Sedona, Arizona has prospered for decades attracting millions of visitors every year to “the most beautiful place in the USA”. However, with the current economic challenges, it may be time to show the world that Sedona and the Verde Valley can also be a resource for programs that foster personal, professional and organizational development, as well as community empowerment and economic development.
For many residents and visitors, Sedona is already an experiential “UniverCity” for spiritual, personal and community enlightenment. While Sedona is widely known for the energy vortexes here, it is also home to what we refer to as Sedona's "Vortechs". That stands for the Variety of Opportunities, Resources and Techniques for Enlightenment, Consciousness-raising, Healing, Self-development, Stewardship and Sustainability. The purpose of this article is to introduce the principles and practices of community economic development (CED) that focus on self-help, empowerment and capacity building and propose seven possible initiatives.
(1) Reposition Sedona as See-Do-Now! The first objective is to invite the Sedona and Sedona Verde Valley Tourism Bureaus and Red Rock TV to continue to showcase the benefits of visiting Sedona under the 3 areas of what to SEE in the area, the wide range of activities to DO and why NOW is always a great time to visit Sedona, no matter what season it is and no matter what is happening with the larger economy.
The second objective is to develop a coordinated marketing strategy and a master regional event calendar that would feature programs and resources in the area that foster personal and professional development, empowerment and enlightenment. The proposed refinement is to market the greater Sedona area as a center for SEEing (or visioning more clearly ones desired outcomes), discovering the most effective and efficient action steps to DO in order to achieve goals and objectives and learning how to recognize when to take action NOW.
(2) Establish the Sedona Institute for Conscious Sustainable Living. Through an international “think tank” to address local, regional, national and global challenges and opportunities, world-class authors, presenters and experts in related fields would be invited to come to Sedona and participate in periodic conferences and workshops on topics of greatest interest and impact.
The initial potential programs could include a primary focus on: (1) Conscious Sustainable Living with Penny Kelly, author of The Evolving Human, Consciousness and Energy and co-founder of the Center for Conscious Sustainable Living, Susan Davis, Founder of Capital Missions and initiator of the Tipping Point Network along with key leaders of Social Venture Network, the World Business Academy, Center for Sustainable Community, etc.
and (2)
Consciousness in Economics with
Lynne Twist on
The Soul of Money
and Fundraising from the Heart;
Maria Nemeth on the
Energy of Money;
Catherine Austin Fitts, of Solari, Inc.;
Siegfried Finser, author
(3) Establish Empowerment
Resource Centers.
Model resource centers would provide area residents expanded access
to resources for personal growth and development, professional and
career advancement, organizational and community development and
empowerment. The ERC’s would include a lending library of books,
audio and video programs and provide an ongoing calendar of
Empowerment Resource
Showcases, seminars
and workshops, coaching and mentoring and consulting services in
successful living skills.
The ERC’s would inventory available assets including facilities, trainers, facilitators and resource providers, listing their skills, interests and needs. The objectives would be to: help leverage existing assets and develop expanded resources that could help residents and visitors realize more of their potential; create and attract new jobs and businesses in the area; help foster a greater sense of community throughout the region; and develop a more diverse and stable local and regional economy. Click Here for more details on the ERC's. (4) Launch CAN DO! Large-scale development training programs would be produced with world-class authors and trainers such as Les Brown, Scott and Shannon Peck, Dr. Emmett Miller, John Randolph and Jan Price, Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn, Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra. T. Harv Eker, Louise Hay, Bob Proctor, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Jean Houston, Colin Tipping, etc. (We have producing community-based, non-profit programs of this scope for up to 1,800 participants since 1990, mostly in a county of 100,000 residents. It is envisioned that these larger events, initially featuring Les Brown, would be held periodically at various locations including Sedona, Prescott, Flagstaff and possibly even Phoenix.
(5) Create a
Writers, Publishers & Producers Collaborative.
There are hundreds of authors, producers and potential
self-publishers in the area. Many of them would benefit from having
access to resources that help them publish, print, market, promote,
distribute and repurpose their content. As a result, they and the
community will enjoy the greatest possible return on their
investment of time, energy and money.
Click Here for
more details in a letter to Sedona author and publishing expert Tom
Bird and Click Here for a letter
to the Editor of the Red Rock News about Mr. Bird's generosity. (6) Establish Community Development Corporations (CDC) One or more non-profit CDC’s could help: identify and act on possible CED opportunities (perhaps even affordable housing); provide technical assistance, training and mentoring (possibly microenterprise development); and attract funding for new and expanding small businesses and non-profit organizations that benefit local and regional economies. For an example of possible action steps, please Click Here to review the letters sent to the Presidents of Yavapai College and Coconino Community College on October 14th offering to help them apply for Community Based Job Training Grants of $500,000 to $2,000,000 available from the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
An Invitation: Now that the Presidential election is over, there are important priorities inherent within the proposals that citizens, businesses, non-profit organizations and local governments will have to address to help ensure the ultimate success of residents, communities and the regional economy. This list of possible community empowerment initiatives is offered as a starting point for consideration, discussion and further focus on any areas where there is sufficient interest. The possible projects being proposed are based on decades of (mostly) successful prior experience with similar projects in similar situations. However, the success of any of the proposals will be determined by the level of interest and participation. Cocreative participation by individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations in the proposed projects is being sought. Coaches, trainers, consultants and anyone who has written a book, developed an audio/video program, seminar or workshop on related topics is invited to participate as a resource provider. The proposal will need co-producers and corporate sponsors for major events, potential co-founders, directors and committee members for the proposed new organizations along with facilities for establishing model Empowerment Resource Centers and producing events. Anyone who resonates with any of the proposed possibilities is invited to participate by completing the Interest Survey and by attending any community meetings that are scheduled to explore implementing projects identified as priority interests by participants. A similar CED presentation in Kankakee, Illinois resulted in a Community Development Corporation, an award-winning 22,000 square foot Community Resource Center and Kankakee County CAN DO! http://www.candoresourcecenter.com. For more information, contact Charles Betterton at 760-212-9931 or by email at ceo@ultimatedestinyenterprises.com
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