Windham 2050 and Beyond
Windham 2050 and Beyond is a group of concerned residents that have come together to create a “Think Tank“ to explore solutions to Windham’s current issues.
We are your neighbors, your friends, and the people who care about Windham as much as you do. Please, join us in creating Windham’s first series of locally crafted surveys to understand the community’s concerns. Data like this empowers a community.
Data Is Power!
In the 21st Century Data is power. A community that can harness data is a community with power! All too often a community as small as Windham (population 1708 as of the 2020 Census) is seen as too small to survey. No longer is that case thanks to the affordable tools that are available on the Internet. These tools are finally making professional surveying possible for community action committees such as “Windham 2050 and Beyond”.
This type of surveying capability is a means to empower our entire community. While the voice of one resident can be easily ignored by the decision making processes of a local government the collective voices of a community cannot. Windham 2050 and Beyond is attempting to do something unique in Windham when it comes to community organizing. We are trying to cut through the background noise of rumor and misconception that usually shrouds local political issues with actual evidence based surveying techniques.
Our surveys are completely anynomous in nature. We will not collect presonal data of any kind. Our surveys depend on the fact that the indentity of repondents are completely confidnential. This is to ensure the accuracy of the data and the privacy of the respondents. It is true that we collect demographic data this done only to allow for analysis of socio-economic trends in our community. The collection of demographic data is limited to only what is necessary to determine the various subgroups of individuals in our community. This data is not extensive enough to be used to single out an individual repondent. Instead this data shows the broad trends in the community that are related to level of education, owneship, household income, and residency status as they relate to issues within our community.
Help us empower the entire community by answering our surveys.
Empowering People
Our goal as a community action committee and “think tank” is to empower local residents using the “Tupelo Mississippi” model of organization.
The Tupelo Model:
Local people must address local problems.
Each person should be treated as a resource. Community development begins with the development the individuals within the community.
The goal of community development is to help people help themselves.
Meet the needs of the whole community by starting with its poorest members, not just as targets for top-down efforts but as full partners
in helping design those efforts.
Leadership is a prime ingredient, but community development cannot be achieved without organizations and structure.
Community development must be done both locally and regionally if the full benefits are to be achieved.
Never turn the community development process over to any agency that does not involve the people of the community.
Expenditures for community development are an investment -not a subsidy – and will return gains to the investors. So people with money have
both the responsibility and an interest in investing in the development of their own community.
Creating Positive Change
Windham 2050 and Beyond is about creating positive change in our community. Change that will empower all residents of Windham. We believe that change in Windham is not something we must fear. Instead it is something we must embrace. We also believe that it is only through empowering all residents of Windham that we can create the positive change in our community that will shape and benefit generations to come.
We the residents of Windham have power to influence our local political process when we are united together in a common cause. This is why we must embrace the use of data at the local level to create positive change.
Local Politics Matter
Windham 2050 and Beyond has one simple goal to make “local politics” truly matter to all residents in Windham. Far too often it is the case that people overlook the importance of understanding and engaging with their local political officials. The turmultous nature of National or State wide political issues often over shadow and obscure the importance of local politics . More often than not local political issues are also shrouded in rumor and misconception– we hope to cut through this noise and present to you the residents of Windham evidence based reports on numerous issues that matter to the community.
Issues We Are Passionate About:
Equality In Housing or Affordable Housing
Main Street Economic Development
Complete Streets
Aging with Dignity
Zoning
Government Oversight
Community Building
Environmental Protection
Food Security
Windham, NY 2050 And Beyond Newsletter
