Imagine Greater Tucson
Phase I Data Gathering
Hosted Conversation – Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona | ||
924 N. Alvernon Way, Tucson | ||
Date of Conversation: Friday, December 10, 2010 Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM | ||
Facilitator: Patrick Hartley Recorder: Tahnee Robertson | ||
Number of Tables: 1 Number of Participants: 18 | ||
Theme 1. Meaningful Employment | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
More volunteer opportunities for youth | ||
More jobs with purpose for youth | ||
Theme 2. Environmental Sustainability and Resource Use | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
The growing food justice movement | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Not enough awareness of local food needs and water use issues | ||
Water depletion, rivers that are dry that shouldn't be | ||
Theme 3. Transportation | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
I like the bike friendly environment encountered here in Tucson | ||
Easy to get around on bike | ||
Generally good bikability | ||
The amount of bikers (cyclist) | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
More reliable city/public transportation | ||
Transportation for youth | ||
Bike lanes | ||
More pedestrian-friendly (more walkable, better better bus systems - encourage communal transportation) | ||
More maintenance of our city roads | ||
Cheaper bus fair for the area youth | ||
Better bike lanes! (please) | ||
A better transit system | ||
More lights during the night | ||
Transportation for youth | ||
Cars and bikes need to know how to treat each other | ||
Theme 4. Drugs and Social Problems | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Meth | ||
Sexual assault | ||
Crime | ||
Theme 5. Outdoor Activities and Recreation | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
The beautiful sunny outdoors and nice folks to enjoy ith with | ||
The sunshine and hiking | ||
Outdoor activities for youth | ||
The desert | ||
Youth being able to go up Mt. Lemmon | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Get youth more interactive with nature (no video games) | ||
Theme 6. Social and Cultural Events and Activities | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
Community events for youth | ||
Downtown community for youth | ||
Things youth can do Downtown, Skrappy's, etc. | ||
Lots of resources for youth to get out and do meaningful and/or fun things | ||
Rodeo days - aka getting school off (for youth) | ||
Cultural events | ||
4th Ave (for youth) | ||
Downtown hangouts (for youth) | ||
Rodeo (for youth) | ||
Skateboarding year round (for youth) | ||
Skrappy's Youth Collective | ||
Skrappy's Youth Collective | ||
Big City Events (Tucson Meet Yourself) | ||
Community Events (ex: 4th Ave Street Fair) | ||
Dry River Collective | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
More places for youth to hang, rap, skate, paint, and express themselves | ||
Youth-friendly events that don't cost money | ||
More things/activities to do | ||
No ice-skating for youth | ||
More youth activities and opportunities | ||
More amusements geared to youth -specifically more things to do | ||
More youth activities spread out across town - not just downtown | ||
Youth empowerment | ||
More fun, and easy-to-get-to activities - better access for youth | ||
Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
Brings people in to spend money in the local economy | ||
Self-guided, it connects people even if they are doing it on their own | ||
Events show pride in Tucson | ||
Leadership; networking- inspires youth to take on more roles, like politicians, etc. | ||
Hands-on education; interacting with other members of society | ||
Shows respect for the community | ||
For kids that have a rough home life, it gives them a space to be themselves | ||
Empowers and inspires | ||
Gains self-value; like they are part of something, respect for self | ||
Keeps kids off the street; out of trouble | ||
Gains learning experiences vs. TV watching; more than just keeping kids out of trouble | ||
Activities are important because it builds communities | ||
Theme 7. Weather | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
I like the weather (the sun) | ||
The weather | ||
The weather | ||
The Blazing Sun (picture of the sun drawn) | ||
Theme 8. People and Community | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
Youth like having friends and family that live here | ||
Friends and family live here | ||
People - the diversity and the partnerships | ||
Diversity | ||
Youth like being surrounded by people that look and talk like them | ||
Youth like hanging out together | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Parents need to be more involved in youth's lives | ||
Theme 9. Hunger/Homelessness | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Hunger | ||
Theme 10. Political Support and Funding for Education | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Education system - we need more funding and support | ||
Government investment in youth and non-profits | ||
Youth need more funding for school activities | ||
Theme 11. Politics | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
Tucson is not like the rest of Arizona politically | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
SB1070 | ||
Politics | ||
Feeling like I'm living in a police state | ||
Legislature | ||
Theme 12. Education | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
The youth like City High School | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Youth need better role models, educators, opportunity, and MONEY!!!! | ||
Puts the arts, music, and gym back in school | ||
Youth need internship possibilities/opportunities for public high schools | ||
Youth need better schools (systematically) | ||
Better schools with better funding | ||
Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
Teachers think "oh well," there is teacher burnout, settling for low standards | ||
Youth don't how to communicate professionally (limits their opportunities) | ||
Students don't see a role for themselves in the community | ||
ESL programs don't value students as adults - Don't see a valuable role for themselves in the community | ||
It's hard to work with youth when they don’t feel like they have a future | ||
Link between poverty and a lack of education | ||
More parental involvement | ||
More community involvement | ||
People with education leave when they might stay here and feel passionately about making Arizona great | ||
Curriculum doesn't challenge students to think and learn for themselves | ||
In-classroom spending low - showing kids we don't value education; makes businesses not want to come here (affects economy) | ||
Need more youth voice in curriculum | ||
Too much bureaucracy | ||
Value of teachers | ||
Access to information to make informed decisions | ||
Losing subjects like cultural studies and topics like evolution - too politicized | ||
Local brain drain (college grads are likely to leave the region) | ||
Younger generation currently has a distorted worldview and they will be adults/leaders in the future | ||
Got rid of funding support for GED | ||
Education is the root of sustainability - should invest in it | ||
Graduation rate lowest in the country and they cut funding for education |
Volunteer Center Community Conversation and Answers to Questions (Like, Change and Why)
Tuesday, December 21, 2010