The Partnership for Equity and Civic Engagement

Ten years ago, the consulting business www.communityrenaissance.biz/index.html introduced the Partnership for Equity and Civic Engagement (PECE, pronounced "peace").  PECE is Community Renaissance's organizational branch that offers pro bono programs and services.

Within PECE, a group of us started Just Communities Inc. (JCI) which is now conceptually housed at the Southwest Fair Housing Council www.swfhc.com.  Also as PECE programs, we initiated Do Happy Today in 2014, followed by BuildUP^ Tucson & Beyond in April, 2016.

As we update and redesign our website, we are also revisiting what programs PECE will continue and which ones will be changing.  We hope you share ideas with us about how to continue to serve our communities in Southern Arizona and beyond.

Please send your suggestions to info@communityrenaissance.biz   Thanks!!

A reality check for the FREE ebook BetterforUs

It's been several months since I took serious steps for the ebook and I will tell you why:  life gets in the way...other tasks, particularly with the post International Day of Happiness events (March 20th) and beginning of an offshoot from that effort: BuildUP^ Tucson and Beyond (April 20th).

This gathering at Startup Tucson led to establishing a BuildUP^ Tucson google group and generating a social networking group that meets monthly at La Cocina Restaurant.

From those action steps, Community Renaissance is setting up a new website www.communityrenaissance.biz/index.html and preparing a Summer Newsletter for the the 300 folks now part of  our email network.  Attention to planning for a second TENWEST event (October) in Tucson is taking quite a bit of effort and we're doing this because the TENWEST Connected Communities track will feature Do Happy Today-related sessions on happiness and well-being  www.tenwest.co. 

I did try out some ebook software (didn't like it) and sent a request to fivrr (no response) for assistance with cover design for the ebook, so those elements are stuck for now. There are many other resources to check out for ebooks, but most of them are for publishers and authors who want to sell ebooks.  That's not the case with BetterforUs...it's a "give away".  

So, the new Community Renaissance website will have a PDF of the book when it is finished for readers to download at no cost, i.e. it will be a FREE ebook.

If you are interested, contact info@communityrenaissance.biz and we will add you to the list to receive the book.  

In the meantime, we invite you to connect with us to our activities via Facebook page: www.facebook.com/communityrenaissance 

Two plus one events from Spring 2016 show how a community becomes Better for Us and Better for All

March 20, 2016 International Day of Happiness Tucson, convened by Do Happy Today at Limberlost Family Park, 75+ people participating

Also, March 20, 2016 at Valley of the Moon: more happiness, 150 people participating

A month later, Do Happy Today/Community Renaissance convene BuildUP^ Tucson and Beyond, hosted by Startup Tucson, 40 people participating

with special guest, Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, background image by Life is Good

Stay in touch with BuildUp^ and join our social media group on Facebook.

background prep for ebook

It's been a-mazing I will go as I do background research on which ebook publishing resource I "should" use.  After this and that (Smashwords or Blurb etc), I asked Tony Ford at Startup Tucson who suggested Scrivener.com as the best tool, save my text in epub and then put it on my website.

So I downloaded a free 30 day trial of Scrivener, watched the tutorial twice, have followed several Facebook posts by writers who use Scrivener for blogging and/or fiction and nonfiction writing.  Tomorrow I am going to take the plunge with Scrivener and see how it goes.

I am probably also going to publish the book through Nook and I have read/reread a guide I purchased through Nook for $.99.

Also, all of the sources cited the importance of a cover for the ebook, so I am (probably) going to try a resource on fivrr.com .  I am definitely learning all this as I go along and if any of you have suggestions, please let me know with a comment on this post.  So...onward.

Austin Kleon's tips help me keep going forward
 

Better for Us: Recap, What Now and Other

To review what I have shared this month--

• I described my 40+ years of experience, education and training in community development.
• I expressed the "why" I believe it's important to build better for us communities who value and enhance 
•  happiness
•  health and well-being
•  and creative capital for all members.

Now, I am presenting a challenge in answer to the rhetorical question, "what now?"

Anita Fonte at UA Tucson Village Farm, harvesting season 2015

Is the community that you, the reader lives in ready and willing to not only measure Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but also Gross Happiness Product (GHP)?  Is the community you live in ready and willing to promote happiness, health and well-being for all its members?  Is the community you live in ready and willing to focus on generating incentives for creative people to work in your community?  And are you willing to do what you can to "make it so"? 

Every small step helps--just thinking about what I have shared in this short, and incomplete, selection of photos and words may be the tipping point for positive change in your life and community.  Let's try to work together to make our communities better for us.

I will continue to work on my ebook and plan to offer it for free early next year. Also, in March and April, 2016, there will be opportunities for community members to learn about several of the tools mentioned in my blog as well as other resources that can help build communities better for us.

And, before I sign off for now, here's a short list (as Austin Kleon demonstrates  in Show Your Work!) of the books and resources that helped make this blog-to-book.

Richard Florida.  The Rise of the Creative Class (2002)

Richard Harwood.  Make Hope Real (2007)

Gallup-Healthways. Well-Being Index www.well-beingindex.com

Austin Kleon.  Show Your Work! (2014)

OECD.  How's Life? 2015 (2014) www.oecd.org

State of the States www.gallup.com/poll/125066/state-states

The Well-being Project Summary Findings (2015)  http://wellbeing.smgov.net/projectresources

Jean Twenge.  "Young People are Happier than they Used to Be..." The Atlantic Health (2015) www.thatlantic.com/author/jean-twenge

Better for Us: Return to Focus on What Matters and Why

I asked a couple of my younger colleagues who also do professional community work, asking them:  "Why do you do this work?"  Here are their responses which mirror the reasons why a Better for Us Community is important:

"Working to ensure that people are treated with fairness and compassion has always been at the core of my being.  In addition, I have lived a fulfilling life full of opportunities, and I believe that everyone should be able to have that experience."--J.Y., Executive Director of a multi-state nonprofit organization.

"Tucson, just like any city, will grow and change.  I work to make sure it grows and changes in a way that is constructive and improves as many citizens' lives as possible.  I want Tucson's growth to be managed by those who have an interested in equality, culture, and sustainability."--C.F., Community Outreach Coordinator for a collaborative nonprofit organization.

Community Renaissance's Do Happy Today Collaboration at Pima County Public Library www.dohappytoday.com

ETC. Recap, What Now and Other -- in the next post!

 

Better for Us: The Creative Class Post 4

This is the last post focusing on key elements that, I believe, make a community that is Better for Us.  With some adaptations, luck and discipline, I will wrap up this blog launch by 11/30--as promised.  In 2016, I will (probably) expand the text a bit for the ebook which I plan to give away as a "gift" on the www.dohappytoday.com website. 

My next post, wrapping up the Better for Us theme, will return to "focus on what matters" and provide a short list of resources used in this blog-to-book.

So...here we go for a look at a few examples of The Creative Class: Designers in Tucson.

San Xavier Del Bac Mission (1787), Façade Element www.sanxaviermission.org

Two photos of 4th Avenue Street Art, second photo by Downtown Tucson Partnership www.downtowntucson.org

Tucson Arts Brigade mural on 4th Avenue www.michaelschwartz.com
 

Luis G. Guitterez Bridge (sundial) designed by Structural Grace Inc. www.structuralgrace.com