too.  Stay tuned for more in the coming months!  For now, let’s start talking about this community’s shared vision for education.  To start shaping it, add your voice to the next One By One conversation, August 2, 2012, here at JCCI.

Starting this year, and forever more, all graduation rates will only measure standard diplomas. So the students who get a GED or certificate of completion are no longer considered graduates. This affects the trend line for graduation.

Old Calculation Method	New Calculation Method

The graduation rate dropped about 10 percentage points because of the new calculation method. Last year’s graduation rate looked as if we are graduating almost three-quarters of our students. If you take out all the students who didn’t graduate with a standard diploma, then we only graduated less than two-thirds of students.

What happens to students who don’t graduate with a standard diploma on time? Well, data from the Florida Department of Education can take us only so far.

Here’s what happened with the rest of our students who were in 9th grade and did not graduate four years later:

• 5.6% dropped out officially
• 1.7% graduated with a diploma-based GED
• 2.0% graduated with a certificate of completion

Another 23 percent just did not graduate. Of those, another 2 percent take 5 years to graduate. The 5-year modified graduation rate was 69.2% in 2012.

1 in 5 of our ninth graders starting high school this August will want to graduate. And the adults around them will want the same thing for them. They won’t, and that’s the bad news…

There’s another way of looking at all of this, too.

• In 2005 56% of all ninth graders graduated with a standard diploma on time.
• In the same year, the Community Foundation in Jacksonville launched its Quality Education for All initiative.
• 2006: Pew Partnership for Civic Change chooses Jacksonville for its Learning to Finish campaign
• 2007: United Way of Northeast Florida began its Achievers for Life program
• 2008: Duval County Public Schools publishes a Dropout Prevention Plan and Teach for America arrives in Jacksonville
• 2009: Jacksonville Public Education Fund opens its doors
• 2010: Florida’s first KIPP school opens in Jacksonville
• 2011: Duval County Public Schools, Schools for the Future and the Jacksonville Public Education Fund collaborate to support a new school for middle school students performing two years behind their peers.
• 2012: 20 percent increase in graduate rate within 7 years as 67.7% of ninth graders graduate with a standard diploma.

The good news is that when Jacksonville wants to, the entire community finds solutions and changes the odds for students.

The truth is, there is always good and bad news. Can’t have one without the other!

And so we did! Vroom, vroom...! Those who followed along with Matt @jccitweets saw all the #jccifun and great pictures! 

The Garage in Riverside played host to the Kick-off for the upcoming JCCI Forward Issue Forum...as Lee Poechmann, JCCI Forward Chair, said, it's a long one...title-wise...Shifting Gears: Building a Road Map for 21st Century Leadership.

Over 65 attended and joined the JCCI Forward Executive Committee to learn more about the speakers we would meet at the next seven Wednesday meetings, including former Mayor and UNF President John Delaney, Preston Haskell, former Councilman Kevin Hyde and Jaguars President Mark Lamping.  They will share with us their challenges and lessons learned when transitioning into and out of leadership in our community. We've asked them to help us understand what is needed so we can prepare. 

We are so grateful for everyone's involvement and support and remind you that we are taking this show on the road...we will be at Community First Credit Union corporate offices for the duration! We will have great giveaways at the meetings, including BP gas cards, CFCU car shades, and free oil changes provided by Jiffy Lube!

Set your GPS and I'll see you on Wednesday!

Michelle

Of course, I was just goofing around when I said I’d probably be crowned Prom Queen at this year’s JCCI Forward's Revenge of the Prom.  When they were about to announce the winner, I actually dashed toward the stage with mock confidence that I would hear my name called, hamming up and preparing to look wounded and force a strained applause pose while fake-congratulating the real winner, but in an opposite-of-the-movie-Carrie kind of way, Ben said,“Tonia Eastman!”  I was stunned and genuinely thrilled, especially since I hadn’t even bought a single vote for myself!  I jumped up and down, squealed like a seventeen-year-old, and promptly began my reign as PROM QUEEN.  A couple weeks later when my house flooded during Tropical Storm Debby and I had to choose precious items to store at my parents’ house in case mold took hold, I got the baby book, the photo albums, and my newly acquired tiara.

Why else was prom everything I’d hoped and more?  My sister was a true bright spot (literally—that’s one tangerine dress!), but that was to be expected.  However, this year, her hubby was her date, making this something like their 5th prom together if you count all the ones they went to in high school, and that made me feel all warm and fuzzy (even without daiquiris!).

I had hoped my mom—who also loves to dance—could come out with us (as a “chaperone”?), but she pointed out the obvious:  “Then who will watch your children?”  Oh, yeah.  My sis and I so rarely get together as grown-ups, sans the boys, that it didn’t even occur to me.  This is why having a special occasion like Prom is so important!  Yes, we could get dolled up and have cocktails or dinner without the silliness, but when it’s for a good cause (JCCI programs!), it’s an easier sell for a volunteer babysitter and for people who otherwise NEVER go out.

But why a “decades” prom encouraging tacky dress from the 70’s, 80’s, etc.?  Because then we get to behold this kind of awesomeness (Jennifer’s still-working cassette-playing Walkman is playing 10,000 Maniacs).

Seriously, for many of us, JCCI Forward’s Prom is 10% food and cocktails with grown-ups (despite my encounter with last year’s sneaky daiquiri machine), 40% dancing, and 50% laughing at and enjoying the creativity of the costumes.  And it gives us all some levity and community connection.   Here are JCCI Forward’s Executive Committee members.  Talk about a networking opportunity!

If for no other reason, though, it was worth attending our prom to see our own Ben Warner, President and CEO, sporting both a mullet and a satin cummerbund, out on the dance floor, fully committed to doing “the sprinkler” with Michelle, our Chief Financial Officer.  [Video withheld to preserve my employment—but if you had been there, you’d have seen it live!]

If JCCI Forward throws another prom next year, I’m not sure how it will top this year’s, but they’ll probably find a way!  You can be sure I will be there.  Will you?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

JCCI Forward isn't your father's civic group!  It offers emerging leaders interactive skills trainings, issue forums, and networking opportunities.  September's events include Learning Labs, a social, and the kickoff of our Issue Forum on 21st-Century Leadership.  

Last night I saw We Remember Raines, a very powerful movie for everyone in Jacksonville-- no, scratch that. Everyone in the U.S.

William M. Raines High School is the alma mater of the filmmaker, Emanuel Washington. We Remember Raines tells the story of Raines High School from its start in the early 1960’s until 2011. It proves, without a doubt, that Raines can be a college-prep school because it was one. The movie's hopeful message is that it can be college-prep again.

Until 1971, Jacksonville had two school districts: one for whites and one for blacks. When Raines opened in the mid-1960’s, all black schools lacked the resources and physical amenities of white schools.

In 1958, Matthew Gilbert High was the heart of the Eastside black community. Earl Kitchings, the school’s football coach, recalls:

Separate and unequal school systems were officially in place until 1970. In 1970, there were 20 all-black schools, and another 8 were 90 percent black. 77.6 percent of all Negro high school students went to a school that was 90 percent black. 

Jacksonville’s decision-makers felt the pressure of African-American residents who wanted an equal education for their children and the students themselves. Rodney Hurst's personal account of the sit-in demonstrations in Jacksonville and Ax-Handle Saturday is a great picture of the resistance and protests. Since 1954, when the Supreme Court ruled the 2-district system unequal, whites were adamant that they would not attend school with blacks. So in the mid-1960’s white decision-makers came up with a solution.

Build a new $2 million high school for blacks! Less than a mile away from the white high school!

This was also in response to the fact that all Jacksonville high schools were disaccredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in the 1960’s. In other words, at that time, all Jacksonville students were considered less prepared and less likely to succeed in college. The problem was Jacksonville was not spending enough money on educating its children, and the school system needed to catch up with the rest of the nation.

Academics were of utmost importance at Raines, and it was the first school in Jacksonville to regain accreditation from SACS. The athletic program at Raines shined in all sports, and especially football. Within the first 10 years the school was open, six young black men blazed a path to the NFL. School clubs such as the Rainesmen and Ladies of Raines turned out leaders who, today, are engaged in preserving Raines culture and history.

One of those people is Cleve Warren, President and CEO of Essential Capital Finance, Inc. The filmmaker asked him: “Why was Raines so successful?” His reply: "Simple. It hired the best teachers in Jacksonville."

And why did that happen at Raines in the mid to late 1960s? One reason is ironic and the other iconic. Ironically, the two-system school district denied all black teachers from teaching white students; they had to teach in all-black schools. Most black teachers at Raines earned master’s and doctoral degrees at universities in the North (e.g. Columbia, Illinois University) or historically black colleges in the South (Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman) and chose to return to Jacksonville. The second reason Raines had the best teachers in Jacksonville was a man named Andrew Robinson, who became an icon in Florida’s education community. He hired the very best teachers in Jacksonville, who happened to be black, and brought them all to Raines. And he created a school culture that continued long after he left there.

Andrew Robinson’s influence at that time is unimaginable nowadays. He created a culture of educational excellence and integrity that was the envy of Northeast Florida. One of his frequent sayings was: “What you learn after you know it all, is what counts.”

I love this because it means "after you know it all," (you’ve earned all the degrees that you’ll get), the real learning begins. It also suggests a core principle here at JCCI: knowledge is for getting stuff done, not for having, hoarding, and showing off. It also suggests humility when it comes to education and expertise. In other words, knowledge is really about creating relationships with others and building community. It is not for defining the self apart from others.

Andrew Robinson at University of North Florida, where he was the first African-American president of a Florida university.

Last week I was on vacation in Connecticut, which is where my people come from. I was on the Connecticut River at a family reunion. However, in the North, people have some very odd ideas about the South. It gets me every time. Someone there threw me off: “I imagine it’s pretty segregated down there.” Hmm…perhaps it’s more segregated than where that relative lives-- in Brooklyn, NY. I don’t know-- Spike Lee’s films suggest otherwise.

We Remember Raines has given me an excellent answer to all those folks asking about racism in the South and my choice to live in Jacksonville for nearly 20 years. From now on I will reply with something along these lines: “Jacksonville is home to some of the most accomplished, creative, inspiring, thinkers and doers in the U.S. And that’s because we have an incredibly strong and vibrant African-American community here. I’m proud to live in Jacksonville.”

This screening of We Remember Raines was made possible by JCCI Forward, our leadership development program. For more information about Forward’s amazing work, check out their website. Or better yet, come to their next training: “Leading by Facilitation and Consensus 101.” And if you are interested in the current state of equity between races and ethnic groups, check out JCCI's Race Relations Progress Report.

Following the release in 2009 of JCCI's inquiry on City Finances (Our Money, Our City: Financing Jacksonville's Future), a subcommittee of the project's advocacy task force began the process of looking closely at the growing crisis in funding shortages in Jacksonville's three public pension plans.  It was, and still is, the elephant in the room that dwarfs all other aspects of the financial mess the City faces.

Estimates at that time were that the unfunded liability of the three funds exceeded $1.5 billion, and in 2011, the City faced required funding obligations of $118 million to the three plans, an amount equal to nearly 13% of the entire General Fund budget.  The Mayor's Transition Committee on Pensions estimated that with no substantive pension reform measures in place, that total would grow to $180 million by 2016 and to $350 million by 2026, with no end in sight. These are clearly unsustainable numbers that, if left unchecked, will ultimately lead the City to financial ruin.

That picture became even darker recently when the results of a required periodic actuarial review determined that, because of obsolete and inaccurate assumptions, the City's pension obligation for 2012-13 is actually $44 million more than previously anticipated . The total unfunded liability probably exceeds $2 billion, considerably more than the $1.5 billion that was estimated in 2009.

When the JCCI inquiry was released in 2009, there was little public recognition of the severity of the pension crisis, so there was a corresponding lack of appetite on the part of elected officials to take politically unpopular positions necessary to do something about it.  As the two-year advocacy period unfolded, public understanding and concern grew significantly, as did the realization in the Mayor's office and at City Council that the community could no longer afford to bury its head in the sand and wish the problem would go away on its own.

Mayor Brown has recognized the need for aggressive pension reform, announcing it as one of the top priorities of his administration from the day he assumed office last summer.  Encouragingly, newly-appointed City Council President Bill Bishop has recently said the same.  To date, however, political rhetoric has been the extent of activity relating to the pension crisis, at least as far as the general public can tell.

It's no longer enough to merely talk about pension reform.  The City continues to hemorrhage while we wait for a plan for action, and the longer we wait, the worse the crisis becomes.  No one should be deceived into thinking that arriving at the level of pension reform we need will be easy.  Collective bargaining and negotiating over compensation and future benefits never is.  But for the City to avoid financial calamity, it must be accomplished, and it must begin now.  Hopefully, intensive preparations for pension reform negotiations have been unfolding behind closed doors in recent months, and we can only hope that substantive discussions will soon commence.

Much has been said and written recently about the legalities and potential ramifications of cities in even worse pension-related financial predicaments filing for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, most recently in Stockton, CA.  The article linked below provides some useful insights on that subject, one all of us hope never becomes a necessity in Jacksonville.

http://www.governing.com/columns/public-finance/col-stockton-californias-debt-problems-may-set-precedent.html

Steve Rankin

Have you ever wondered, “What happens when JCCI inquiries are completed?”

We call it the “so what?” question, and it goes to the core of JCCI’s mission of impacting the quality of life in Northeast Florida in a positive way.

At the conclusion of each community inquiry, a two-year implementation period is initiated for the purpose of advocating for the successful implementation of the inquiry’s recommendations.  A volunteer advocacy task force is assembled, often with 50 or more members participating.  These are typically people from all walks of life who share a passionate interest in the inquiry topic, and who are willing to devote their time and energy to making a difference in their community.

More often than not, their work is conducted behind the scenes and without fanfare.  These are folks who are not in it for acknowledgement or to appear in the spotlight.  Frequently, in fact, they influence positive outcomes but you never hear about it.  That’s because they routinely deflect the credit to outside stakeholders with whom they have worked…their interest is progress, not recognition.

But make no mistake; they represent the backbone of the organization’s efforts to make Jacksonville a better place.  Through the years, there have been thousands of concerned citizens who have participated in JCCI implementation projects, and most have remained relatively anonymous to the general public.  Their contributions have been considerable, however, and the community is a better place for their selfless efforts.

JCCI implementations aren’t for everyone, but if this sounds potentially appealing to you, please consider joining us as we embark on our latest project, the result of the recently-completed nine-month inquiry into early childhood development (Children: 1-2-3).  We’re now in the process of assembling the Task Force, and we’ll hold an Orientation Meeting at JCCI on Wednesday, June 27 (11:30 – 1:00 p.m.) to fully acquaint all those interest in the project ahead and the responsibilities of participation.  We’d love to have you join us…you don’t need a background in childhood development, just a strong desire to do something good in your community.  Let me know by email (steve@jcci.org) that you’d like to find our more by attending the Orientation Meeting…no strings attached.

And the next time you ask yourself the “so what” question, take a moment to consider the countless volunteers who have rolled up their sleeves through the years and worked on advocacy task forces with the goal of improving the quality of life for us all.  That will be all the recognition they seek.

Chris Arab, Ana Arnaiz, Tim Ballentine, Kris Barnes, Sherri Brown, J.F. Bryan, Chris Buckley, Betty Burney, Charles Cline, Jim Crooks, Kay Earhart, Bill Gates, Carolyn Girardeau, Warren Grymes, Donna Hulsey, Janice Hunter, Deon Johnson, Sylvia Johnson, Kathe Kasten, Marcia Lebold, Levander Lilly, Amy Lingren, Jesse Murray, Marsha Oliver, Rachel Raneri, Cheryl Riddick, Etoile Graves-Smith, Connie Stophel, Louis Venson, Linda Wilkinson, Jim Williams, Rhonda Williams, Andy Sikes, Barry Heath, Betsy Miller, Dave Bailey, David Boyer, Doris Marlin, Eric Smith, Guy Anderson, Jan Duggar, Jeanne Chappell, Jerry Spinks, Jill Johnson, Jim Overton, Jimmy Orth, John TenBroeck, Ken Wilson, Linda Burnette, Lisa Rowe Rinaman, Lucy Cortese, Lynette Self, Melody Bishop, Mike Barile, Quinton White, Ron Gay, Susan Caven, Ted Pappas, Ted Stumm, Teresa Monson, Adrienne Conrad, Thomas Bryant III, Paula Chaon, Daphne Colbert, Meg Folds, Mary Gebhart, Nancy Georgion, Helen Jackson, Joanne Kazmierski, Sandra Lane, Candace Moody, Steve Nix, John Otterson, George Palmer, Scott Sanborn, Kathy Sandusky, Karen Shelley, Carlton Shelton, Elise Sloan, Glenda Washington, Don Anderson, Sarah Boren, Denise Bunnewith, Cara Connolly, Bruce Doueck, James Geller, Gabe Hanson, Mike Hartman, Mary Hayford, Wayne Hogan, Jennifer Holbrook, Karen Kempf, Berdell Knowles, Bill Larson, Marci Larson, Athena Mann, Mark McCrainie, Mike McCarthy, Dave McLintock, Quilla Miralia, David Norse, Chris Rogers, Vince Seibold, Scott Skinner, Eric Smith, Paul Steinbrecher, Allen Tilley, Peg Tilley, Christi Veleta, Susan White, Jay Worley, Vicki Abrams, Tempie Alexander, Wakilah Augustus, Shakera Bailey, Steve Baker, Dale Bell, Blair Blackard, Kathy Bowles, Vanessa Boyer, Carol Brady, Joy Burgess, Anthony Butler, Tom Rodgers, Meredith Chartrand Frisch, Dawn Clarke, Alton Coles, Sandy Cook, Cleshawn Cooks, Helen Crawford, Rae Davies, Melodie Dove, Lawrence DuBow, Dawn Emerick, Donna Ghanayem, Jeff Goldhagen, Etoile Graves-Smith, Loretta Haycock, Toni Herndon, Sarah Holdstein, Kathy Ingram, Beverly Legree, Casey McConnell, Janet McDonald, Bobbie O’Connor, Deborah Parsons, Julia Pickren, Tala Reynolds, Rhonda Santos, Steve Sepe, Karen Smithson, Wilma Starks, Carol Synkewecz, Jackie Thompson, Lowrie Ward, Patricia Washington, Julia Watkins, Delphia Williams, Karen Wolfson, John Anderson, Tony Bates, Danny Berenberg, Dana Ferrell Birchfield, Anne Borngesser, Joan Carver, Jack Caulkins, Sheila Caulkins, Richard Cohee, Matt Corrigan, Logan Cross, Dan Curran, Jill Dame, Richard Danford, Bobby Deal, Jack Diamond, Randy Evans, Greg Frazier, Pat Hannan, Abel Harding, Alberta Hipps, Bill Hoff, Sr., Bob Johnson, Jerry Knowles, Michael Korn, Kenneth Lathrop, Helen Ludwig, Conrad Markle, Jay McGovern, Mickey Miller, Steve Naso, George Owen, Linda Perry, Mary Alice Phelan, Ray Purvis, Jean Pyle, Jim Rinaman, Alicia Somers, Bill Sulzbacher, Lucy Talley, Ray Van Landingham, Dorcas Tanner, Cleve Warren, John Welch, John Zona, Tom Patton, Renae Sweeney, Harry Corbett, Gary Dallero, Marilyn Feldstein, Tamera Hudnell, Les Krieger, Frank Pearce, Stephen Pollan, Margaret Winter, Jonathan Cantor, Marcel Dulay, Dorette Nysewander, Jim Sylvester, Mark Tumeo, Nancy Garcia, Jeff Green, Kenneth James, Colleen McFarlane, Michelle Tappouni, Jack Manilla, Lad Daniels, Janice Donaldson, Carey Hepler, Andre Higgins, Steve Marro, Jackie Perry, Clive Ricketts, Deborah Thompson, Cathy Chambers, Laura Maloney, Catherine Christie, Heather Hughes, Carol Kartsonis, Joan Kramer, Karen Landry, Lavetta McCoy, Natasha Parks, Karen Rieley, Cassie Sager, Katie Salz, Cecil Williams, Lisa Wright, Susan Cohn, Elizabeth DeJesus, Jennifer Hewett-Apperson, Valerie Feinberg, Jennifer Graham, Eric Lindstrom, Carol Gilham, Jacqui Lowe, Truitt Moreland, Jose Rivera, Cathy Webb, Jocelyn Turner, Cheryl Gaston, Susan Masucci, Gozi Chuku, Elexia Moss, Patricia Knight, Laureen Husband, ReShawndia  Mitchell, Temisha Hill, Rose White, Karen Coleman, Dana Fields-Johnson, Sherri Cheshire, Chris Lester, Laura Bailet, Amy Buggle, Joy Burgess, Anne Claridge, Johnna Cooper-Daniels, Skip Cramer, Megan Denk, Rocelia Gonzalez, Judy Rodriguez, Derrick Smith, Cynthia Harpman, Becky Henderson, Bryan Hensley, John Hirabayashi, Connie Hodges, Melanie Patz, Ray Holt, Eva Jenkins, John Kabat, Joy Korman, Linda Lanier, Susan Main, Susan Mankowski, Susan Mattox, Mary Nash, Judy Poppell, Ginger Preston, Laurie Price, Nicole Randall, Vickie Robinson, Geoff Selhorst, Christine Stephens, Lucy Wells, Jeanne Dillard, Nancy Kuhn, Robert Littell, Paula Ruffner, Samantha Lawson.

The individuals listed above are the members of JCCI’s volunteer advocacy task forces since 2006, the year I joined the organization.  These are people who change the face of our community…thank you to all of them.

Steve Rankin

I’m looking around and I’m realizing, I can’t be the only one here.  I just can’t be.  In the midst of a national election, I’m just gobsmacked.  What happened to all the people in the middle?

I’m not Pollyanna about this.  I’m under no delusion that presidential politics are easy or nice…and our country’s history is chock-full of tales of corruption and controversies.  Did you know that despite losing the popular and electoral votes in 1824, John Quincy Adams became president? (I forgot too, but that’s why the internet is so handy!)  And, as crazy and contentious as the results seem, most scholars attribute the founding of the modern Democratic Party to that election.

But it’s not the negativity or the propaganda that really has me riled up and confused.  It’s the idea that because I’m a member of one party or another – that I must, of course, subscribe to and espouse every last platform issue of that group.  That I can be identified and pigeonholed into a “them” because I must hold views on the far edges of the political spectrum, whether to the right or the left.  That I can be labeled and typecast as an “us,” figured out by the party I am affiliated with and pandered to on views that I could not disagree with more.

Aren’t there other voters out there who checked the box to be recognized as either a Democrat or a Republican because they agree with most of the party’s ideals?  Am I the only person watching the candidates and thinking that my party has it right in the area that I think is the most critical this year, but hasn’t got a clue in other areas I care about, but don’t influence my vote as much?  Can it be that no one else mixes religious doctrine with a little common sense and life experience?

I’ve recently had discussions with friends and acquaintances (and yes, I’m a GenX-er) who are concerned that our contemporaries, other GenX-ers and even Millennials, don’t vote, don’t get involved and are generally both apathetic and clueless as to what happens in our government, at all levels.  The hallmark traits of these generations are diversity and inclusion, so it’s not that surprising to see poll results showing they are least conservative on cultural and social values and the most conservative on economic and domestic policy.

Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman said in an interview just this week, when both parties worked together in the recent past, “we saw both a cleaner environment and economic growth.  People were listening – people aren't listening anymore. Today everything is decided along ideological lines.”

So how do we start moving away from both parties looking for divisive issues, to score political points and appeal to their base and start moving towards identifying issues that will bring people together?

From this GenX-er’s view:  first, we have to start talking about issues.  We have to demand it.  We have to demand it from our media outlets (local and national) and we have to demand knowledge and discussion.  It’s why I love JCCI and working here.  You have a view point?  Great!  Come and join the conversation!  You’re not sure what your viewpoint is?  Great!  Come and join the conversation!  Second, we have to stop making assumptions and generalizations.  Just because someone is a (Democrat/Republican) doesn’t mean s/he is evil, intelligent, stupid, elitist, racist, bleeding-hearted or whatever other assumptions you have.  Maybe, their party affiliation makes the most sense on their path to “the middle.”

With all of that to consider, here’s my invitation: There’s room in the middle – you should join me here!

At JCCI, it’s not unusual to see international groups come in to see what we’re about. In fact, over the past year, more than nine separate international groups have come into our doors and learn more about what we have done and continue to do for our community.

Wednesday, November 7, a group of international professionals with international resource center GlobalJax met with our own Ben Warner. Among many topics, the meeting covered everything from JCCI’s community work to the philosophical goal at work in JCCI’s nonpartisan approach.

When asked why JCCI doesn’t attempt to sway voters toward a particular politician, whether locally or nationally, Ben’s answer was simple.

“Most people, regardless of party, want the same things. And it’s our shared dreams that bring us together.”

In essence, we don’t just work for OUR people, we work for THE people. It’s this care for the issues deemed important by the people that allows us to function as an important resource for everyone.

And these guests in JCCI’s conference room, some of whom come from countries where democracy is a foreign concept, were impressed with the extremely democratic way in which JCCI brings the concerns of the people to elected officials like Mayor Alvin Brown.

“Our decision making process is to operate by consensus,” Warner said. “This shared learning process creates respect between community members, as they decide together what matters most.”

It amazed me that a single day after an extraordinarily polarizing presidential election, professionals from all over the world gathered and discussed the importance of shared learning and consensus, the importance of true community.

In every meeting, press conference and community conversation I’ve attended as part of JCCI, I’ve seen the remarkable care that binds everyone. Whatever we title ourselves, whatever moniker that adorns us, we are the people of Jacksonville.

It seems that consensus like the kind at JCCI is what this country needs right now.

When the results of the countrywide vote came through, some groups were truly disappointed and others elated. But now, regardless of party affiliation, we must work together now as we haven’t done for quite some time in the recent past to create a better future for everyone.

I, for one, am ready to roll up my sleeves.

I was just at a community forum featuring some great speakers. They said to the audience, 'Hey, we solved the problem of people smoking and dying of lung cancer! We solved the problem of drunk driving and killing innocent drivers, and now we have even legislated against not wearing a seat belt. Why can't we take that same smarts, energy, and political will to other problems?'

An excellent documentary series produced by HBO asks the same question, only this time it’s about being overweight and obese. The U.S. population has changed incredibly in terms of how we produce food, how much food costs, what we eat, when we eat, and how many calories we burn in a day's work. The changes in the past 30 years have produced a "perfect storm" in our population’s body weight. The consequences of this storm affect workplace productivity, costs of healthcare, and even our expected life span.

Children, not just adults, are getting fatter. The chart below demonstrates increase in U.S. children who are obese.

Percentage of Children Ages 6-17 Who Are Obese by Race and Hispanic Origin, Selected Years 1976-2008

                                     Source: National Center for Health Statistics, http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/health7.asp

Obesity and overweight are not just a perfect storm. They are a public policy minefield because they involve the economics of the food industry, cultural changes in family structure, psychology and marketing, land use planning and growth, consensus on what is acceptable to eat, and even body image. While many agree that any disease that shortens life should be prevented, not everyone agrees on why obesity is increasing and what to do about it.

This radio program brings together five different views on increasing obesity. The program features an African-American novelist, an HBO producer, an academic, a funder of childhood obesity initiatives, and a physician who advocates for regulations on the food industry. If you are wondering whether obesity starts in the brain or whether it begins in the food industry, or both, check out the program. As with many public health problems to solve, the assumptions I make on what causes the problem will shape how I think it should be solved. If it is a food industry problem, then the solution involves incentives, regulation, and policy. One assumption is that access to food contributes to obesity. The Los Angeles Times reported recently on a study suggesting that access to good food in a neighborhood doesn't necessarily make its residents better eaters.

Or if I see overweight and obesity as a problem in behavior, marketing tools, and profit, then individuals and families need to be the focus. The second episode in the HBO documentary deals with choices, individual psychology, and how to lose weight. A recent New York Times piece says hyper-processed foods, which supermarkets sell a lot of, are a driver in overweight and obesity trends. Maybe it’s both large structures such as the economy and food distribution as well as culture, family, taste and individual desires. Maybe it’s not  an either or question.

Keep checking in with JCCI because we partner with organizations throughout Jacksonville to prevent childhood obesity. There are a lot of great obesity prevention efforts already underway in Jacksonville, and you can get involved in them.

You know what? Don't wait! Check out the Healthy Jacksonville Food Policy Council Facebook page for starters.

I can't think of a single day that at least one person doesn't say to me (or that I hear myself saying), "I'm just so busy!"  And as a JCCI staff member, it means that my already full schedule of family, work, community events, volunteering, and just keeping my life going is put under a little more pressure with the addition of a major project.  When I’m rushing around the office or racing through the Prime Osborn center on a Saturday morning, it’s easy to get distracted and overwhelmed and forget the goal of the work we're doing.

Enter Mary Lou Sutherlin.  Maybe you saw her at a JAX2025 event.  She has a beautiful smile and uses a wheelchair.  She serves on the board of the Friends of the Murray Hill Library.  She's a proud folk story teller. She's a JAX2025 Visioneer.

"I'm not a poet," she said to a JCCI staff member on Saturday, "but these events are so moving, so inspiring, I just, well, I got inspired and I wrote this."

The small yellow sheet of paper that she handed over is sitting on my desk as I write this.  And for as "busy" as my day is, I've read it four times.  It has stopped me and made as much of an impact as the Paul Harvey SuperBowl commercial did last night.  But it's not just a poem for me, or for the JCCI staff.  It's for everyone involved with JAX2025 - everyone who gets inspired from this project, so I'll share it.

JAX2025
What is our dream?
How can we make it true?
How do things seem?

JAX2025
What is to be?
Each one must make a pledge
"It's part of me."

Where will our city stand
Just twelve years from now?
We work and plan together
to show our leaders how.

Where will our city stand
When all is said and done?
We must believe and plan and work
to stand proud in the sun.

I'm ready to stand proud in the sun.  It's why JAX2025 doesn't always seem like work...it seems like a reward for the work I do every day.

Tell us how JAX2025 has inspired you.

Please make sure you thank Mary Lou for her beautiful work when you join us on March 19th for the 3rd JAX2025 Community Visioning Event.

Leaders from Global Jax give the BEST presents!

JCCI is privileged to host Global Jax delegates for cross-cultural exchanges examining topics ranging from leadership and ethics to culture and society, as well as government and foreign policy.

At their recent visit to JCCI, visiting leaders from Indonesia presented this gorgeous, hand-carved Aspiration House to us.  The spires ascend, reaching well beyond the anticipated roof limit.  It is as though the ideas living in the house are pushing the entire structure upward, changing the shape to an unexpected and aesthetically beautiful inspirational symbol.  And we wanted to share this gift with you as we continue to work toward a shared vision for Jacksonville.

If you weighed in by completing a survey, or if you joined us at our JAX2025 launch on January 19, you have been reflecting on what you value and want to preserve in our city and pondering a vision for what you want to see this community become.

As you think about the dream-big goals for this community, we encourage you to seek cross-cultural inspiration, to exchange ideas with those outside your immediate circles and to think about those in other neighborhoods and how different and similar our experiences may be.  What can we learn from each other?

We invite you to join us on February 2 at the Prime Osborn Convention Center from 9-11:00 a.m. (doors open at 8:30).

There, we will work together to create a shared vision for our whole city, drawing on language from thousands of surveys and table conversations.  Jacksonville, what will we aspire to be?  Come to the Aspiration House and help us answer that question.

“It’s going to be EPIC!”

It sounds like we’re talking about a fabulous party with outrageous entertainment, but we’re actually talking about neighborhoods afflicted for decades with blight, diminished property values, education gaps, health and safety hazards, and the complications of poverty and disinvestment that have worked to create a self-fulfilling prophecy of ruin.  I won’t lie.  I saw the crime maps with colored dots representing various crimes in the area, and it called to mind a spilled bag of Skittles.  I, too, have had moments of skepticism about community improvement projects.  But stay with me.  This is pretty exciting stuff.

You may not at first believe what is happening.  It may be hard to imagine those crime dots shrinking away, but think about how repaired street lights deter vandalism, how Neighborhood Watch programs work, and how community centers with after school programs can affect education and arm youth with knowledge for success.  The enthusiasm is contagious:  picture with me the bustling businesses, safe and clean streets, and exciting, fun community events.  Yes, in Northwest Jacksonville, Springfield, and the Eastside.  The photo above is from Three Layers Café on Walnut Street.

When a hurricane levels a swath of property in Florida, we wait for the storm to clear, get to work cleaning up and rebuilding, and a couple years later see full recovery, complete with a lively business district and repaired and new homes.  Guess what!  It works that way with a hurricane of community despair, too.  And the sun is beaming.  Residents and stakeholders are standing by with work gloves and tool belts.  They have been cleaning up the debris and rebuilding with an eye toward the community’s thriving future.  Here it comes!

When we say it’s going to be EPIC, we mean it.

LISC Jacksonville has been working with the NJCDC (Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation) in Northwest Jacksonville and Operation New Hope in Springfield and the Eastside, and what they are doing can make the Grinchiest cynic believe in their approach of Empowering People & Inspiring Change.

Neighbors are empowered by first having their voices heard, seeing the difference their efforts make in “early action” projects, such as planting flowers by all the stop signs, and then shaping their vision into an action plan.  As enthusiasm builds, schools, churches, and community centers rally for the cause of making the community an ideal place for raising a family and putting down roots for generations of investment.  Residents unite in efforts to make the area safe and appealing for current and potential new residents.  Ideas become visions which become tangible results which become inspiration for bigger projects and bigger change.  And residents are already invested in working toward the big vision because they have helped to create it.

We are delighted to have worked with LISC Jacksonville in its development of focused Community Action Plans for these neighborhoods.  Yes, these communities have serious needs, but they also have hundreds of neighbors who are eager to work with their Neighborhood Associations to volunteer in community gardens and mentoring relationships with youth, to become active in Neighborhood Watch programs and to work with area merchants to infuse the community with new business and to bring events and tourism to the area.

By drawing on their rich history and showcasing their beautiful historic properties, working together to clean up the streets—literally and figuratively--as well as calling on those responsible for community safety to do their part, these neighborhoods are becoming the places to eat, shop, and be entertained.  Have you eaten at Three Layers?  Not only do they believe in dessert first, but they have a zen garden in back where a sweet resident bunny hops about and takes your mind off of . . . well, anything except cute bunnies.  I had a meeting at Waafa & Mike’s Café the other day, and oh, yummm.  This is a great place for schwarma and incredibly fresh and tasty tzasiki.  I don’t personally care for stuffed grape leaves, but if you do, I’m told theirs are among the best.

These Springfield restaurants are just the beginning:

NJCDC and ONH have worked to create a vision and a plan that includes calling upon the stakeholders who can best implement the proposed strategies, and on January 10, 2013, LISC will release these reports, a set of community New Year’s resolutions we can all stick to.  

Northwest Jax and Springfield/Eastside are going to be EPIC!

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Here at JCCI we know all about a process that begins with listening, having a conversation about community needs.  If you weren’t part of the LISC Jacksonville conversations about these neighborhoods, you still have time to tell us about your vision for Jacksonville—for your own neighborhood—as we take the “listen, envision, plan, and really get there!” approach on a city-wide scale.  What can you tell us about what we need to preserve and maintain?  What needs to change?  What is your dream-big vision of Jacksonville in 2025?  Complete the survey on-line at www.jax2025.org (before January 11!), and please encourage your friends, neighbors, and kids to speak up, too.  Then join us at the Prime Osborn Convention Center on January 19.  Together, we can and do transform our community!

Is Jacksonville a senior-friendly city?  If you had joined me and my 86-year-old grandmother at a fairly swanky downtown nightclub for a night of dancing, you might have answered, “Well, no . . . and yes.”  The pretty twenty-something bartender flashed a frown and gave Grandma a sideways look while begrudgingly pouring her a Sprite, but maybe it wasn’t ageism and just annoyance at the non-alcoholic drink order (whether for a designated driver or not).  It wasn’t just the bartender, though.  One bar patron--who was clearly not the designated driver--found it hilarious that this little old lady was on display for her amusement.  The grey hair!  Her frail-looking wrinkled body!  Tipsy Girl reached for her camera phone to take a photo of this side-show moment: a woman who was obviously in the wrong place for her generation.  When I leaned toward the high-top table and gave Tipsy Girl a knowing look, my “Whatcha doin’?” scooted her off.  (My spunky grandmother could have handled her, but I wanted to spare Grandma the shenanigans.)

I know, I know.  There’s a reason well-meaning friends were giggling about our being there, why my dad strongly suggested that I not encourage her to join me.  He knew Grandma was going to be conspicuous.  Did I feel a bit weird being seen with this little old lady?  Well, I have to admit that I expected some looks and wondered if it was appropriate to invade this space that was designed for “young” adults looking to mingle and let their hair down.  I know that the sight of silver hair makes some people shudder at the thought of growing old, and the point of a nightclub is to live it up and relish being young, not to have to dwell on end-of-life planning or feeling like your grandparents may be watching you and judging your nightclub behavior.  Perhaps I should have taken Grandma out for an afternoon tea at a place with a higher lace doily than disco ball ratio.

I hear you, hipsters and socialites.  You think you have nothing in common with my grandmother, and you certainly don’t want to be near a walking reminder of mortality, a visible symbol of responsibilities in making preparations for your aging.  These are taboo topics even in the most sober surroundings.  So I can understand how you may not have wanted to make Grandma feel welcome.

But it was worth sticking around a little longer.  An upbeat, friendly, well-dressed gentleman asking my fun-loving grandmother to dance.  He teased her, too, but this time the teasing was playful, not mocking.  He claimed that she had stolen his seat.  She sassed him back, staking her claim to the best spot from which to watch the dance floor come alive.   He didn’t discriminate against Grandma for being old, something she certainly didn’t wish upon herself or could help.  (You should hear her bemoan her wrinkles.)  He invited her to dance, and in twirling her on the dance floor, he delighted her and the rest of us.  He treated her like a person who enjoyed dancing, not “an old person” who was out of place.  Others smiled, snapping celebratory photos, later commenting on Facebook that my grandma was super cool.  (I know this, but it was nice to see her made truly welcome and celebrated for not letting go of things she was supposedly too old to do, that age-ism, in the end, didn’t fly.)

Later in the night a roller derby girl was surprised to learn that Grandma had been one herself.  Our eyebrows shoot up sometimes when we forget that “old people” have had rich, full lives, that they aren’t just the knitting-in-a-rocking-chair version of themselves we peg them to be now (though my grandmother did crochet me several towels for my kitchen while she was visiting!).  It is sometimes unsettling to discover we are guilty of having bought into stereotypes that limit what we let others or ourselves achieve.  I found myself being overly attentive, constantly asking my grandmother if she wanted to leave.  My hearty grandmother finally set me straight by saying, “They haven’t turned the lights on yet!” as she continued to dance the night away.

So as you think about your vision for Jacksonville for the year 2025, imagine what it will be like for the many elderly citizens who live, work, and play here.  Do we give our elders sideways looks when they voice their concerns, or do we take their ideas for a more senior-friendly city for a twirl? 

What kind of quality of life do our elders have now, and how will things change for them and with them as we achieve our vision for 2025?  When we discuss transportation and mobility in the conversations that determine priorities in our shared vision, how much will we take our growing elderly population into account?   What issues in healthcare will be significant?  How about transit?   The AARP has been exploring how transit affects an older population, and we already know that Jacksonville could stand to be safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

What about mental health?  Our Quality of Life indicators show that elders in our community have an elevated risk of suicide, higher than other adults and youth.  This is not unique to our community, but should our vision for Jacksonville be to become the place where seniors are “Stayin’ Alive”?

Should our community’s shared vision include Jacksonville achieving the Senior-Friendly City designation?

If you want to answer, “Yes!”—whether you are a caregiver for elders, a retiree, or a concerned citizen of any age—then we need you at our January 19 community meeting.  If you’re a retiree, make sure your community’s vision includes you!  If you’re a 20- or 30-something ordering a fancy drink at a swanky club, speak up for your future silver-haired self (or for your grandma!).  And if nothing else, speak up about continuing to build a vibrant downtown, because you never know how important it may still be to you when you’re 86 and haven’t outgrown dancing and being sassy.

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If you want to learn more about issues affecting elders and their caregivers and what you need to do to plan for your future or talk with your family members about theirs, visit our “Am I My Parents’ Keeper?” page and read our Engage Jax “Am I My Parents’ Keeper?” posts.  We have podcasts for listening, fascinating articles, and resources galore. 

And while we’re on the subject, if you are brave like my grandmother and not afraid to embrace the taboo topic of end-of-life decision making, see the documentary, “Consider the Conversation,” a look at the taboo subject of end-of-life.  It airs again on WJCT November 21 at 10:00 p.m., or, if you’re just getting in from the nightclub, again at 4 a.m. on November 22. http://www.wjct.org/tv/schedule/.

Something caught me by surprise when I began working at JCCI as a summer intern. The first major project I had my hands in was “Am I My Parents’ Keeper?” It allowed members of the community to gather and discuss end-of-life decision making for Baby Boomers and “the sandwich generation.”
For most people in their early 20s like me, that doesn’t sound like an immediate issue, right? Wrong.
As people filed in to the weekly meetings and discussed sometimes-uplifting, sometimes-upsetting truths about care-giving, an electric charge filled the room. A tangible sense of community permeated the solemn moments, and then helped us laugh and joke together.  What impressed me most, though, was the grace with which the weekly speakers and attendees alike handled these very delicate topics.

It didn’t matter what the conversation was about. Whether it was an intense discussion of patient rights or a debate over hospice care, everyone involved spoke with dignity and addressed the issues, not people or personalities. Seeing that something as drastic as end-of-life decision making could be handled with such class causes me to squint my eyes at the current political climate.  As the muckraking rages on from both sides of this heated Presidential election, it’s refreshing to see and hear that not all debate of relevant issues must get so ugly.

Funny thing, though. It’s the people who keep a cool head as they present their points, that best seem to handle confrontation assertively, not aggressively. These are the people that I respect the most.

And it’s nice to know I can always find them inside the walls of JCCI’s Conference Room.

Before I tell you this story, you should know two things:  1) I used to host and wait tables at a popular bar and grille, and 2) I am white.

I was teaching freshman composition, using our required textbook’s essays for discussion and response.  The Presence of Others included tales of human triumph and the shameful acts our history reminds us to work against repeating.  Authors prompted discussions of issues of race, gender, religion, and more.

Early in the semester, conversations about race were squirmy at best and silent at worst.  Some of my (predominantly white) students would shake their heads in irritation at the mention of the word “racism”, stating that it was no longer a problem and that it was precisely our insistence on having conversations like these that led to the perception that there was a problem, that if we could just STOP TALKING ABOUT IT, perhaps it could once and for all actually go away.  My minority students sometimes spoke up, sharing their experiences with overt or subtle racism, but they often clammed up, quickly sensing that even if they really had been blatantly mistreated on the basis of race, their classmates had already decided that it was a “chip on the shoulder” issue.  Basically, the message was, “If you think someone’s being racist toward you, you probably have an attitude problem.  Quit making it a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

But by later in the semester, after talking and writing about what authors had to say about life in their society, the stories began to sink in, the conversation sparked a more open dialogue, and the nuances of subtle racism became clearer.  Students of every background recognized stereotypes at work around them and in their own dealings, kicking themselves for not being as “colorblind” as they had envisioned themselves.  White and black students acknowledged their families’ unspoken rules about who they could and could not date and their own “it’s easier” acceptance of these rules.  Black students revealed that family members often spoke more positively about babies with lighter skin and even pinched noses to encourage them to take a less “African” shape.  (See Chris Rock’s documentary Good Hair for a fascinating discussion of race-based beauty standards and the messages we give children through them.) 

By semester’s end, students routinely questioned what they observed, like why Queen Latifah’s skin was significantly lightened on a movie poster (true).  They knew their impatient proclamations that racism was a thing of our past did not align with their peers’ experiences.  Most of these students would come away from the class with a more critical eye of texts in our culture, able to discern that even though they didn't see physical “Whites Only” signs at the ice cream shop, racism was, in fact, not at all “over”.

So . . . in the middle of such a semester, I was meeting an African-American colleague for a late lunch at a popular bar and grille.  She had arrived early and was already seated when I asked the host for a table for two, scanning the almost empty dining area for my friend.  Oh, nevermind.  There she was.  She waved me over to a table in the very back corner.  You know this table, the “bad” table right next to the kitchen entrance.   It has the least ambiance and the most noise.  If you are sitting in it, you get the sense that you have done something wrong and have been put in Time Out.  This is the table the host only seats when the restaurant is slammed and there’s an hour-long waiting list, the “Could we sit somewhere else?” table any other time.

I sat down in the Time Out Corner and looked around at all the appealing empty tables, the confusion apparent on my face.  Before I could say, “Why are we way back here?” My friend read my expression, gave a knowing, resolute chuckle and said, “Oh, I’m used to it.  Happens all the time.”

It was an educational moment for me.  This was the first time I had an “in your shoes” moment like this.  It’s very easy for me to be oblivious to such an experience, even to want to reject its existence.  I could easily have been like my first-day-of-class students and argued that it’s ridiculous to think something like a table seating has anything to do with race “in this day and age”(!), that it must have been a coincidence.  If my friend had returned from lunch with another colleague and described how she had been put at a terrible table because she’s black, I might have been inclined to think that it must have been the only open section at that time, that maybe the host is new and/or slightly stupid, that there must have been any other legitimate reason—and isn’t there a chance you’re misreading cues because you expect racism?  Because, come on, I want racism to be over.   If I insist on believing it, it will be true, right?

But there was no denying it.  I knew better as a previous restaurant employee and as a diner.  I could feel the intentional isolation, the “less than” treatment, and it threw me.  It was unsettling, so outside my normal experience, and so unpleasant for so many reasons.  I knew in my guts that if I had arrived first, we would have been sitting somewhere better.

These things matter, especially when we’re talking about a job or an education, not just a table in a restaurant.  If my brilliant, charming friend and I were to compare resumes, we would be equally viable candidates, but if we were both to apply for a position, I might have an edge that I didn’t earn and that she can’t acquire, no matter how hard she works:  I happen to have been born white.

I am especially heartened by the results of our Race Relations Progress Report:  for the first time in a long time, whites and blacks in our community perceive racism to be a problem.   I recognize that this could mean that more racism is occurring, that it’s more blatant, or even that more white people feel that they are being discriminated against by policies aimed at diminishing disparities.  However, I am heartened in thinking it means existing racism is more evident, that fewer of us are oblivious, and that more of us are aware—without necessarily having had to experience being seated in a corner to recognize that others’ experiences are valid.

This indicator could mean that we’re coming to this community classroom ready to have an open conversation, no longer explaining away our issues, blaming the victims, or believing that talking about racism is the self-perpetuating problem.  If we agree that we have a problem and are willing to talk about it, we can begin to understand it and address it.  This is where the word “progress” rings true in our title’s report.

Get involved in the conversation by learning more in our 2012 Race Relations Progress Report and MOSH’s “RACE:  Are We So Different?” award-winning traveling exhibit.  This exhibit makes a powerful statement about the origin of race, race ideas and the impact they have on American Society, examining the topic from historical, scientific and cultural perspectives in hopes of helping individuals of all ages better understand the origins and manifestations of race in everyday life.

One of the indicators in the Race Relations Progress Report is giving people heartache. The first reaction, from everyone— no matter their worldview or political leaning— is: “Are you sure?” I’ve observed several discussions of this indicator during the fall and winter, and one of the strongest responses to the “are you sure?” question is this: “Data is data. That’s the way it is.”

Below is the indicator that blows everybody’s socks off…

In your opinion during the last year, do you feel that racism is a problem in Jacksonville?

YES

For the first time in 27 years, two seemingly separate trend lines converge. A part of the natural order of things disappeared! According to this indicator, since 1985, Whites and African-Americans in Jacksonville always see the city differently—until 2012. Even the groundbreaking work JCCI published in 2002 concluded, “The wide range of perceptions among Jacksonville’s citizens about past and current racial disparities impedes resolution of all problems in race relations.” 10 years later we don’t have a wide gap in terms of understanding racism as a problem. Oops.

Probably when this indicator began its useful and informative life in 1985, people were in the habit of saying things like “perception is reality.” Even if Whites and African-Americans don’t agree on the existence of racism as a community-wide, structural problem in Jacksonville, this indicator opened the conversation to a shared place to start from: White’s perceptions are not the only perceptions. And if perception is reality, then there is a totally different reality that Whites need to think about.

In 2010 the trend lines were moving apart and a not-surprising 32 percentage point difference separated African-American and White perceptions. That year, 48 percent of Whites thought racism is a problem in Jacksonville while 80 percent of African-Americans felt the same. Two years later, we’re agreeing. And yet many people feel as if we’re living in a divisive time when more of us are camping out on extreme opposite ends of the island with no desire to meet in the middle. So what’s going on with this indicator?

Survey respondents

First of all, let’s talk about the respondents to the question. More than half of respondents refused to say how old they are; however survey respondents are generally older Jacksonville residents. Keep in mind that the telephone survey is conducted between 5:30pm and 9:00pm in the evening and relies mostly on telephones, or what I used in the previous century— a land line. Some of the calls are made to cell phone numbers, not the majority. When JCCI asked a more comprehensive set of questions about race relations in a 2008 survey, the majority of White and African-American responses were from people 50 years and older.

Are older White residents less likely to consider racism a problem in Jacksonville compared to their African-American counterparts? Surprisingly, when the results of the survey are broken out by age, males of both races 65 and older are split on whether racism is a problem: 49 percent say ‘yes’ and 47 percent say ‘no.’ Females of both races 65 years and older are more likely to say it is a problem: 55 percent ‘yes’ and 41 percent said ‘no.’ The remainder refused to answer the question. The only age group who always answered the question about racism was the youngest age group.

Why are older Jacksonville residents responding that racism is a problem, and especially Whites?

The conversation is changing

One reason might be because the context for answering the question has changed drastically since 1985. Race, and specifically the concept of racism, has entered political discourse. From Stand Your Ground debates to the Florida Department of Education and Duval County School Board being accused of soft bigotry of low expectations, media consumers on both ends of the political spectrum hear discussions of race relations frequently nowadays. More of us are hearing and seeing the word “racism” while reading newspapers, blogs, and watching television. Of course, how racism is defined varies greatly. But everyone knows it’s out there. A conservative pundit, James Taranto suggests that Democrats and liberals need racism to be a topic.

Racism goes both ways

Another reason brought up by a JCCI volunteer involves white respondents who feel more vulnerable now than ever. It’s possible that White respondents interpret racism as "reverse racism," and respond to the survey question in those terms. I've seen a lot of bumper stickers, and maybe you have too, suggesting “change” is not needed, a powerful reference to coins, taxes, a movement for racial justice, and the Obama presidential campaigns all wrapped in an easily understood collage of words and color. Perhaps many of us in Jacksonville adjust slowly to the idea of an African-American President and Mayor— within a relatively 3 short years from 2008 to 2011.

Finally, as the indicator’s trend lines converge, we need to take a step back from this chart and celebrate. It’s great that we agree on something. JCCI has a powerful partner in the work of bringing together people with different points of view. OneJax is a wonderful institute within the University of North Florida using the Race Relations Progress Report to educate Northeast Florida leaders, youth, and concerned citizens. OneJax builds understanding and respect across more than racial divides, too.

In 1985 the question, “do you feel racism is a problem in Jacksonville” most likely meant something very different. Back then respondents might have been thinking of racism as an interpersonal problem—referring to racist behavior and racist people. Well, many years of bringing people together in Study Circles, youth attending Metrotown and other bridge-building efforts broadened that definition, and now structural racism is discussed. Structural racism identifies policies, practices, and larger social forces such as unemployment and income that shape our lives. The conversation around racism has changed because of a lot of community building, and this indicator demonstrates that healthy change.

Maybe Jacksonville is moving away from being an Old South city. Now is that reality or just perception?

Name:  Michelle Simkulet

Role with JCCI:  Chief Financial Officer, Director of JCCI Forward, Volunteer Coordinator, Goddess

JCCI: What do you do from 9-5? 

From 9-5, I split my time between being the Chief Financial Officer and the JAX2025 Volunteer Coordinator. After 5, my focus is JCCI Forward, our leadership development program.  In the past 15 years I have held many positions for a variety of JCCI programs. And as with all positions with JCCI, I am focused on the volunteer experience, logistics and supporting the work of the committees.

JCCI:  What do you do outside of work?  

I have had to focus my “loves” in an effort to find more balance but I will always get out of bed at 6am in the cold for theatre, mental health and young people.  Currently, I serve in an officer position on the board of Mental Health of America of Jacksonville. I’ve just finished directing the International Theatre Fest at Theatre Jacksonville and a staged reading of A Lesson Before Dying as part of the WJCT Big Read.  I have planned annual special events like the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund December Holiday Party and Empowerment Resources’ Journey into Womenhood Scholarship Banquet for many years.

JCCI:  How & when did you get involved with JCCI or JCCI Forward?

I moved to Jacksonville on October 31, 1997 and my first day at JCCI was November 12. I briefly went to work for Leadership Jacksonville and a PGA/Ryder Cup contractor but never quite stopped working at JCCI. Ultimately, I was convinced that JCCI was where I belonged.   I was an inaugural member of JCCI Forward but I was not the staff person. That came in 2001. JAX2025 is the newest role for me and I learn something new every day, either about people or the community we live in.

JCCI:  What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

The tech booth at Theatre Jacksonville.  It’s a 4’x 9’  black booth that looms over the audience in the building in San Marco.  Theatre has long been my “comfort food” of activities. Going too long without it makes me unwell.  Sitting up there watching the amazing talent and strength of stories that are shared in this community rejuvenates my soul and spirit. Not everyone can see its beauty or healing properties but those who do are my kin. 

JCCI:  What community issue is on your radar that doesn’t get enough attention right now?

Without question, mental health.  For all.  Everyone. I feel strongly about preventive versus intervention healthcare but in this case I’d settle for more focused intervention.  It seems that although tragedies nationwide have brought more attention to mental health issues, locally it’s a very difficult subject to broach and work on. Funding is tougher because the stigma of being associated with mental health concerns seems to steer people clear.  Yet, I remember when the city was up in arms over the murder rate taking 100+lives per year.  People were willing to show up, speak out and put money in to solve the problem. The suicide rate that year, what I feel to be a highly preventable mortality, took 200+ lives. The rate has been that way for too long and it goes on without notice.

JCCI:  Why is JCCI important to you and Jacksonville?

Action, plain and simple. Everyone can have a say but ‘a say’ is just that. Opinions are like brains, everyone has one. But if you go beyond: Use that brain to learn, get involved and engage in action and see it through…well, that what it is all about.

Name: Carolyn McClanahan

Role with JCCI:  Happy to be a resource to JCCI on all things about health care reform & Guest for March 2013 Mystery Guest Lunch

JCCI:  What do you do from 9-5?

CM:  My primary job is as a financial life planner helping people who need help aligning their finances and their life so they can be on a happy path. My second job is educating physicians and financial planners around the country on the content of the Affordable Care Act.

JCCI:  What do you do outside of work?

CM:  My life outside of “real” work consists of writing for Forbes on health care reform and end of life planning, volunteering as a physician at Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless and We Care, exercising to mitigate how much time I spend sitting on my rear-end, and spending precious time with my wonderful husband and cats. My brain loves to think about the possibilities for making the world a better place.

JCCI:  How & when did you get involved with JCCI, JAX2025 or JCCI Forward?

CM:  I have kept up with the great work of JCCI for years. I was invited to share the vision of health care reform so JCCI can help Jacksonville realize it’s incredible potential in the realm of health care.

JCCI:  What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville? 

CM:  KYV Farm – I have been a member of their community supported agriculture group since exception. Locally grown food is a key to personal and environmental health for our city. We should all eat local as much as possible.

JCCI:  What community issue is on your radar that doesn’t get enough attention right now?

CM:  It gets attention but not the resources – we truly need a pedestrian and bike friendly city if we are going to realize our vision of a healthy city.

JCCI:  Why is JCCI important to you and Jacksonville? 

CM:  Politicians and administrations come and go. JCCI does a great job providing clear ideas and direction for our city on a consistent basis.

Name: Sheree Washington

Role with JCCI: JAX2025 Facilitator and Mystery Guest Lunch Facilitator

JCCI:  What do you do from 9-5?

SW:  At Shands, I am a performance improvement specialist. I work within the quality management department of an academic medical center to improve system processes to strive for the best patient experiences and minimize patient safety issues.

JCCI:  What do you do outside of work?

SW:  I am partially a socialite, I like to get out and meet new people and experience new things. I moonlite as an event planner at times. The other part is a homebody, I love watching movies.

JCCI:  How did you get involved with JCCI, JAX2025 or JCCI Forward?

SW:  I became involved with JAX2025 as soon as I heard about it (via email) sometime in December 2012.

JCCI:  What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

SW:  Huguenot Park! I love that you can drive right up to the water and grill outside of your car, no toting of heavy beach items necessary!

JCCI:  What community issue is on your radar that doesn’t get enough attention right now?

SW:  Nightlife/shopping downtown. It's getting its fair amount of attention in recent times, but I think this area needs a whole lot of work. A city's success can be very dependent on the traffic its downtown generates, not just during the weekdays but at night and on weekends too.

JCCI:  Why is JCCI important to you and Jacksonville?

SW:  It seems as though JCCI and I have a lot in common when it comes to improving the city (educationally and aesthetically). I don't know too much about the organization besides what I've experienced while volunteering for JAX2025, but I'm interested in learning more.

JCCI's Six Questions usually focuses on volunteers, speakers and participants.  But this month, we're turning the tables....and featuring Staff!  Learn more about the folks in the office and let us know what you think!

Name:  Dr. Laura Lane

Role with JCCI:  Vice President and Chief Operations Officer

JCCI:  What do you do from 9-5?

LL: I am Vice President at JCCI and my main work is securing contract work for the organization. I'm about telling people what JCCI does, writing project proposals and then helping get the work done. Last week I sent proposals to a Community Foundation in the Chicago area and one to an agency here in Jacksonville.

JCCI:  What do you do outside of work?

LL: I teach yoga at the University Athletic Center on Wednesday mornings at 6am and also to a handful of employees at the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday evenings. I practice at Bliss Yoga Shala in San Marco. My partner is pretty good at noticing when I haven't been practicing, and she'll say, "do you need to go to yoga?" I'm not a naturally well-adjusted person, so I grab all the support I can get.

JCCI:  How and when did you get involved in JCCI or JCCI Forward?

LL:  I applied for a 6-month contract in fall 2000. I was hired to do some research for the upcoming review of the Quality of Life Indicators. My job was to find all the same data we had for Duval County but for Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Leon, and Orange counties. It totally opened my eyes to where I had been living for 6 years. I parked myself in this guy Ben Warner's  office, and he made me laugh a lot.  When he made really bad jokes I couldn't help but forgive him because he had no idea how bad his jokes really were (he has  a lot more self-awareness now).

JCCI:  What is your favorite hidden gem in Jacksonville?

LL:  We have one of the coolest events in the nation when it comes to marathons and it is coming up next weekend. The 26.2 with  Donna Marathon draws people from all over the U.S. and the world. It's the National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer. People come to Jacksonville for the weekend to  1) support breast cancer research and 2) run on Jacksonville Beach. And the entire Beach community turns out for it. It's very cool because of the cause, it is homegrown, and the marathon shows off our stuff. It's like getting our swagger back on the marathon course.

JCCI:  What issue is on your radar right now and does not get enough attention right now?

LL:  In September, the Jacksonville City Council voted to exclude me from protections ensuring everyone has an opportunity to make it here. I know a lot of people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender who move away from Jacksonville because they think their life will be better elsewhere. I did it, too. I moved back, fortunately. I love Jacksonville even though City Council says it's okay to fire me because I'm a lesbian. I love Jacksonville enough to get mad and stamp my feet but not run away. The part that is not getting enough attention right now is my transgender people. My transgender people deserve a lot more respect than they get.

JCCI:  Why is JCCI important to you and Jacksonville?

LL:  JCCI is important to me because it is where people see how and when they can contribute to the future of their neighborhood and city. I need to work for an ideal and JCCI's ideal is that everyone has a voice, a stake, in the policies and decisions that get made here everyday. JCCI is important to Jacksonville because one of the things we learned in the JAX2025 survey is that people like the small-town feel here. Lots of people want to live in a community with big city amenities. Jacksonville is only going to grow. That doesn't mean that we have to lose the community idea. We can grow and continue to build consensus, engage with each other, and keep the community idea alive.

Get to know Laura, and all the JCCI Staff and volunteers, even better - join us at an upcoming event like our quarterly JCCI 101.  Check out our Calendar of Events for details.

Last Sunday the following appeared on the editorial page of Sunday, Feb. 17th Florida Times-Union:

"Jacksonville has spent great amounts of time and treasure to reduce its state-leading murder rate. Commissions have been formed, a prayer meeting was held at the Veterans Memorial Arena, experts were brought in, Jacksonville Community Council Inc. was enlisted. Yet just about every year more Jacksonville residents die by suicide than by murder-- and it's hardly noticed....Ben Warner, JCCI executive director, said in an email: ‘We'd love to do a study on suicides....The funding climate has changed dramatically, and now anything we undertake has to pass two tests: First (and most important), is this of critical value to the community? If it isn't, we won't do it. But then we have to ask a second question, will someone pay for it?’”

Here's why I think Mike Clark of the Florida Times-Union wants JCCI to conduct an inquiry into suicide: he knows that when it is a citizen-based inquiry, there will be advocacy. The fact is that the editorial piece gave the solution. It states, "Jacksonville needs a mental health walk-in center." That might be true. What Mike knows is that in order to get a mental health walk-in center, citizens need to be behind it. There have to be advocates.

Every improvement to our community costs money. Even changing a policy requires people to operate differently, or new people to be hired. And when we are talking about a public health issue such as suicide, we are talking about public dollars.

I attended two events recently that illustrate why we need a citizen-based inquiry into suicide; an inquiry that will result in a group of citizens ready to advocate for better mental health care in Jacksonville.

First, on February 12, the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida held a press event in Hemming Plaza. After the dignitaries spoke, Moody Chisholm, President and CEO of St. Vincent’s Healthcare, asked for questions. A woman who did not work in community health, public health, or perhaps had not worked in a while was listening and started walking toward Moody. She asked this excellent question: "What will this plan for coordinated health programming mean for people who are chronically ill?"  She mentioned how difficult it is to afford medication. I immediately thought that perhaps she was referring to being chronically mentally ill. At that moment, she was asking an advocate's question: "What will this do to change my life?"

Second, on February 20, the Society for Marketing Professional Services North Florida held a forum on Transportation at UNF. In attendance were highway engineers, geotechnical engineers, architects, lawyers, politicians, and community leaders. The purpose of the forum was to discuss how business and government can collaborate together to reach out to citizens and build support for better roads and mass transit. It was an inspiring meeting because a transportation advocate from Georgia described a campaign for a penny tax that now funds road infrastructure throughout the state.

Citizens do make investments in fly-overs, retention ponds, and better roads. We enlist all the right people to do that for us. We advocate for better roads and our transportation gateway which creates better jobs and a higher standard of living.

I bet that out of the hundred or more people in attendance at that transportation meeting, close to all of us have been touched by a substance abuse or mental health problem in our family, friends, relatives. So why can’t we have a similarly inspiring meeting about mental health?

Mike Clark is right to compare suicide to homicide. In Jacksonville we die from mental illness more frequently than from homicide. And we have experienced a school shooting already.

In 2012, Shane Schumerth, a twenty-eight year-old Spanish teacher was fired at Episcopal School of Jacksonville. Later he killed headmaster Dale Regan and himself.  Schumerth’s family subsequently told the Florida Times-Union that he struggled with depression and paranoia. Citizens need to understand how community mental health influences their risk of experiencing another tragedy. And more importantly, Jacksonville residents want to know how they can advocate for a stronger system of mental health services. A specific gap has already been identified which indirectly affects risk of future tragedy:

-- Psychotic disorders present in early adulthood, between the ages of 18 and 24.
-- No state or federal dollars are available to fund mental health services for young adults over the age of 18.
-- Young adults are less likely to hold a job that affords them health insurance, and less likely to hold insurance that has mental health parity.

We need advocates for better community mental health services in Jacksonville. We need them because there are too many people suffering from severe and persistent mental illness without the support of the health insurance industry-- just like the woman who asked her advocacy question in Hemming Plaza this month.Chronically mentally ill folks often lack support of family or friends, and when they struggle for too long, they end up breaking laws and committing offenses, whether violent or non-violent. As Sheriff John Rutherford has said many times publicly, ‘I am the leader of Jacksonville's largest mental health facility.’

JCCI has engaged citizens in learning and advocacy for mental health. In 2008 JCCI Forward conducted an issue forum on youth suicide. Out of that work, several persons became more engaged in community mental health and advocacy. In fact, the chair of the forum later became Board Chair for our local chapter of Mental Health America, a support, advocacy and education organization. Later, a speakers bureau made presentations to citizens, raising awareness of youth suicide; to understand the warning signs and how to connect to help.

And efforts to coordinate a system mental health care for Jacksonville’s vulnerable children are underway. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration in Washington DC awarded Jacksonville a $9 million grant to get mental health services to children in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. The Women's Giving Alliance focuses its grantmaking on mental health of girls and women.

These pieces (addressing vulnerable youth, females, or suicide) are exactly why Jacksonville needs a citizen-based inquiry into the current state of mental health in our community. Yes, we need programs designed specifically for girls. And we need to be aware of the warning signs of teen suicide. More importantly, our decision-makers, citizens, and politicians need to have a birds-eye view of mental health in Jacksonville. All the pieces must be coordinated so as to be meaningful as a whole, or else we all lose. We cannot afford to not understand the big picture.

And if that is not enough reason to financially support a large-scale inquiry into mental health in Jacksonville, here's another reason: on the horizon are major changes that will affect the life of the woman who asked her question in Hemming Plaza. If indeed she suffers from chronic mental illness, then she knows that health insurance generally discriminates against her illness. A person living with schizophrenia can get a lifetime mental health benefit of 60 days of inpatient hospitalization from insurance. For an illness whose hallmarks include periods of relapse, that is cruel. In 2014, when the Affordable Care Act is implemented, mental health benefits on par with health benefits will be more widely accessible. We all need to understand what these changes will mean for us individually and as a community.

What You Can Do: Tell Jacksonville's leaders how to measure progress towards better community mental health. Attend the March 19 meeting of the JAX2025 initiative and state your views. When we have the vision, the money will follow.

I’ve just learned about this idea of civil society. Last year I would have told you it had to do with garden parties and women curtseying. Now I know better.

An example of civil society is when a corporation sends workers to a school to mentor students. The private sector corporation is working with the local government’s school to educate students. Or it can be when a homeless shelter gets a grant and private donations to keep people off the streets. Food banks, clothes closets, and sliding scale health services are places where citizens, private business and the government come together to improve a community.

It’s not just about poor people. Everyone participates in civil society. Civic organizations, sports associations, clubs (yes even yacht clubs) are organizations using public and private resources to improve lives. Civil society is the time and place where community starts.

One of the best local spokespeople for the role of civil society is Sherry Magill, President of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Below is an excerpt of an interview from the Jacksonville Daily Record. She speaks directly to that part of Jacksonville that brings government, citizens, and the private sector together: Jacksonville’s phenomenal nonprofit sector.

Magill: [I]f you make minimum wage in Florida, you have to work 97 hours a week. That’s two full-time jobs to afford a two-bedroom apartment. A lot has happened over the past four years to working people that is very troubling and very difficult for them to climb out of….What’s happening to the organizations that serve them? This is recent Duval County information — 49 percent of our local nonprofits this year are operating in the red. That’s up from 42 percent. It’s not alarming for an organization to operate a little bit in the red once every three years. But for this increase in the number that are really, really struggling, I find challenging.

I find it challenging, too. Nonprofits are where our arts, culture, human services, and social safety net are founded. Civil society is big: it’s all those libraries, schools, meeting rooms, nonprofits, and service clubs. It’s the key to maintaining a democracy where everyone can have a voice and a place at the table. In countries that want more democratic institutions, they specifically focus on libraries, for instance. One of the building blocks of a strong civil society is a public library system where citizens have access to information they need, meet and plan with other people, and learn.

Yes, information and self-education are done through corporate and independent bookstores and paid websites. However, it’s a public library that aims to level the playing field and provide access to information regardless of income. That is why public funds, our taxpayer dollars, make libraries possible. And why philanthropists like Andrew Carnegie and Betsy Lovett donate to public libraries. It’s also why JCCI staff has plenty to say about our recent Community Works inquiry, which explores options for stable funding for the Jacksonville Public Library. See what civil society can accomplish. Check out the final report now.

“Confusion to the enemy”— frequent toast made by Ed Ball, namesake of downtown Jacksonville office building and Northeast Florida business leader

Bill 2012-296 is a hot debate. During City Hall debates of the bill, citizens referred to JCCI research— both sides referred to our work to make opposing points. As with much of JCCI’s work, two different people will interpret the same facts and arrive at conflicting conclusions. And sometimes the facts are used in unexpected ways. The important thing is that JCCI’s research and analyses are being used right now in discussions about whether to include sexual orientation and gender identity in the City’s anti-discrimination law. See the facts for yourself and decide. And thank you for supporting many years’ worth of community research!

This morning when President Ben Warner talked with Melissa Ross on WJCT's First Coast Connect about JCCI's work with the Check It Out:  Independent Library Funding Inquiry, a caller mentioned this video about book burning at the library in Troy, Michigan.  We thought you might find it interesting.

One of the most exciting parts about working with JCCI is the opportunity to share our work with other communities around the world. With JCCI's new EngageJax! blog, this gives me the chance to share some of the notes from my online journal with a broader audience. I thought I'd begin my Notes from the Road series with some observations from a 2010 trip to Brazil, a country near and dear to my heart. Ainda tenho saudades!

[May 12, 2010] This morning I shared JCCI's 35 years of experience with community engagement, studies, and indicators with a group of business, civic, and political leaders in Apucurana, Brazil. That's located in the state of Parana in the south of Brazil, and is part of the same north Parana region as Londrina.

They're using indicators and community-based studies and civic engagement in tangible ways in the region. I got to meet a number of people representing organizations doing some very good work.

One of the groups that shared their work was the Social Observatory of Maringa. In order for the country as a whole to develop properly, they argued, they really only needed two things: resources, and the correct application of those resources. Unfortunately, according to their data, 32 percent of taxes collected in Brazil are lost to corruption. The people of Maringa organized and took action. Their Social Observatory goes carefully through the local government budget and finances, looking for cost reductions in what is spent, ensuring the money is spent for the public good, and checking to make sure the government received what it paid for. They have saved millions by ensuring that the costs for goods and services paid by the government are in line with the local market, that purchases are made only for what is really needed, and that what is delivered meets contract specifications. In one instance, they made sure every school had a scale they could use to measure the amounts of goods purchased, since some vendors had been significantly shorting the school system. Just by being there, they've increased the sense of risk for would-be defrauders of the government. And by catching problems up front, they save real money, since the government's approach to catching fraud seldom results in full recovery even if there's a conviction. The key to the program is 3,000 volunteer hours a year to create real transparency in government. Pretty amazing stuff.

CODEM Maringa is another civic organization focused on local development. They want to connect government and the community together to work for the common good. They use indicators to measure progress and studies to find solutions to economic development. Their challenge, like many others, is how you define "community" -- participation in these efforts appears restricted to the usual community suspects, and adding new voices to the table is difficult.

We heard from a couple of others, including the Forum Desenvolve Londrina (who intentionally patterned themselves after JCCI seven years ago and is making great progress), and then I shared some case studies around the JCCI Model for Community Improvement.

By the time we headed out for the local churrascaria, we had seen a number of examples that showed us:

1. The future of a community is too important to let happen by chance or at the whims of the few. Community involvement is critical to both designing and creating/implementing your desired future.
2. Community indicators are critical tools for measuring progress, creating shared community priorities, engaging institutions in solutions, and evaluating the results of changes made.
3. Civic-minded people are the same the world over, no matter what language they speak.

JCCI makes democracy work - that's why after 15 years, I still love this organization.

Now that I'm approaching 15 years of working with JCCI, I'm often asked what brought me to the organization and what keeps me here. I'd like to share a few thoughts on why I feel that JCCI is such an important part of our community, and why we've been helping communities around the world set up their own JCCI's for close to three decades.

Scott London wrote a piece called Doing Democracy that captures, I think, the heart of our work. 

When Alexis de Tocqueville toured the United States in the 1830s and 1840s, he marveled at Americans’ propensity for civic participation. “Americans of all ages, all conditions and all dispositions constantly form associations,” he famously wrote. ... What was distinctive about these civic organizations, Tocqueville observed, was not just how numerous and variegated they were, but how they embodied what he saw as a unique and distinctly American understanding of democracy. Associations were the means by which Americans acted together in pursuit of their common goals and aspirations. They were carriers of what he called “habits of the heart”—the essential beliefs and practices that shape our character as democratic citizens.

But today, civic participation -- the underpinnings of successful democracy -- is at risk across the country. "Once a nation of joiners, we’ve become a nation out of joint, more disconnected from each other and from our communities than ever," London adds, quoting the work of Robert Putnam. 

So what do we do to make our democracy work? Suzanne Morse, in her book Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Use Strategic Thinking to Build a Brighter Future, devotes a chapter to Practicing Democracy. In it, she writes, "Evidence shows that education, dialogue, and deliberation can make the public more aware of the seriousness of local problems and can provide a catalyst for addressing those problems. In turn, greater public involvement may encourage a culture of collaboration, which not only solicits citizen participation but also encourages and expects it. In turn, the public requests and accepts responsibility for helping solve community challenges. At its best, community problem solving can harness the energy and enthusiasm of citizens working together, putting their talents to work to address problems, and at the same time promote a sense of ownership over the processes and outcomes of democratic community life."

The example she uses to show how civic participation works in communities? Jacksonville Community Council Inc. Of us, Dr. Morse said, "In my judgment, this is the preeminent non-partisan civic organization in the country."

So why have I worked at JCCI for the past 15 years, and why am I still excited about coming to work each day? Because at JCCI, we make a difference. Because we truly believe in the bold idea that together we can build a better community. Because I see it happening every day.

Professor Daniel Schafer wrote: “There is a spirit alive in JCCI; it is the spirit of thousands of civic volunteers who have come to the aid of their beleaguered community from the 1880s until the present.” Thank you for being one of them. 

I'm in Washington DC for the annual conference of the National Association of Planning Councils. JCCI is a founding member of this organization, which brings together like-minded organizations from around the country (and Canada!) to improve the human condition through encouraging research-based community planning and action. These are organizations that, like JCCI, bring people together to identify needs and work toward solutions, mobilizing community involvement, developing and coordinating services, advocating for informed decisions by funders and policy makers, and linking people with community resources. 

The conference began in the U.S. Capitol, where we met with Howard Hogan, Chief Demographer of the U.S. Census Bureau, who presented detailed information about where we are as a country and where the trend lines are heading. This sparked a rich discussion of the trends we needed to be paying attention to in local communities that will affect economic development, social service delivery, and the types of issues we're going to be facing in the next 50 years.

Melissa Boteach, Executive Director for the Half in Ten Campaign, challenged us to think bolder about how we address the human condition, and showed that bold visions were attainable.

Leaders of community-based organizations in Dallas, Chicago, and Tulsa spoke of the impacts of poverty and changing demographics on communities, and how their organizations were addressing the issues.

We brought together representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, Housing and Urban Development, Department of Transportation, National Association of County and City Health Officials, Office of National Drug Control Policy, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, and me (representing JCCI and the local community perspective.) We talked about the need for cross-jurisdictional and cross-disciplinary collaboration to address the kinds of issues we were seeing across the nation and in local communities, with the clear understanding that no single agency had within their purview the kinds of things that had to happen if they were to be successful in their missions. In order to efficiently and effectively serve community needs, we have to break down the silos between the programs and initiatives to reach people where they are. We took local examples as talking points to engage in a three-hour conversation to find out how to really get good work done.

By the time we were through, we had a greater understanding of the barriers that Federal agencies have in working together, where they are making progress, and how we can better braid and blend programs. We also clarified some of their regulatory statements to find ways to open up systems to better serve individuals and families. And they heard from us on where what they were doing was helping, and where it was not. Special thanks to Vanessa Sarria from the Community Action Network for her facilitation -- panelists remarked that it was among the best they had ever experienced.

The conference is continuing. I will be presenting the work of JAX2025 to the conference later. But I wanted to let you, the supporters of JCCI's work, know how proud I was to represent the work you have been doing for so many years to come together to learn, engage, and act for community change. Your willingness to address community issues outside of traditional silos and systems has helped our community make a real difference in people's lives. And from what we've learned so far in the conference, it's the only way we're going to face the next 50 years successfully. 

I'm quite excited that JCCI's Community Works arm is able to help the Local Initiative Support Corporation in their Building EPIC Communities effort. We're working with two partners, Northwest Jacksonville CDC and Operation New Hope, to bring together residents and others to envision better neighborhoods.

This is being done alongside and in conjunction with JAX2025, a vision for the entire community.  Just as we will be doing beginning on January 19 for the larger city, each of the two EPIC neighborhoods (Northwest Jacksonville and Springfield/Eastside) are imagining a better future for their neighborhoods, identifying specific goals, measures, and targets, and then developing a plan of action to build the neighborhood they imagined.

The turnout has been inspiring, with participants coming together from different perspectives and backgrounds -- renters and homeowners, business owners and service providers, people who have been active in the community for years and those just beginning to connect with their neighbors.

The visions they are creating are unique to each neighborhood, and at the same time speak to universal desires for strong, safe, vibrant communities.

I would like to offer my thanks to all those who have been coming to the meetings to work through the tough questions we're posing, and offer an invitation to all those who live in these neighborhoods who haven't joined in yet to discover how they can be a part of the conversations.

And for those who don't live in these neighborhoods, your chance is coming in January to envision what a better Jacksonville might look like for the year 2025.

The JAX2025 Surveys are starting to come in. The response has been terrific, and we're well on our way to our goal of 10,000 surveys. (If you haven't filled out your survey yet, go do so and then come back. I'll wait.)

I'm seeing a lot of optimism about Jacksonville. "This is my hometown!" one person wrote. Another added what they liked most about Jacksonville: "The beach, my family living nearby, the growing art culture and synergy around revitalizing downtown, the friends I have made, the historic boroughs that surround downtown. Jacksonville has tremendous potential. There is a big opportunity here to be an agent of change." Another: "It is a real city of manageable size with great growth potential."

Others told us that they liked "The people-Jacksonville is full of friendly and hardworking people." "The influx of innovative ideas coming from young people." "People are friendly. When there's a crisis, people rally together." "Friendliness." "I love this city. It offers everything that someone would need to raise a wonderful family. There are choices."

I'm also reading a lot of frustration. Frustration at missed opportunities, laws that didn't pass, systems that don't work as well as they should, a sense that the community is fractured into smaller pieces based on geography, neighborhood, race and ethnicity, income, orientation, and more. A lack of cohesion. A lack of identity. "The average person doesn’t have a sense of pride to be a part of Jacksonville. Therefore they don’t care about making it better. We need to change that. Make people WANT to be a part of Jax."

But mostly what I see is hope -- a sense that we CAN make a difference, that we MUST do something. "Jacksonville is a somewhat divided city-ie Northside, Southside and Westside, with the river running right through the middle. Engage all residents in a vibrant center (downtown). Hopefully all residents will feel a part of "one" Jacksonville and embrace its beauty and welcoming spirit." "Our city needs to give its wealth of promising young leaders a chance to tackle the problems we haven't been able to solve." "I think we need to do all we can to build a sense of community." "The community and government must come together to make Jacksonville the best it can be."

And perhaps my favorite comment so far:

"I have grown up with this city and returned after college to work and raise a family here. I want to be part of a city not just reside in one."

If you haven't yet done so, I urge you to be a part of this city. Join with us in JAX2025 so we can make Jacksonville the best it can be. And if you have already filled out your survey, get your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, congregation, and anyone else you can to fill out a survey as well.  We need everyone's voice!

I joined JCCI in 1998. The first three tasks I was assigned (all at once!) were to staff the volunteer implementation task forces for the recently completed studies on The Role of Nonprofit Organizations and Incentives for Economic Development, as well as staff a new study on Arts, Recreation, and Culture in Jacksonville. One of the first volunteers I met was Tony Bates. He was there to ensure that the city adopted new policies governing the use of economic incentives, and to also lend his opinion about the proper role of government in funding the arts. (If you knew Tony, you know the answer to that question.)

Tony was passionate about Jacksonville. He was involved in any way he could be to see that taxpayer money was spent properly, that people did their homework before making decisions that might affect the lives of people in the county, that leaders took their roles seriously and were responsive to the people. He was a fixture at City Hall, and a constant voice at JCCI. He kept the conversations honest, and was agreeable in his disagreements. Everything we did was better for having had his input.

This morning, Tony Bates passed away. I think I speak for everyone in the JCCI family when I say that he will be missed.

But never, ever forgotten.

The Quality of Life Review Committee had an interesting discussion last week. They discussed the trend line showing the percent of births to single mothers. The trend line shows that nearly half (47.5%) of all births in Jacksonville are to single mothers. The committee found this alarming.

The increase in the percent of births to single mothers is a concern because children born to single mothers are more likely to grow up poor. A recent research brief from ChildTrends covers the national picture of single mothers and poverty. Two Generations of Poverty: Status and Trends Among Parent and Children in the United States, 2000-2010 offers national data on the issue of single-mothers, children and poverty. Below are some interesting facts.

• Children growing up in single-mother households experience higher rates of poverty (46.9%) than those growing up in married-couple households (11.6%). The chart below shows percent of poor and low-income children as well as when recessions have occurred.

It is clear that family structure influences the likelihood of a child growing up low-income or poor. And Jacksonville's increase in the percent of children born to single-mothers suggests that we are not improving the odds for our children.

This morning, on First Coast Connect, Karen Brune Mathis interviewed John Delaney, President of University of North Florida. (Check out the interview on the July 9 podcast). He was asked about one of his major accomplishments as Mayor of Jacksonville (1995-2003). In 2000, the fifth year of his mayoral administration, Jacksonville voters approved the Better Jacksonville Plan which made possible widening, repairing, repaving, and resurfacing of roads, a new Main Library and several branches, the new baseball park and Arena as well as the Courthouse. Delaney described the logic behind the project. He said that Jacksonville was already a great place to live— and everyone knew that. He wanted to make it even better. Don’t settle for what we have: make Jacksonville outstanding. And voters agreed.

Today, after the worst financial crisis since the Depression and a jobless recovery that continues to stagnate at an 8.2 unemployment rate in the U.S., it is no surprise that few of us are in the mindset to “think big and spend big.” The money just isn’t there.

This shift in thinking makes sense. And yet, what happened to our dreams about making Jacksonville great?  Did the voters in the 2000 election booth think of themselves primarily as taxpayers or citizens of Jacksonville – or both? And what is the difference between thinking of yourself as a citizen or a taxpayer? It’s a question that gets at some of what makes this country great. On the one hand, we govern ourselves in a democratic political order by voting as citizens, even voting to tax ourselves. On the other hand, in order to govern ourselves, local, state, and federal government requires individuals and corporations to pay taxes, taking money out of our pockets.  This often sets up a tricky tightrope to walk. How much governing of ourselves do we want? And how much of our community should be built without government and taxation? These questions are always being answered by elected officials and legislators who pay attention to voters’ views. The important thing is to work through to answers that are satisfactory to as many voters as possible.

Thomas Friedman meditates on this issue of governance at the federal level in two pieces he wrote recently. He thinks that in Washington D.C. the ‘how much governance and taxation’ questions are not being answered. Instead, people are digging in their heels and not working on solutions. In “Down with Everything,” he asks:

Friedman thinks the federal government is paralyzed, in part, by “political divisions [that] have become more venomous than ever.” He thinks what has become more important to us is our political stripe and the ability to block the opponent than our ability to work together and solve problems.

Another piece, “The Fear Factor,” discusses how incredibly lucky we are. U.S. citizens have something extremely powerful: it transcends all the divisions, differences, and identities we live in and through.  We have citizenship. We’ve had a long, hard struggle to develop our idea of citizenship. Put simply, we aren’t as afraid of each other—at least not as afraid as people in countries where democracy is a new and unreal concept.

A citizen thinks beyond their own interests to the interests of others; a citizen thinks about the entire city, state, or country. When we say that we govern ourselves that means that we are governing ourselves as a group, not as a series of individuals who have a personal responsibility to what individuals need, want, and can have.

This is the beauty of JCCI: we have taxpayers, and the people who represent taxpayers, come into our meeting room and talk about projects involving taxes— for example, the public library funding project we just wrapped up. Participants agreed that in order to have a great library system, Jacksonville needs to have a better way of funding it. It’s not necessarily a tax increase. However, it does involve voters approving a referendum in the election booth—just like the Better Jacksonville Plan was approved. At JCCI, some individuals aligned with Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County stood up and voiced their opinion against the majority in the room, which was great. The decision-making process didn’t stop, and the discussions carried on. It was democratic, not vetocratic.

As citizens we are all responsible for how our taxes are spent by our local city government. Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County is a great resource for active, engaged citizens keeping an eye on public spending here in Jacksonville. Citizens are already working on the recommendations in Check It Out: Independent Public Library Funding, and you can keep up with those developments. For example, look at this recent news report about the library budget or listen to a June 20 podcast featuring JCCI’s President, Ben Warner and Harry Reagan, President of the Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library .

JCCI is proud of all its volunteers working to make Jacksonville a great place to live, work, and play. And there are a lot of volunteers! Come join us—you can see our upcoming projects on JCCI’s community calendar.

Villages raise children…tides lift boats…metaphors abound. I’ve always loved poetry and metaphors. And I’m learning to love numbers and data. One of my favorite explanations of how words and numbers do the same thing is from Ann-Marie McDonald, a Canadian writer.

A recent book by Chris Benner and Manual Pastor, Just Growth, uses numbers to tell a story of progressive social improvement. The authors ask whether there are U.S. cities planning for economic growth that closes the racial and income gaps in our country.

Their first and only question is “[h]ow economic prosperity and social inclusion come together, specifically the political, policy and planning processes that allow that to happen.”

They end up finding “[f]our cases that emerged as performing relatively well on both growth and equity in the 1980s and 1990s” The Northeast Florida region is a “growth with equity region.” The other regions named in Just Growth are Kansas City, Nashville, and Columbus.

So what are these “[p]atterns of growth and equity” they found in these four regions? They looked at specific data suggesting poverty decreased, racial inequities decreased, and more people earned degrees as economic growth occurred. The markers of increased equity include: percent of people at poverty level, concentration of high poverty in a few census tracts that are predominantly African-American, the median black income relative to median white income, and whether more people are college-educated. They looked at one time span— from 1980 through 2007. And Jacksonville is one place that rose to the top.

“According to the Brookings Institution, Jacksonville was the tenth best metro area in the United States (amongst the 100 largest metros) at preserving its middle class; although the share of middle-class households dropped by an average of 10.7 percentage points between 1970 and 2005, in Jacksonville it declined by only 3.9 percentage points.”

And why is Jacksonville able to ensure more people benefit from overall economic prosperity? Lots of reasons. And one of those reasons is because Jacksonville has JCCI.

It goes back, actually, to democratic citizenship. It goes back to the roots of JCCI. The researchers found that JCCI, over the years, has created a culture of collaboration between the sectors working together in the civil society.

The reason this book singles out JCCI is because we get all the players to the table and ask questions from citizens’ points-of-view. And that’s rare.

Jacksonville has had the benefit of consistent and trusted citizen-based planning over 38 years. Because of this, people expect to work together and plan for everyone to get in the boat. We know we can collaborate and get right to it.

And what about the Great Recession? The researchers asked that question, too. “Did our categorizations hold up in recent years— and, in particular, how did our case study metro regions fare in the Great Recession?” Well, Jacksonville hasn’t been as strong a community in terms of maintaining equity through the Great Recession. “Jacksonville seems to be an exception to the rule that our earlier categorizations” suggest. “However, that seems to be a function of being in Florida”— after all, ground zero for the housing crisis was in Florida.

Looking at the eight largest Florida metro areas during the Great Recession, the researchers found that Jacksonville was second best in terms of employment growth and above the median in terms of worsening poverty (poverty did not grow in Northeast Florida as fast as it did elsewhere in Florida).

Just Growth is saying, by way of its analysis of data, that Jacksonville is a good community where residents are working together so everyone thrives. Let’s be proud of that.

JAX2025 Ten Targets Series: Health

What specific strategies would YOU like to see implemented in regards to the Health Target? To put your voice in the discussion, join the next JAX2025 community visioning event on Saturday, April 27th.

The next JAX2025 meeting discussing strategy implementation will take place Saturday, April 27th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Parking and entrance is free, with coffee provided. For more information and to register for the event, visit www.JAX2025.org.

JAX2025 Ten Targets Series: Arts & Entertainment

What specific strategies would YOU like to see implemented in regards to the Arts & Entertainment Target? To put your voice in the discussion, join the next JAX2025 community visioning event on Saturday, April 27th.

The next JAX2025 meeting discussing strategy implementation will take place Saturday, April 27th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Parking and entrance is free, with coffee provided. For more information and to register for the event, visit www.JAX2025.org.

The first three JAX2025 meetings have provided citizens a chance to voice their opinions on what they wish to see in Jacksonville’s future. Taking a look at the “vision statements” for the year 2025.

Thousands have gathered at the Prime Osborne Convention Center over the past three months to participate in envisioning a future for Jacksonville. These visioneers met in January to decide which priorities the initiative would focus on over the last twelve years.

From that event, Ten Targets were elected (in no particular order):

Arts & Entertainment, Clean & Green, Diversity, Downtown & Neighborhoods, Economy,
Education, Governance, Health, People, and Transportation.

At the second meeting in February, visioneers convened again to create draft vision statements for each Target. Then, the third and most recent meeting in March provided visioneers a chance to decide which metrics to select and track in order to ensure that the vision for each Target was on track to come to fruition.

At the March meeting, visioneers were able to hear the finalized vision statements for each of JAX2025’s Ten Targets. They are, again in no particular order of importance, as follows:

In 2025, Jacksonville’s creative community fuels a vibrant Arts and Entertainment scene.

Art and culture is integrated into the fabric of Jacksonville, with creativity and innovation contributing to the economic vitality of our city. Jacksonville teems with artists and active audiences alike, with an abundance of options to experience and participate in the arts community. Jacksonville is known as a destination for international arts festivals, major sporting events, and world-class entertainment.

In 2025, Jacksonville is a Clean and Green city.

Jacksonville is a national leader in sustainability, stewardship, preservation and conservation by integrating environmental ethics in our everyday life. Our naturally lush environment is preserved, as the St. Johns River and its tributaries, the ocean and beaches, and Jacksonville’s green spaces are accessible, interconnected, and interwoven into the fabric of our community.

In 2025, Jacksonville is renowned as a Diverse and inclusive community.

Jacksonville welcomes all residents and visitors with dignity and respect.  Ours is a diverse community in many dimensions that carefully protects the rights of all its citizens, regardless of gender, gender identity, faith, race, ethnicity, age, disability, national origin, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or marital or family status.

In 2025, Jacksonville’s distinctive Neighborhoods flourish, along with our Urban Heart.

Jacksonville’s rich array of distinctive neighborhoods, each with its own historic character and irresistible experiences, are livable, walkable, and safe. They converge in the city’s dynamic central neighborhood, Downtown, which is a business powerhouse fostering an entrepreneurial spirit and our community’s 24-hour epicenter of first-class arts, culture, sports, and unique shopping opportunities.

In 2025, Jacksonville’s vibrant Economy is a global magnet for new business.

Government and civic leadership actively promote the growth of diversified industry that keeps our cost of living low and quality of life high.  We work together to reduce poverty and promote financially secure families and individuals in stable and affordable housing. Our quality of life, business environment, and innovative, well-educated workforce foster an economically resilient community.

In 2025, Jacksonville prioritizes excellence in Education at every age.

Jacksonville challenges, prepares, and actively engages learners at every stage in life. We are a community of teachers who infuse learning and a sense of discovery in everyday activities within Jacksonville. Our schools and libraries are a hub, connecting caregivers with community resources so that the whole child thrives, competes in the global economy, and contributes fully here at home.

In 2025, Jacksonville thrives due to exemplary Governance.

Well-informed citizens actively engage to solve problems together with outstanding elected officials. Jacksonville’s diverse representative leadership is accessible, fiscally responsible, and accountable for delivering public services in a cost-efficient manner.  Our transparent, ethical public policy reinforces effective financial investment in common goods.

In 2025, Jacksonville is among the Healthiest communities in the country.

Our region’s health research and delivery industry catalyzes the economy and provides high quality and accessible healthcare to all, emphasizing prevention and wellness. Jacksonville residents have affordable care, including mental health, vision, and dental, and maintain a healthy lifestyle, with access to healthy food, safe housing, and neighborhoods built for active lifestyles.

In 2025, Jacksonville is a place where People matter.

Front-porch friendliness and kindness inspire our service and philanthropy, as people are Jacksonville’s highest priority. We promote well-being among all citizens through all stages of life, connecting people to resources to ensure everyone has the opportunity to have their needs met, from earliest childhood through the dignity of aging. We retain the best of our small-town past in a metropolitan population.

In 2025, Jacksonville is a regional hub of smooth Transportation.

Our region is a recognized leader in our commitment to unrestricted movement, utilizing smart technology and connectivity to move people and cargo safely and efficiently. Sustainable multi-modal mass transit reliably connects the region’s unique neighborhoods, suburbs, downtown and the beaches, and is part of a network of transportation options including walking, biking, driving, and riding.

The final JAX2025 meeting will take place on Saturday, April 27th, where visioneers both old and new will convene again; this time to decide what strategies to implement for each of the Ten Targets. Following the final meeting, the official JAX2025 Vision will be released to the city in May at a celebratory event downtown. Then the vision statements will be put into action by implementing the chosen strategies and tracking the selected indicators over the next twelve years. Everyone across the city is encouraged to be engaged to ensure that we reach our shared vision together.

The next JAX2025 community visioning event will take place on Saturday, April 27th from 9-11 a.m. at the Prime Osborn Center. Doors open at 8:30, with free parking and refreshments. For more information and to register for the meeting, please visit www.JAX2025.org.

With its largest group in attendance yet, the JAX2025 community visioning event held on Tuesday, March 18th brought visioneers together to discuss measurements of change. Taking a look at scenes from that meeting.

Excitement was building at the Prime Osborn Convention Center last Tuesday. The third JAX2025 community visioning event had a new feeling to it, as both previous events had taken place on a Saturday morning. This event was a Tuesday evening- visioneers were coming from work and from school, still dressed in their uniforms, wearing their work badges and school backpacks. It might’ve been expected that they were tired, but instead, they were enthused.

“I’m ready!” one visioneer told us as he walked in the door. “Let’s do this.”

As the group flooded in, they chose where to sit based on which of the ten Targets they wanted to discuss first.

“I’m ready to talk about mental health care,” another visioneer said as she arrived. “Where should I go?”

Mayor Alvin Brown sits down with visioneers to listen to their ideas for the city's future.

Visioneers immediately began making connections. As people sat down at their chosen tables, conversations started and business cards were exchanged. The room was buzzing with energy by the time JCCI President & CEO Ben Warner took to the podium to explain how the evening’s discussions would be structured.

“Lasting, real community change begins with a Vision,” Warner told the visioneers. “On February 2, we took the priorities set at the January meeting to create strong statements of Vision to guide us in our aspirations for what we want Jacksonville to become.”

“A Vision without measures of accountability is just a dream. Today we will take the Vision Targets and add to JAX2025 ways we want to measure progress. That will provide the knowledge we need to move forward.”

Warner challenged the Visioneers to discuss what measurements to track in order to know where Jacksonville stood in relation to the vision JAX2025 would lay out.  “We will need to continually evaluate our results to see where we need to focus further efforts,” Warner continued.  “You will see regular reports highlighting progress and targeting areas of concern through the year 2025 as we continue to move toward our vision.  Because the goal of JAX2025 is not just to Imagine It, but also to Reach It.”

President & CEO of JCCI, Ben Warner.

Each of the tables under the ten Targets had sheets available for the visioneers, asking them “What do we need to know?” and “How might we measure it?” Additionally, the sheets had printed on the back which measurements had been used in the past in relation to that specific Target.

Then, the conversations took over. The most interesting aspect of the meeting, as with all JAX2025 meetings, was the incredible diversity at each table. People sat together from different backgrounds, genders, races, age groups, businesses, interests, and agendas. Looking around the room, it was clear that the event was facilitating conversations between Jacksonville citizens who might never have met each other and exchanged ideas otherwise.

Of course it wasn’t perfectly smooth sailing. When the topic is as serious as the future of your city, emotions are bound to be involved. One of the first things visioneers had identified about Jacksonville is the love its citizens have for the city. Everyone involved in the discussion had their own specific ideas on how to improve the city, and while not all those ideas matched, each visioneer wished to see the initiative succeed. Through the structure of the conversations and the help of the JAX2025 facilitator volunteers, each table remained incredibly civil and productive- working through disagreements and honoring every opinion. If you had to choose one word to describe the environment of that Tuesday, it would be consensus.

Visioneers engaged in discussions.

After a short break, visioneers moved to a table under a new Target in order to cross-pollinate ideas and have a chance to work on a different area of focus. Finally, at near the end of the event, visioneers were called upon for one final task.

“Now that you have been working on the details of the Vision Plan, I’d like you to take a mental step back and think about what’s most important for Jacksonville,” Warner asked the crowd. “If you had to describe with power and clarity what kind of city we’re trying to create, what would it be? In two or three words, describe the desired identity for Jacksonville – what is (or should be) our heart and soul? What are we striving to become? This is not a marketing slogan but an internal statement of power and purpose – if you had to describe the city we want to be, what kind of city is Jacksonville? A brainpower city, a city of connections, a friendly city, a laid-back beach city, a sustainable city – where’s our core motivator?”

Visioneers then went to work transcribing their words for the city. The results of the meeting are being entered and tabulated by the JAX2025 team, in order to find consensus and help finalize the Vision Plan for Jacksonville’s future.

These visioneers show their ideas on a future identity for Jacksonville.

We spoke with Mayor Brown, an active visioneer and Honorary Chair of JAX2025 during the event. “I think that JAX2025 is important because it gives us the ability as a community to engage and empower from the bottom up,” the Mayor told us. “It also gives us the chance to have a shared vision, and reminds us as a city that we are all in this together.”

From the Mayor himself, to the school board members in attendance, to the young professionals who showed up, to the teenagers that got involved, it is true: we are all in this together. This is our future planning for our city, and the time to start making that happen is now.

The entire community is invited to the next and final JAX2025 community visioning event on Saturday, April 27th from 9-11 a.m. at the Prime Osborn. Doors open at 8:30, with free parking and coffee. For more information and to register for the event, visit www.JAX2025.org.

As JAX2025 continues to shape its vision of Jacksonville’s future, taking a look at how past studies and attempts for change across the city are being taken in to account and utilized.

Imagining change for a city’s future is difficult to do without a clear understanding of where it is today. JCCI, the organization facilitating the JAX2025 movement, has as one of its primary purposes the ability to measure progress and help residents learn about the community. JCCI reports are utilized throughout the community as a sort-of litmus test of the city’s socio-economic climate. The annual Quality of Life Progress Report and Race Relations Progress Report are prime examples of these timely, community-minded inquires. Yet in working to envision a shared future for Jacksonville with JAX2025, it is not only essential to understand the state of current affairs, but is equally as important to look to the past.

One of JCCI’s primary goals in creating JAX2025 was to ensure that history would not repeat itself. Studies and inquiries have been held numerous times in Jacksonville’s past to find out how to improve the city. There has even been a similar community visioning process: Jacksonville Insight in 1992. (For more information on the Jacksonville Insight process and history, read our article here.) The issue with Jacksonville Insight’s goals coming to fruition is that while its outcome provided a vision for the city’s future, there was never a clear plan of action as to who would execute the plan, and how. Former Mayor Ed Austin’s office did the majority of the work that was a result of Jacksonville Insight, and the process sunsetted shortly after the end of his term.

Photo courtesy @mister_winter, via #igersjax.

JCCI studied the methodology of Jacksonville Insight with the goal in mind of insuring that JAX2025’s action plan would have a solid foundation, and could last through the changing of civic administrations. As an organization, JCCI has worked with other communities on similar initiatives, most notably San Antonio, a city reminiscent of Jacksonville in regards to its problem areas. JCCI worked along with Mayor Julián Castro to help create SA2020, San Antonio’s own community-visioning process. It has now been nearly two years since SA2020’s vision was announced to the public, and San Antonio has seen many remarkable changes in their community due to the fact that they had a strong implementation strategy as part of their vision. (For more information about SA2020 and how JAX2025 is looking to match its success, read our article here.)

Not only has JCCI relied on studying past visioning processes to help form JAX2025, they have also collected over two hundred and thirty reports, visions, and plans concerning Jacksonville issues from the past twenty years. A great resource themselves, JCCI has created and published numerous community reports since its inception, and their data alone provided a comprehensive cross-section of the community. Additionally, the organization collected and catalogued reports from other area organizations, agencies, and institutions. Together, all of these studies were combined into a “Vision Scan.”

Take a look at the JAX2025 Vision Scan by clicking here.

The Vision Scan provided JCCI with the means to review studies on almost every topic Jacksonville has encountered over the past two decades. The scan included data from Jacksonville’s Comprehensive Plan, the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, the Transit Mobility Plan, the Health Needs Assessment, and the United Way to name just a few.  From the results of compiling this scan, JCCI was able to track themes that emerged and measure changes in the city both positive and negative. The themes identified from analyzing the Vision Scan helped develop the community survey that JAX2025 used to introduce itself to the city’s residents. The survey asked questions based on information learned from the Vision Scan, in order to gauge if the current community response would accurately reflect the lessons learned from the scan.

Photo courtesy @jeremiahcowan, via #igersjax.

Over 14,000 responses later, the JAX2025 team utilized the survey results to produce concurrent themes that needed to be addressed. The results provided what Jacksonville residents loved about the city, as well as what they would like to see change over the next twelve years. This way, JAX2025 is not only working off of the ideas that the community has voiced today, but the theme and ideas of the past as well.

Themes, data, and strategic implementations were not the only benefits of this Vision Scan. The other essential component the scan provided was how this data was collected and measured. Through the results of the scan, the JCCI team was able to view which indicators were used to calculate change and success in the past, and get an idea of how successful these measurement methods were. One of the most essential components of the JAX2025 process is the careful selection of which indicators to use to track the movement’s success over the next twelve years. The Vision Scan allowed JCCI to truly learn from the past so JAX2025 could expand upon the work that has already occurred rather than start from ground zero.

Photo courtesy @sdogisthename, via #igersjax.

This notion and practice of honoring and learning from the past is what could end up being the defining reason of success for JAX2025. JCCI recognized that in this situation, the whole would have to be greater than the sum of its parts. A community visioning process is already a lofty ideal, and JCCI acknowledged the importance of grounding the idea as much as possible by giving it real, quantifiable context. The Vision Scan was an important tool for evaluating what went before, and it has the potential for being the cornerstone of the foundation of Jacksonville’s future.

The next JAX2025 community visioning event will take place on Saturday, April 27th from 9-11 a.m. at the Prime Osborn Center. Doors open at 8:30, with free parking and coffee. For more information and to register for the meeting, please visit www.JAX2025.org