July 2022 Newsletter: Change Happening Now in Reading, PA
People say that our nation is stuck and that we can’t move forward on fundamental issues in society. The Harwood Institute is working with individual communities and thousands of public innovators across the country to create a counterforce powered by community-led change. Join us in amplifying the message that we don’t need to surrender to the relentless turmoil in our world today and pervasive false narratives. Getting on a more hopeful path is possible. It’s happening right now in communities like Reading, PA.
Two Days. Fifty Passionate Change Agents.
Ten years ago, Reading, PA, was declared the poorest community in the U.S. and is fighting to change that narrative. Early this month, Rich and the Harwood team traveled to Reading for the first of two Public Innovators Labs as part of a multi-year initiative toward education and community transformation.
Following the release of Reading Thriving Together: A New Agenda for Education and the Community last December, this Lab was the next major milestone toward getting in motion on three key areas identified by the community: English as a second language, early childhood education, and after school programs.
Individuals from business, education, nonprofit, and religious sectors came together with a unified goal: to change how their community works together and create better lives for their children and neighbors. Watch the video below!
What Is a Harwood Public Innovators Lab?
The Harwood Public Innovators Lab teaches individuals who want to make a difference in their communities the fundamentals of Turning Outward. Led by Rich and our coaches, it is intentionally designed to be an ultra-engaging space to develop and strengthen relationships with other community-driven change agents and catalyze long-term change.
“The Harwood Lab exceeded my expectations for getting a large team aligned on mission—bringing together a highly diverse group, many of whom were unknown to each other before the session.”
In Reading, there was palpable energy as participants worked in large and small groups to learn the new mindsets, tools and strategies they’ll use with the larger community. And the connections didn’t stop there.
Before and after the Lab, during lunch, and any free moment (including the ice cream break!), participants engaged in deep discussions, exchanged contacts, and began planning how to implement these ideas right away in their community.
What’s Next for Reading?
During the Lab, participants formed teams to work on the three key areas. Guided by our coaches, they will start with small, intentional actions and build over time. And they will enlist allies as they progress and unleash the incredible capabilities that already exist in Reading.
As Barbara Hall, retired teacher and Reading change agent said, “I left feeling inspired, rejuvenated, and interested in looking at old challenges sideways, backwards, and upside down to find new pathways to change.”
The Counterforce In Action
This work in Reading is part of the Institute’s strategy to go deep in a collection of communities—including Alamance County, NC, Lexington, KY, Clarksville, TN, and Jackson, MS—to show that Americans have the public will and ability to address major fault lines in society and strengthen our civic culture. Although quite different in history, demographics, and the unique challenges they face, all of these communities are moving forward at a time when public discourse signals nothing but division. This is the counterforce in action.
Harwood Team Update!
Please join us in wishing a fond farewell (and congratulations!) to Director of Network Engagement Colleen Bowman. After more than four years at Harwood, she was selected as a Robertson Fellow for the University of Maryland’s Public Policy Program, starting in August.
She will be greatly missed by our team, partners, and the many public innovators she collaborated with over the years. Best of luck, Colleen!