BetterforUs Table of Contents

Draft of Contents for Better for Us BlogtoBook

Intro Post 1:  Why trust me on this?—

·        40+ years of paid experience in community development and education with local and national government, state and national foundations, private sector

·        Academic background: B.A. English, M.Ed., Adult Education, PhD. Education and Rhetoric

·        Training and certification from NeighborWorks, The Kettering Foundation, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development

·        Published writer (fiction and nonfiction)

·        Executive Director of a local nonprofit

·        Community Volunteer with entrepreneurial, educational, literacy, and social justice organizations

Post 2:  Why is this information important?—

·        Communities currently face economic and cultural divides, mirroring national and global divisions

o   Cite local example(s)

·        Negative, fear-based approaches to community development continue to deepen the divisions and limit productive, growth and well-being. 

o   Cite local example(s)

·        Globally a movement has started to measure and implement happiness, health and well-being tools in communities, states and nations.

o   Cite global and local (Santa Monica) examples

Posts 3-5: Focus on Happiness

·        Global rankings and indicators of change

·        Example of localized/global and national efforts:  Action for Change, Kindspring, Happiness Sprinkling, Live Happy and Do Happy Today

·        Focus Facts (repeat image)

Posts 6-8:  Focus on Health/Well-being

·        Global rankings and indicators of change

·        Example of local efforts: Healthy Pima (many partners), research at UA and ASU

·        Focus Facts

Posts 9-11: Focus on Creative Class

·        Data on culture of entrepreneurs and importance of the Creative Class (Richard Florida)

·        Example of local efforts:  LocalFirstAz, Startup Tucson, Tucson Young Professionals, Innovate Arizona

·        Focus Facts

Post 12:  Biblio/Easy Read

Better for Us soft launch

I am not quite "there" yet to launch the content for the new (and will be free) blogtobook, aka b2b, yet, but wanted to set up a new blog tonight before the sun sets and my brain begins to slow into its evening pace.

The title of this new blog (and ebook), Better for Us, is short and, hopefully to the point.  My posts (starting 11/2 through the end of November) will share much (but not all) I will have in the ebook about community development practices I have learned since starting my career in 1971, in Tucson.

At that time, I had recently graduated from Northern Illinois University, transplanted myself in Tucson (in August where I knew no one), and "discovered" my life's passion while working at the Jewish Community Center's Socialization Program for Seniors.  I didn't know it at the time, but Tucson's Model Cities Program--part of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty--would become one of the most successful Model Cities programs in Tucson. 

Successful doesn't mean these programs eliminated poverty.  Tucson continues to struggle with that issue and related challenges.  But many of the Model Cities programs continued to be part of our local social service infrastructure even after the federal funding for them was over. 

So, while I took time to complete a master's degree (in Adult Education at my undergrad college, Northern Illinois University) and later, a doctorate (in education and rhetoric from the University of Arizona), and became a mom, I continued my career, generating part-time (mostly) and full-time (occasionally) employment from local and national foundations, University of Arizona, Pima Community College, the City of Tucson, Arizona Rural Development Council, and the private sector. 

It hasn't always been an easy career path, sometimes painful, actually, but, essentially I still believe, as I did in 1971 that:

Creating a happier, healthier and more prosperous community for all is "better for us."

So I hope you will read my posts, share them, add your comments (please I need your feedback for the ebook to be helpful to others) and I hope what I have learned will help you, too, create a better community.

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