April 2019 BACC Newsletter

APRL 2019 BACC NEWSLETTER

The Bay Area Community Council is the leading organization in engaging community leaders in understanding and shaping the future of the greater Green Bay area.

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President's Letter, Fr. Paul Demuth

Recently our BACC board began its four month training program in foresight analysis. What an exciting adventure for us and hopefully for our entire community as we learn how to scan for trends that will impact how all of us will wisely plan for its future growth.

At the same time, I am reflecting on the future using the wisdom and insights of deep thinkers like Richard Rohr, OFM (Center for Action and Contemplation) and Ilia Delio, OSF. Both are spiritual thinkers who use the wisdom of the centuries and the advances in science and technology to forge a vision of the future based on love, convergence, and inclusion of all people. A few of their relevant works are cited later in this newsletter.

Neither foresight analysis experts like Garry Golden nor spiritual seekers dare to predict the future! Rather, they help us to listen to the greater needs of the world (dare we say “universe”?) in a way that takes us to a new appreciation of our advances while at the same time asking, "What is the greater good for the community?" New advances in computers, medical science, manufacturing and artificial intelligence will only be a true advancement if it helps people of every race, ethnicity, religion and socio-economic segment grow in love and appreciation of all that we are and have been given.

We’ve got a lot to learn! As thought leaders in the community, BACC hopes to see the big picture and offer insights and wisdom to community leaders. We invite you to continue to walk with us on this journey.

Know your BACC Director: Bob Woessner

Tell us a little bit about yourself—where you were raised, past and current professions and careers, how long you have lived in Brown County, and some of your favorite pass times

I was born in Colorado in 1937 and spent my early years there and in Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee. My family moved often because of my father’s WWII job with the U.S. Army Ordnance Department. When the war ended, a new job landed us in Waukesha County where I went to high school. I graduated from Marquette University in 1959, spent two years in graduate school and taught journalism for three years at the University of Detroit.

Teaching was fun, but I had no appetite for amassing the degrees needed to continue as an academic. That led to mailing “can I come work for you letters” to newspapers. The Press Gazette was interested. I liked the people and in August 1964 my wife Kit (who is the best thing that ever happened to me) and I loaded what we owned into a U-Haul, drove it onto a ferry and landed in Wisconsin in the dead of night.

At the time, the PG was a thriving, sprawling paper whose columns were open to anyone who wanted to report, write and edit. Over the course of 36 years, I did all of that. My longest gig was writing editorials. My last duties were newsroom mentoring and management training. I retired in September 2000.

Since then I have read 872 books, walked countless miles on the East River Trail and at the Broadview YMCA, traveled a bit, kept track of the four children (and now eight grandchildren) I helped Kit raise and tried to keep up with change in every facet of life.

Describe your relationship to the BACC—when did you start on the BACC, what are your hopes for the BACC, what personal gifts do you bring to the BACC mission?

I knew of the BACC from my newspaper days and was flattered when asked to join in 2004. Directors then spent most of their time discussing and analyzing local issues/problems. Out of that came reports on poverty, alcohol abuse, immigration, transportation, economic development and other issues. Local agencies used the reports to help put resources into areas that needed attention. I hope it develops a stronger and more persuasive voice in helping the Bay Area, Brown County in particular, cope with change. I bring the perspective of having seen Brown County change -- often for the better – for more than half a century. Once in a great while, I have a good idea. I can write simple sentences.

The task of building a community is never finished. I hope BACC can help the community see far enough ahead to ensure the job is done right.

What do you like most about life in Brown County?

Some small examples: We bought a home in Allouez in 1965. I’m not sure the town then owned a picnic table. Now, there are parks, trails, ball diamonds, tennis courts, soccer fields, disc golf and lots of picnic tables. Last month, Allouez and other suburbs ran a bus to Milwaukee for people who wanted to see the Bucks play.

Such quality-of-life concern is evidence that community leaders are more knowledgeable, more creative than was the case in 1964. Good decisions have been made about environmental concerns, education, transportation, community health and other important areas.

That said, there are major challenges. Too many people lead ALICE (asset limited, income restrained, employed) lives and that may lead to stress that makes this one of the most alcohol-tolerant places in the nation. The population is aging. The growing number of seniors will strain community resources.

Green Bay is rightfully proud of a revitalized downtown. But the city has serious infrastructure problems. The county population is growing and will reach a point where sprawl is a major concern. Much of local business and industry is branch-office rather than headquarters. There is tension between racial and economic groups and there could be stress between age groups as the population grays.

APRIL 11 BACC Board meeting

The BACC Board of Directors met at St. Norbert College on April 11. Director Devon Christianson confirmed the completion of the BACC application to the Greater Green Bay Foundation capacity building initiative. The BACC application was framed around its desire to improve its branding strategy. Director Randall Lawton described the work the Resource Development Committee to provide an annual solicitation letter.

Following the business meeting, the Directors received 90 minutes of foresight analysis training by Garry Golden.

Applying foresight analysis to greater Green Bay's history, present, and future

BACC Director Dave Wegge provides the third installation to a six month series by BACC directors connecting forecast analysis to our community's history, present, and future well being.

FORESIGHT ANALYSIS IS NOT A FAD

The Bay Area Community Council (BACC) is on a journey to engage community leaders and their organizations in the utilization of foresight analysis as a critical foundation to prepare for the future.

Everyday news accounts provide signals about impending changes on the horizon that will significantly impact our personal lives, the organizations we are part of, and our communities as a whole. The changes seem to be coming at the speed of light. Organizations and communities that use foresight analysis to identify plausible futures will thrive; those that don’t may stagnate and die.

It is largely organizations within a community, and their leaders, who ultimately shape the future of the community as a whole. There rarely is a single entity, that on its own, can shift the future direction of a community. As a result, it is important that all organizations begin to adopt foresight analysis and thinking into their planning processes.

In the business world, we see companies come and go on a regular basis. There are often many factors that lead to a business failing. But one factor may the absence of foresight analysis or the inability to effectively respond to foresight. What happened to Blockbuster Video, Kodak, Blackberry phones and more locally, ShopKo? How have Uber, Lyft, Amazon, Airbnb all disrupted existing business models? Would better foresight analysis and the decisions that leaders could have made at these companies changed their future? How prepared is your organization at looking over the horizon or around the corners to the future?

Focusing on the future by using foresight analysis needs to become part of every organizations DNA. To make this happen will require significant commitment on the part of organizational leaders and their boards. This commitment may mean making a shift in the organization’s culture, strong support from the top management team, and the dedication of organizational human and financial resources. In the end this commitment will pay benefits.

The journey we are on at the BACC is unique. From our communication with futurists and future oriented associations, such as the World Future Society, we have not found another community that is approaching the future in the manner that the BACC is. There are several communities that are engaged in “visioning sessions” to create a sense of what their community might look like in 10 – 20 years. That is often a fun and useful exercise led by consultants with participation by the general public and community leaders. However, it is often not grounded in foresight analysis.

The BACC’s approach is to train leaders in foresight analytic tools and then to have those tools embedded into their organizations. This is a daunting challenge, but a challenge that the BACC believes is necessary to engage in so our community can flourish in the future. We do not want the Greater Green Bay Area to simply survive; we want it to thrive.

Based on our pre and post evaluation survey of participants, the BACC’s first Foresight Analysis Workshop conducted last fall was a significant success. We are now planning our next Workshop to begin in September 2019, once again led by our professionally trained futurist, Garry Golden.

If you or a member of your leadership team is interested in participating in this training, please email or phone Dave Wegge, 920-217-7738.

Favorite resources and news you can use

Recent news stories, articles, books, videos, Websites or venues of interest to the BACC supporters and newsletter readers, recommend by the BACC staff and directors. Also community events of interest to the BACC supporters

The Aspen Institute. " Weave: The Social Fabric Project," February 13, 2019

(from the introduction)"Weave: The Social Fabric Project began with the idea that America’s social fabric is being ripped to shreds by distrust, loneliness, alienation, inequality, racism, spiritual emptiness and tribal enmity. But we also knew that there are people fighting these scourges, successfully, at the local level all across America. We wanted to learn what they could teach us. We wanted to shine a light on their examples and magnify their effect...."

Delio, Ilia. A Hunger for Wholeness: Soul, Space, and Transcendence. 2018.

Florida, Richard. " Are Local Politics As Polarized As National? Depends on the Issue," CityLab, April 24, 2019.

Geiger, Abigail. " How Americans see automation and the workplace in 7 charts ," Pew Research Center, April 8, 2019.

Herro, Steve. " Embracing of new cultures is a win-win situation ," April 13, 2019.

Parker, Kim; Morin, Rich; Horowitz, Juliana Menasce. " Looking to the Future, Public Sees an America in Decline on Many Fronts ," Pew Research Center, March 21, 2019.

Rohr, Richard. What the Mystics Know: Seven Pathways to Your Deeper Self. New York, NY: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2015.

WPR, " How Nine Tech Companies Are Driving The Future Of Humanity ," March 29, 2019.

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

6:30 pm-8 pm

"Dental Health Matters"

Bemis International Center, St. Norbert College

In this community conversation event, Mary Otto, veteran health journalist, shares her passion for quality oral health care and ways to prevent the national oral health epidemic.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

6 pm-8 pm

League Annual Meeting and Dinner with Jonathan Patz

Tundra Lodge and Conference Center, 865 Lombardi Avenue, Green Bay

Jonathan Patz, M.D., MPH, an international authority on the environmental health effects of climate change, will speak at the League's annual dinner meeting on "Climate Change: Risks and Opportunities for Wisconsin and Beyond." Public invited; see League Facebook page for reservation details.

Thursday, May 30, 2019

8 am-11:30 am

" Creating Hope: The Power of Faith Communities in Mental Health Recovery "

Cornerstone Foundation Hall West, Green Bay Botanical Garden, 2600 Larsen Road, Green Bay

The morning for Brown County pastoral staff, volunteers, chaplains, and employees of nursing homes and assisted living centers will provide a basic understanding of mental illness and address the unique role of faith community representatives in the support of those dealing with mental illness.

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