Caldwell County's innovation initiative
Caldwell County's innovation initiative
Gathering stories and designing action to increase opportunity in Caldwell County, North Carolina
Know Your Neighbor is a phase of the Innovation Moves Caldwell initiative intended to lay the groundwork for equity-based innovation in Caldwell County, North Carolina. The project was a partnership between Google, Caldwell County Schools, and CCC & TI.
There were three main aspects of the project, which intended to gather data about how county residents of diverse backgrounds perceive access to opportunity, capture video interviews of community leaders representing different identities, then use these data gathering efforts to define problems and design an action plan that addresses the perceived needs of the community.
Collecting data about Caldwell County to shine the light on problems and opportunities
A video collection of community stories from businesses & individuals that teach us about Caldwell County
A collaborative Community Action Plan to scale educational innovation and increase access to opportunity
Highlighting stories of hope, resilience, and opportunity in Caldwell County.
This project strengthens and expands efforts to enhance the quality of life in Caldwell County by:
The project used a Human-Centered Design Thinking process to facilitate the deep study of the community and foster a foundation of understanding about the true needs of Caldwell County.
A series of 5 meetings were held between April and October 2022 to convene a diverse cross-section of educators, business and non-profit leaders, and administrators to gather input for and co-design a Community Action Plan to increase access to opportunity in Caldwell County.
During the “Empathy” phase of the design thinking process, project leaders collected a variety of data about Caldwell County through the analysis of various publicly available data sets that enabled participants to get a big picture view of the overall state of the county.
To get a more granular view, surveys were distributed to ascertain the most pressing problems and potential opportunities that could be addressed in the Community Action Plan.
After a deep analysis of the community through data collection, interviews, and problem definition activities, the design team identified several potential action steps that could catalyze innovation and opportunity in Caldwell County.
Youth leaders would be identified and regularly convened to provide input and perspectives on how to generate innovative opportunities for their peers and themselves
There are already so many great initiatives happening, but a lack of awareness among community groups of each other's efforts can lead to "reinventing the wheel"
New events, festivals, and resource fairs that celebrate the diverse cultural landscape of our region while connecting people to beneficial community resources.
Speakers from a variety of backgrounds will be scheduled to speak on many topics that could create constructive community conversations about access to opportunity
Google provided the funding and contributed team members who helped with the vision of the project, as well as participating in all meetings.
CCC&TI provided various staff members who became central contributors to the project design and outcomes.
CCS provided a venue for meetings, administrative support, and led the initial visioning and grant writing efforts for this project.
