 (Little Rock) - Conceived and funded by Fifty for the Future, implemented in partnership with Create Little Rock, and facilitated by the Arkansas Economic Development Institute at UA Little Rock (AEDI), Think Big Little Rock has been a year-long strategic assessment aimed at improving the quality of place of the Little Rock region. The project is an inclusive and participatory process focused on an age group that traditionally has had little input in building Little Rock's future. Over the past 12 months, the Think Big Little Rock initiative brought together a diverse group of young professionals, ages 25 To 40, to assess the community's needs and, where possible, act as a catalyst for positive change. In October, members of the Think Big Little Rock leadership team and AEDI facilitators will host four interactive listening sessions in various locations across Little Rock to present their findings and recommendations: Southwest Little Rock: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017, 5:30 - 7:30pm Longley Baptist Church - Fellowship Hall 9900 Geyer Springs Road, 72209 RSVP on Facebook West Little Rock: MONDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2017, 5:30 - 7:30pm CALS Roosevelt Thompson Library 38 Rahling Circle, 72223 RSVP on Facebook North Little Rock: MONDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2017, 5:30 - 7:30pm North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce - Bank of the Ozarks Conference Center (2nd Floor) 100 Main Street, NLR, 72114 RSVP on Facebook Downtown Little Rock: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017, 5:30 - 7:30pm Mosaic Templars Cultural Center - Auditorium 501W. 9th Street, 72201 RSVP on Facebook These interactive listening sessions are free and open to the public. For details about the events contact April Campbell at abcampbell@ualr.edu. For media inquiries, please contact Buckley O'Mell at bomell@littlerockchamber.com. About Think Big Little Rock: In September of 2016, a 54-member steering committee held a half-day work session to identify 6 areas of study, and task forces were formed for each study area made up of steering committee members and other young professionals from the community. The task forces are: Arts & Culture Diversity & Inclusion Economic Development Public Education Public Safety & Governance Transportation & Environment Over the past year, Think Big Little Rock held monthly 3-hour work sessions on the UA Little Rock campus. Task forces also met outside of these works sessions and formed subcommittees to tackle specific areas of study. Interviews were conducted with city leaders and Little Rock stakeholders to provide insight, history and advice. Additionally, four focus groups were conducted with other young professionals not involved with the Think Big Little Rock initiative to gain an outside perspective on the various recommendations. Think Big Little Rock leadership and facilitators are currently in the process of creating a final product, including presentations and a report to be distributed to the community. While the obligation for the Think Big Little Rock participants is limited to the year of visioning, those participants who wish to remain engaged can take part in "Phase 2" of the project which consists of implementation of the recommendations.
Meet Chris Hancock! Chris Hancock is part of the TBLR Steering Committee and the Education Task Force. He is also Vice Chair of Create Little Rock, the young professionals of the Little Rock Regional Chamber. Chris serves on the Little Rock City Beautiful Commission and is Communications Officer of Winrock International.  When asked why he is involved with Think Big Little Rock, he said:
"Think Big Little Rock is a unique opportunity to influence the future of our community for young professionals in a way that benefits our greater community. Over the past year, I’ve been developing a policy proposal to increase access to affordable quality PreK. This issue directly affects many young professionals but the benefits of increasing access cascade across our community – from the ability of employers to attract and retain talent, to preventing crime and avoiding future costs of literacy intervention and remediation services. Access to PreK is a key indicator for future literacy rates. At first, a child learns to read, then they read to learn. Literacy is the gateway to all other disciplines and lifelong learning. We’re fortunate that LRSD has an exceptional PreK program. We need to build capacity so that more families and the broader community can reap the benefits. My proposal is a market-based solution that will gradually build capacity to meet demand and make the program more sustainable. Without TBLR, I would not have had the opportunity to think big about PreK or to work with local experts while collaborating with this passionate group of committed community developers." |
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