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Volunteer Diane DesPlantes explains how the 'Listening Session' works. |
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Attendees wait for session to start. |
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The 'Access to Healthcare' table hard at work. |
Mayor Adrian O. Mapp's Plainfield Vision 2025 project got off to a good start Wednesday evening with a "listening session" on health, human and social needs.
Chief of Staff John Stewart Jr. welcomed approximately 50 attendees and explained the goal of the "Plainfield Vision 2025" project -- for citizens to propose things to be done in various focus areas to improve the city and explore new initiatives.
Volunteer Diane DesPlantes explained how the evening would unfold and Jeff Spelman explained the first part of the process -- brainstorming with Post-It notes.
Everyone had been given a handout explaining the ground rules for the "listening session" when they arrived. Attached to the sheet were three Post-It notes. Participants were invited to jot down one idea for discussion on each note and hand them to volunteers for posting on a blackboard.
Afer the exercise was completed -- the hubbub in the room increased measurably as folks got into the swing of it -- the group was then invited to break up into five tables to dicuss the ideas that had been generated.
The tables were --
Participants were invited to sit at a table that interested them; in the end, tables ranged from 7 to a high of 16 participants.
The table worked their way through the ideas that had been generated on the Post-It notes and kept notes on ideas as they developed.
At the end of the exercise, one person was selected to report from the table to the entire group.
Ideas ranged from a "universal event calendar" for city activities to more lighting for recreation facilities and a reassessment of policies regarding hours, to a grand plan to turn Park Avenue into a "medical mall" (recalling the "doctor's row" which used to be its nickname near Muhlenberg Hospital).
John Stewart took care to record the table reports and told me they would be posted to the city's website, so you can check there for complete details.
One thing the organizers could do to improve the experience is give more explicit details about exactly where in the building the event will take place.
Several people were parked in front of Hubbard School when I arrived, but the doors were all locked. Someone finally figured out we were supposed to meet in the cafeteria, which is in the back on the Stelle Avenue side of the building. It would have been much easier if we had known in the first place.
The next two sessions are --
For more information on Plainfield Vision 2025, check the city's website here or call John Stewart at (908) 226-2509.
Chief of Staff John Stewart Jr. welcomed approximately 50 attendees and explained the goal of the "Plainfield Vision 2025" project -- for citizens to propose things to be done in various focus areas to improve the city and explore new initiatives.
Volunteer Diane DesPlantes explained how the evening would unfold and Jeff Spelman explained the first part of the process -- brainstorming with Post-It notes.
Everyone had been given a handout explaining the ground rules for the "listening session" when they arrived. Attached to the sheet were three Post-It notes. Participants were invited to jot down one idea for discussion on each note and hand them to volunteers for posting on a blackboard.
Afer the exercise was completed -- the hubbub in the room increased measurably as folks got into the swing of it -- the group was then invited to break up into five tables to dicuss the ideas that had been generated.
The tables were --
- Access to healthcare
- Food stability
- Senior concerns
- Childrens' concerns
- Recreation
Participants were invited to sit at a table that interested them; in the end, tables ranged from 7 to a high of 16 participants.
The table worked their way through the ideas that had been generated on the Post-It notes and kept notes on ideas as they developed.
At the end of the exercise, one person was selected to report from the table to the entire group.
Ideas ranged from a "universal event calendar" for city activities to more lighting for recreation facilities and a reassessment of policies regarding hours, to a grand plan to turn Park Avenue into a "medical mall" (recalling the "doctor's row" which used to be its nickname near Muhlenberg Hospital).
John Stewart took care to record the table reports and told me they would be posted to the city's website, so you can check there for complete details.
One thing the organizers could do to improve the experience is give more explicit details about exactly where in the building the event will take place.
Several people were parked in front of Hubbard School when I arrived, but the doors were all locked. Someone finally figured out we were supposed to meet in the cafeteria, which is in the back on the Stelle Avenue side of the building. It would have been much easier if we had known in the first place.
The next two sessions are --
- Monday, Sept. 25, at Plainfield High School (Childhood & Youth Education;
- Wednesday, Sept. 27, also at Plainfield High School (Public Safety; this is the first of three sessions on Public Safety).
For more information on Plainfield Vision 2025, check the city's website here or call John Stewart at (908) 226-2509.
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