Conversations report

Voices

: d o o G n o m for the Com

ounty C e b m o c n u B Asheville and ks Out On Spea d health n a e m o c n i , n Educatio

UNITED WAY OF ASHEVILLE AND BUNCOMBE COUNTY VISION, MISSION, VALUES VISION: A strong, caring community MISSION: Mobilize our community to help people improve their lives and care for one another.

VALUES: Collective Action Integrity Community Focus Responsiveness Compassion Results Innovation

UNITED WAY OF ASHEVILLE AND BUNCOMBE COUNTY THEORY OF CHANGE When we engage and mobilize people to give, advocate and volunteer, when we invest resources in and connect people to solutions in education, income and health and when we sustain and enhance the intellectual, financial and physical resources to carry out this work, then we can improve lives and advance the common good.

UNITED WAY OF ASHEVILLE AND BUNCOMBE COUNTY ABOUT OUR WORK United Way is mobilizing people into collective action through giving, advocating and volunteering in the areas of education, income and health. We believe these are the building blocks of a good life for everyone. That’s what it means to LIVE UNITED! By making resultsbased investments in our community, we support long-lasting, measurable change in people’s lives, right here in Asheville and Buncombe County.

UNITED WAY OF ASHEVILLE AND BUNCOMBE COUNTY TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY WHAT WE LEARNED DISCONNECTED YOUTH IMPLICATIONS: MOVING FORWARD IN CONCLUSION APPENDIX ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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3 5 7-15 14-15 16-18 19 20-23 24

“United Way is uniquely positioned to bring people together, listen to their concerns

and hopes for the future and then share that information in making decisions about how to invest our resources, raise our voices and lend our muscles.

“Personally, I very much enjoyed participating in these conversations and seeing the many areas in which we want the same things for our community and for our families.”

Suzanne DeFerie

INTRODUCTION What kind of community do you want to live in? What does it mean to have a “good life?” What gets in the way of those aspirations? What can be done to make a difference? Who do you trust to create the kind of community you want? These are the questions United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County asked a variety of local residents. Read on to find out what we learned.

WHY UNITED WAY?

In 2009, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County directed its focus on education, income and health as the building blocks for a good life for everyone.

Recognizing that a single organization cannot address every possible community interest, resources were redirected to specific community results across those three areas. Along with that move came a call to the community to Live United and join together to give, advocate and volunteer to make real change in the education, income and health issues facing Buncombe County.

When United Way Worldwide, along with the Harwood Institute, introduced community conversations as a way to ‘look outward’ - to learn more about what people care about and what they want to see happen - United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County knew this was an important approach.

WHAT WE DID

Prompted by the United Way Worldwide Campaign for the Common Good which began in 2010, we joined others around the country to learn how to conduct community conversations. There have been three phases of our conversations: I. With support from United Way Worldwide, we began hosting education conversations in November 2010 in response to the documentary, “Waiting for Superman”; which challenged public education, school lotteries, teachers unions, and poor performing and unsafe schools.

Ninety-eight people showed up at First Baptist Church in Asheville to hear about our city and county public education systems and to discuss their ideas for this community and the

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education of our children. At the conclusion of that event, people identified others who should be part of the education discussion and thus, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County’s Community Conversations Project was launched. Eight more groups were recruited in 2011 and continued the discussion of education and its impact on our community.

II. In early 2012, United Way Worldwide launched an international conversation focused on opportunity, adding questions about what it means to have a good life and what keeps youth who are unemployed and have dropped out of school from having the chance at a good life. We adopted this focus locally and asked those questions of Buncombe County residents. In the first three months of 2012, five targeted groups of youth and parents shared their perspectives.

III. Through the remainder of 2012, 13 additional groups were convened to broaden our range of participants and incorporate questions from the first two phases to better understand general community issues that included education and opportunity.

After each conversation, we sent a summary of what people said to the participants as a way to check if we captured their words adequately.

This report incorporates several years’ worth of work, is based on conversations with a wide segment of the community and uncovers clear themes. Data is very useful and our community has lots of it, but the focus here is what people think...and what people think matters.

When we combine these messages with other local studies such as the Asheville Values Study by the Barrett Institute, Tell Us What You Think!; Understanding the Strengths and Needs of Buncombe County Communities by Buncombe County Health and Human Services, Asheville City Schools Foundation’s Listening to Our Teens, Asheville Buncombe Community Relations Council’s Listening Tour, and Buncombe County’s Community Health Assessment, we discover opportunities to come together to create the kind of community people want.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS?

This report is for those who care about the people who live and work here. It is for people in leadership positions in the community; people who aspire to serve in leadership positions; those who provide services to our residents, such as law enforcement, medical personnel, educators, employers, public and private service providers; and most importantly those who want to make their community a wonderful place for everyone to live, work, play, raise a family and grow old.

Please join us as we continue to listen to people in our community and shape our work accordingly.

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Tracy Buchanan 2010-2011 Chair, Board of Directors United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County

Suzanne DeFerie 2012-2013 Chair, Board of Directors United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - LOCAL THEME #1: People want to be healthy and safe in their community.

- LOCAL THEME #2: People envision living harmoniously with their neighbors.

- LOCAL THEME #3: People are adamant that everyone have the opportunity to thrive.

- LOCAL THEME #4: People get excited about living in a vibrant, happy community.

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During the course of 24 months, we convened 42 small groups and asked participants to share their aspirations for their community, what gets in the way of those aspirations, what can be done to fix them and who they trust to fix them. As you can see in the Appendix, we listened to a wide variety of people with unique backgrounds and points of view.

While there were differences in ideas and words, what connected the discussions is compelling. What do 326 people in Buncombe County think about this community? Are there enough areas of agreement to move forward collectively? ‘Yes’ is our resounding answer.

In fact, Buncombe County residents echoed the rest of the country and even the world. In 2011, United Way Worldwide produced a national report, Voices for the Common Good: America Speaks out on Education. United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County submitted responses from 98 people in Buncombe County for inclusion in the report. Across the country, and here at home, in discussions about the kind of community people want and how education impacts it, people said: • • • • •

When you improve schools, you improve communities and vice versa People feel disconnected from schools Instilling values is just as important as teaching academics We’ve reached a turning point in education People want to work together on this, but they aren’t sure what to do

Then in 2012, United Way Worldwide produced an international report, Voices for the Common Good: The World Speaks Out on Opportunity.

Again, Buncombe County residents words were included. The themes from people in 12 countries were: • Opportunity means the same thing worldwide: a job that pays, a decent education and a healthy community • People, especially young people, say they are on their own • People say we need to step up and step forward

“Today our politics and

public life are toxic, filled with acrimony and divisiveness.

For many of us, there are too few leaders we trust and too many organizations seemingly concerned only with their own good rather than the common good.

“And yet...it is clear that Americans yearn to re-engage and reconnect with one another, and to restore their sense of belief in our individual and collective ability to get things done.”

Richard Harwood from The Call to Turn Outward

Continuing on with conversations locally, we kept asking what kind of community people want to live in and what it means to have a good life. After 42 conversations with 326 individuals, we uncovered four local themes: • Healthy: To Buncombe County folks, this means physical safety, access to the outdoors, medical and mental health care, good food and clean environment.

• Harmonious: People want to get along with everyone, respect differences and support each other.

• Thriving: We need to meet basic needs, secure good paying and interesting jobs, provide quality education and offer a level playing field for everyone.

• Vibrant: People appreciate the variety, energy and enthusiasm in Buncombe County and want leaders who will work together to protect what we have and plan for the future.

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“We thank you for giving us the opportunity to share our

opinions.”

WHAT WE LEARNED

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Throughout all the questions to all the different people and the issues they raised, it was clear that people understand advancing the common good is critical.

People understand and embrace the concept that we all do better when we all do better and appear willing to work to make it happen.

Utlimately, people said we need to work together for the safety, health, education, jobs, environment and opportunity in our community, and we must respect and support everyone. If we find better ways to bring people together to strengthen our community, we can make a difference across all four areas. Here are some of the details of what people had to say:

Healthy - A World Without Fear

Conversations around health fell into three categories: • General well-being in a healthy, pollution-free environment and opportunities to be healthy • Being able to get care when sick or injured or emotionally distressed • Personal safety in homes, parks, neighborhoods, streets and schools

Youth talked about wanting peace and quiet and safety as part of their ideal place to live. Several youth stated that a good life is one where they live without fear. Among all the conversations, these were some of the insightful comments on health:

We want to live in a healthy community that is/has...

Safe enough to go out at night and to raise a family here Less stress; emotionally safe Programs to break cycles of violence and trauma Kids without fear Safe schools Good food Opportunities to be outside; walkable Help when you are sick Services for disabled and elderly Protected environment Litter free

When talking about the kind of community people want to live in, they most often mentioned safety. Violence was a particular concern of the young people who spoke out.

“I want to be safe enough to

go out at night...I’ve lost eight friends under age 20 in the past five years to violence.”

“You can be shot just over

words.”

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We see these barriers to having that kind of healthy community...

Conflicting agendas Fear; feeling unsafe to walk alone Lack of safety in public housing Violence Abandoned buildings Substance abuse (drugs, alcohol) Teen pregnancy Poor quality food; poor diet

We believe these actions around health could make a difference...

More availability of law enforcement People willing to speak up, report what they observe Clean up neighborhoods and houses Education Create walkable communities Community gardens, school gardens Everyone should have access to healthcare Professionals donating their services

Harmonious - Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Discussions in all of the groups includes works like “inclusive,” “divisive,” “accepting,” “prejudice,” “equality” and “segregation.” They came up with almost every question and in many areas, including health care, jobs, education, safety and leadership. e have a segregated and The two summary stratified community.” categories for harmony are:

We want to live in a harmonious community that is/has...

Acceptance; respect Just (people are treated fairly); social justice, not charity Freedom to do what you want, to be who you want to be Appreciate the tension and debate Help healing from the negative stuff in the past Friendly, nice neighbors; caring, welcoming Integrated neighborhoods (intergenerational, multicultural) People help each other, participate, take responsibility Opportunities to get involved People do what they say they will; tell truth Balance rights and needs

“W

“The communication stream

between urban and rural residents needs to be built up.”

• Getting to know each other • Respecting everyone

Folks seem hungry for connections to each other and they want to feel valued, respected, not judged. They want to come together, help each other and take responsibility. They worry about competition, politics, lack of truthful information and neighborhoods where people don’t know each other. Here is some of their language:

“I just want to be accepted...

to be valued, respected.”

“Compromise seems like it is

viewed as a negative thing, when it used to be something that was valued.”

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We believe these actions around harmony could make a difference...

We see these barriers to having that kind of harmonious community...

Competition; lack of coordination among resources Inability to deal with big issues; no longterm view People who don’t want to “rock the boat” and call out problems Politics on how money is spent and different priorities City/County divide - acceptance of diversity throughout the county; Asheville viewed as “freaks;” urban vs. rural; polarizing county and city government Racial, religious and sexual prejudice exists Religions that use fear and guilt; create a “we” and “they” setting in community Judgment; bias; prejudice; narcissism Lack of relationships; distrust; isolation Not educating youth about diversity and respecting differences Youth who think no one cares; no advocates for youth Different cultures network differently and want different things Influx of people has changed the community Topography (geographic spread)

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Build relationships; network Find leaders willing to work together; redefine leadership Have more diversity of people in leadership roles Get nonprofits to work together more See retirees as a resource Get newcomers committed and engaged Provide information in Spanish Honest communications - especially the difficult ones Listening Give beyond financial donations, invest human power and time to issues Get out and help; participate; more volunteer opportunities

Thriving - Smart People, Good Opportunities

Participants were fairly adamant about everyone being able to make ends meet.

The term living wage was repeated and, as one person said, “living wage for all, including those that cannot work – a way that they can be supported as well.” People want a community that prospers and flourishes: • Provides a good education for everyone • Offers opportunities for everyone to succeed • Economically strong They are also aware of the supplementary services that are needed: good public transportation, quality child care, sidewalks, decent housing and information about and support for opportunities and training.

When talking about what gets in their way of having a good life, youth described not having goals, nothing to strive for, feeling

trapped and desperate. They were critical of the lack of life skills training in the home and at school, the notion that it is “cool to be poor,” and that some young people “don’t want to work eople can move from just to pay a bill.”

“P

survival to fulfillment.”

“We are rewarding the wrong

things. Teachers, nurses, law enforcement are losing ground, while we bail out companies.”

“Our current value is greed.

The notion of not wanting to work just to pay a bill was repeated in the discussions with young adults.

It reflected several different concepts:

We’ve lost sight of the greater good.”

“we can provide an education

that is meaningful, relevant and connected to the real world.”

• Work is drudgery that gets you nowhere • Work doesn’t necessarily lead to living a better lifestyle • Work isn’t something interesting or meaningful.

We want to live in a thriving community that is/has...

Community sets high standards for education for all Good communication between teachers, parents, youth and community Volunteers encouraged to work in the schools Teachers who are there to help, have a sense of humor, respect different learning styles and are patient Opportunity (choice of meaningful careers) Level playing field; chance to pursue goals Living wages; available jobs

We see these barriers to having that kind of thriving community...

Classroom size (too many students in one room) Teachers not feeling supported Teachers not aware of what is happening at home; unstable home lives Kids who are bored in school Low-income kids not getting basic reading and math skills (achievement gap) Cuts in after-school programs; extra help for students Expensive to live here; expensive housing Children going hungry Quality child care is expensive Low-wage jobs; gap between wages and cost of living Lack of education or training Politicians are not open to other people’s needs Poor urban planning; need affordable housing near jobs Resistance for property owners to participate in public planning; antidevelopment Lack of personal goals; despair Lack of life skills; looking for “easy;” sense of entitlement Negative role models; following the wrong folks

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We believe these actions around thriving could make a difference...

Teach wealth creation; learn how to manage money Quality early childhood education Internships; opportunity to explore careers; mentoring Good out-of-school-time programs Value education more than sports Support parents in engaging in their children’s education; families feel valued by schools; feel welcome at schools Teachers create a sense of community in the classroom Support public schools and talk about the issues they face Set high expectations for youth Recognizing young people working on change Support local businesses that engage in the community and treat employees well Better professional growth opportunities Opportunities for life-long learning More all-inclusive resource centers; organized service delivery Help wealthy newcomers become aware of the issues here Re-allocate public financial resources; shuffle priorities; be thoughtful in our growth Better public transportation More affordable housing

Vibrant - Makes you Want to Smile!

Folks got excited when talking about the more pleasant aspects of a good life and their ideal community. Young people in particular talked about wanting to play, have fun, laugh, be happy and be loved.

Themes were: • Creativity • Activity • Natural beauty • Balance of work and play One adult participant said her idea of a good life is “to have people in my life that I care about and care about me.”

The opportunity, time and means to move from survival to fulfillment resonated with people. They talked about being “anchored and growing, innovative, always recreating.”

As similarly reflected in the Barrett Values Centre study, in which humor, fun and creativity ranked as the top two personal values, people echoed those words in these conversations. Yet, they consistently see leadership struggles (city, county and state government and other institutions) getting in the way of achieving a vibrant community.

“Love where you are living,

and create your own good life.

“Maybe we could do something where community members

shadow students in the schools during the day and then students could shadow the adult in the community through field trips to their job, internships and things like that?”

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We want to live in a vibrant community that is/has...

Alive; dynamic; exciting Fun activities, recreation, social outlets Energetic downtown Music, art, theatre, festivals, sports, hobbies, good eats, shopping Youth activities Enriching opportunities for constantly learning and evolving Different languages spoken Passion about what you believe and do Be assertive about the kind of community you want to have An interesting life; a reason to get up in the morning Intellectual stimulation A place to have spiritual conversations Love; happiness Leisure time A place where people want to smile, look you in the eye and say “Good morning”

We see these barriers to having that kind of vibrant community...

Government, faith and business leaders not working together We don’t own local political control (it’s owned by the state legislature) State laws tying the hands of decision makers Attending to tourist needs over local needs for activities Public investments are all wrong; waste of resources Poorly planned development Lack of flexibility and support for innovations Things that attract people are disappearing (air, water, mountain views) Privatizing public responsibility Who will pay for it?

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DISCONNECTED As part of our community listening, United Ways in 34 communities in the U.S. (including Asheville, NC) also reached out to “disconnected youth” - young people generally aged 16-24 that have dropped out of school and are unemployed. We wanted to better understand how this particular group of young people think about opportunity, the challenges they see, and what they think needs to happen to get us back on track.

In these communities, young people consistently shared that they felt isolated and on their own to figure out how to get ahead. They described this feeling in a variety of ways. In one community, youth talked about not having people in their neighborhoods who cared about them. They pointed out that they didn’t have any adults to help guide them to job opportunities or help them figure out how to get an education. In another community, young people expressed that they felt their parents’ generation had essentially abandoned them.

As you see in this report, these feelings were echoed by many parents from their own perspective. They expressed concerns that their kids are being left on

YOUTH their own too much during the day and that they no longer have time to support their kids the way they would like to because of job and other life pressures.

The young people we heard from also suggested that to get ahead they need to step forward and take initiative.

Although in some places, they said they felt the effort was futile because they couldn’t see a path to employment that would lead them to be able to build a savings and become self-sustainable. The idea of stepping forward was expressed both as a need to take more personal responsibility, but also as a reflection of their feeling that institutions and other people simply were not going to offer solutions or help.

“Newcomers, stop bringing your bad

ideas to town! We have the community we want, we just fear losing it. Asheville is not like Pittsburg, not like Charlotte, not like Atlanta. Don’t bring in all the things that would make us a city with issues.”

We believe these actions around vibrant could make a difference...

Visionary leaders Get leadership involved; develop a closer network More public infrastructure (transportation, lighting, sidewalks) Protect mountain scenery Motivate more people to run for elected office Vote; stay informed; attend board meetings Support risk takers Remember our history, value tradition and heritage and appreciate it Never be content; always want the community to be better, progressive Make decisions based on how they will impact future generations

United Way was invited to share their findings with the While House Council for Community Solutions, which has a particular interest in helping connect young people to education, employment, and civic opportunities in their communities. The White House Council will leverage what we learned to help shape potential strategies to help these young people connect to opportunities to succeed.

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IMPLICATIONS: MOVING FORWARD Whatever steps are taken, they should be based on the following principles: • Greater integrity and honesty in how people engage in public life and politics; what one local resident labeled “truthtellers”.

• More discipline in staying true to a sense of public purpose and to focus on what is important. (For example, focus on kids when discussing education, not the politics of public school reform.)

• Exercise trust and respect in how we deal with each other, recognizing that we are in relationships with one another, not just living in isolation or only insular circles of family, friends and like-minded groups.

What will United Way do?

As our board, staff and volunteers continue to review these findings, we pledge to provide ways for people to work together and to support each other.

• We will use this information to direct our plans to make a difference in the community, clarifying the results needed in education, income and health as the building blocks for a good life.

• We will sharpen our focus on middle school students and their opportunities for safe, healthy, and engaging activities

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• •

•

•

both inside and outside the classroom.

We know that success-ready 9th graders have better chances of graduation from high school and along with that, better chances for a good life.

We will expand our reach into the community to share information on available resources through 2-1-1.

We will continue to offer and further promote ways for people to engage with us and with other organizations through Hands On Asheville, United Way’s volunteer center.

We will use what we have learned to recruit and support new community leaders, to advocate for change and to invest in important community work.

We will cross boundaries to work with new partners.

We will particularly honor the words we have heard. People in Buncombe County made the time to sit with each other and share their aspirations for a good life in a good community. Those aspirations include understanding that a different approach is needed.

As an AmeriCorps/Vista participant said: “We can’t solve problems with the same mindset that created them. Some policies that worked 50, 100 years ago won’t work in these changing times.”

“It is leadership from within our communities that is most

needed and vital to our future; a leadership that will come from individuals of all walks of life - including small neighborhood groups, foundations, United Ways, public broadcasting, civic organizations, as well as from folks who simply join together to solve a problem.�

Richard Harwood

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What can other people and organizations do?

1. Specific institutions can use this information to inform their work, pick an issue that aligns with their directions and engage community members to help make change happen. For example: school systems, law enforcement, community relations, faith groups, and nonprofits.

2. Individuals can pick a topic here that aligns with their interests and get involved in working with others for real change. For example: people can collectively volunteer.

3. Groups (public entities, nonprofits, businesses, civic organizations, neighborhood associations, etc.) can come together to collectively tackle an issue along with people in the community. For example: they can span current boundaries and become knowledgeable about what is happening and needs to happen in the community.

4. Community leaders and potential community leaders can more actively engage their constituents. For example: they can learn to listen to the concerns and ideas of people, including young people.

They can seek ways to make public life and politics work and find opportunities to engage people in the ongoing process of governing and improving their lives.

Regarding this final point, it is important to note the following: When asked at the end of the conversation “Who do you trust to take on these issues?” people were slow to respond and often the first answer was “No one.” When pushed to name individuals or groups, they most frequently said “it’s up to me” or named friends or associates.

People also felt strongly about tensions between the city and the county governments as well as the role of state officials.

This seems to support the theory

by Harwood that people have lost faith in public institutions.

However, it should be noted that some folks did mention a few organizations, nonprofit leaders and specific elected officials with City Council and County Board of Commissioners.

So there is some level of trust with local leadership in this community.

“It’s hard to own our community when we can’t own local political control.”

When you have a real problem that needs immediate attention,

where is the leadership in the community? Where can you pull the leadership together immediately to get a response? Who is going to convene that group?”

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People in Buncombe County have opinions about their community and when asked, are eager to share their ideas. Our residents want the freedom to create their own good life. They also want to be sure others have their basic needs met and the opportunity for a good life.

People have a fondness for this place and thus a reluctance to see it change dramatically. Given the chance to participate in the work of making Buncombe County safe, healthy, just, educated, economically sound for all, and alive with energy and enthusiasm, folks said they would like to help.

Let’s create more ways to get each other involved and more ways to get the word out about those opportunities. There is more agreement than not on the kind of community we want.

IN CONCLUSION

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APPENDIX A. The Questions

• What kind of community do you want to live in?

• What are the two to three things you think are standing in the way of the kind of community you want?

• How do these issues affect you personally?

• What do you think it means to have a good life?

• What kind of community would you need for everyone to have a chance at a good life?

• What kinds of things are keeping us from having this kind of community?

• When you think about everything we’ve talked about, what do you think could be done to make a difference?

• Who do you trust to take actions on these issues?

During the Education Focus, these questions were added: • Given your aspirations for the community, what do you want education to be like in your community?

• Overall, how do you think things are going when it comes to education in our community?

• As you think about trying to achieve these aspirations for education, what role(s) can individuals play?

During the Opportunity Focus, these questions were added: • Thinking about young people, in particular ones who have dropped out of school or don’t have a job right now, what do you think is keeping them from having a chance at a good life?

• How does this affect the community we live in?

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B. Additional Resources

For information on local resources to help families, connect with NC2-1-1 at nc211.org or dial 211 .

For information on local volunteer opportunities, contact Hands On Asheville-Buncombe at handsonasheville.org or 828-255-0696.

C. The Conversation Groups Year 2010

2011

2012

Group United Way Highlands Circle Committee “Waiting for Superman” United Way staff Future Vision - YWCA GED Students - A-B Tech City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy Project Power

Description Young leaders (age 21-40) Documentary viewers who joined a conversation after the show’s run Employees at all levels of the organization High School students in an after-school program Adults preparing to test for their General Education Diploma High school students in a summer jobs program

AmeriCorps members, post-college, placed in school and after-school settings to work with youth MotherRead - YWCA Latina moms attending Emma Family Resource Center support group MANOS Latino teens attending Emma Family Resource Center support group Hillcrest Enrichment Program Youth and adults from program supporting youth success United Way Board of Business, government, heath and education leaders Directors committed to advancing the common good United Way Loaned Cross-section of United Way volunteers Executives Nonprofit Agency Directors Health and Human Service nonprofit Executive Directors Blue Ridge Pride Blue Ridge Pride Week board members Youth Outright Informal LGBT or questioning youth support group African American Informal group brought together specifically for this Professionals group conversation Leadership Asheville Professionals in a year-long leadership training program CarePartners staff Employee group

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White, Caucasian or of European descent, 72%

D. The Demographics

Ethnicity

Most groups were asked to provide demographic information. However, it was optional.

Based on the responses we received, demographic representation is as follows: Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other 0% Islander Pacific 0% Other 0% 28704, 7% American Indian, Aleut, 28711,0% 2% Native American or Alaskan American Indian, Aleut, 28714, 1% Native or Alaskan Native American 28715, 4% 0% Native 0% 28730, 3%

28806, 20%

28732, 4%

Black, African American or ofBlack, African Descent, 17% or African American of African Descent, 17%

28739, 1% 28748, 2% White, Caucasian or of 28753, 1% European White, descent, Caucasian72% or of European descent,28759, 72% 1% 28776, 1% 28768, 1%

28805, 6%

28804, 15% 28801, 14%

Ethnicity Ethnicity

Ethnicity

28778, 2% 28787, 3% 28704, 7%

28711, 2% 28704, 7% 28714, 28711, 2% 1% 28714, 4% 1% 28715,

28803, 13%

28715, 28730,4% 3%

28806, 20%

28730, 3% 28732, 4%

28806, 20%

Location 28732, 4% 28739, 1% 28748, 28739, 2% 1%

28753, 1% 28748, 2% 28759, 1% 1% 28753, 28776, 1% 1% 28759, 28768,28776, 1% 1%

28805, 6%

28805, 6%

28804, 15% Demographics

28768, 28778, 2% 1%

28804, 15%

28778, 2% 28787, 3%

28801, 14%

28801, 14% 28803, 13%

28803, 13%

65%

72%

Location

Location Location

Demographics

42%

100% 80%

23%

Demographics17% Demographics 34% 0% 2%

60% 50%

100% 100% 90%

2%

90% 80% 80% 70%

31% 23%

20%

2%

0%

0%

50% 40% 31% 40% 30%

10% 0% 0%

30%

42%

10%

70% 60% 60% 50%

30% 20% 20% 10%

40%

65% 65%

42% 42%

31%

72%

65%

70%

0%

22

87%

34%

90%

34% 34%

23% 23% 0% 0%

87%

28787, 3%

0%

2%

13%

9% 17%

13%

72%9% 72%

17% 17%9% 9%

0% 2% Demographics 0% 2%

2% 2%

0 - $20,000 20%

$100,000 + 21%

87% 87%

13% 13%

Less likely 1%

English

Demographics Demographics Demographics

% %

% %

% %

% %

% %

% %

Spanish Other

Demographics 100% 90%

65%

80%

70% 42% 42% % % 42% 60% 31% 31% % % % 50% 23% 23% 42% 23% % % 40%

% %

30%

% %

20%

34%

23% 0% 0%

10%

2%

0%

87%

65% 34% 34%

More likely 54%

English

2% 2%

17% 0%

0% 0% 2%

2%

0%

87% 87%

72%

34%

31%

0%

72%

65% 65%

87%

72% 72%

Spanish

17% 17% 9%

2% 2%

13%

13% 13%

17%

13%

9%

2%

0%

Equally Likely 45%

Other

9% 9%

Likelihood of Future Involvement United Way Likelihood for with future involvement Likelihood for future involvement

Primary Language

Primary Language

Primary Language

0 - $20,000 20% 00 -- $20,000 $20,000

0 - $20,000 20% 20% 20% 0 - $20,000

$100,000 + $100,000 + 21% 21%

None 35%

20%

0 - $20,000 20% 0 - $20,000

$100,000 + $100,000 ++ $100,000 20% 21%+ $100,000 21% 21% 21% $80,001 - $100,000 $100,000 + $20,001 - $40,000 16% 21% 17% $80,001 $80,001 -- $100,000 $100,000 $20,001 - $40,000 $80,001 - $100,000 17% 16% 16% $80,001 - $100,000 16% $80,001 - $100,000 $40,001 - $60,000 16% 15% $80,001 16% - $100,000

0 - $20,000 20%

$40,001 - $60,000 15%

16%

$60,001 - $80,000 11%

$60,001 - $80,000 11% $60,001 - $80,000 11%

$60,001 $60,001 -- $80,000 $80,000 60,001 - $80,000 11% 11% 11% $60,001 - $80,000 11%

Other 42%

Income Level $20,001 - $40,000 Income Level 17%

Volunteer 23%

$20,001 $20,001 -- $40,000 $40,000 $20,001 - $40,000 17% 17% 17% $20,001 - $40,000 17%

$40,001 $40,001 -- $60,000 $60,000 $40,001 - $60,000 15% 15% $40,001 - $60,000 15% 15%

Income Level Income Level Income Level Income Level

17% $40,001 - $60,000 15%

Current Involvement with United Way

Income Level

Current Involvement with United Way

Poor 0% Fair 7%

40,001 - $60,000 15%

Excellent 54%

$40,001 - $60,000 15%

me Level 0,001 - $40,000 ncome Level

Good 39%

17%

Quality ofQuality the Discussion of the Discussion Less likely 1%

23

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS - Thanks to the Harwood Institute for allowing us to liberally reference its materials. For information on Richard Harwood’s work, visit theharwoodinstitute.org.

- A special thank you to the 326 people who live, work and attend school in Buncombe County who shared their dreams, worries and ideas. Your words will guide our work.

- Thanks to the United Way staff and volunteers who supported this work as facilitators and note takers: David Bailey, Michelle Bennett, Elisabeth Bocklet, Norma Bradley, Linda Brinkley, Maxine Brown, Tracy Buchanan, Richard Caro, Mindy Coleman, Suzanne DeFerie, Lance Edwards, Jennifer Fletcher, Gina Gallo, Nicole Herbert, Michael Holcombe, Gihani Isaacs, Tina Jepson, Ron Katz, Charlie Lee, Kevin Montgomery, Lisa Ross and Megan Ward. Project team leader for Community Conversations is Ann Von Brock.