On Friday, Jan 20th, FOCUS held a community dialogue on future forum ideas and heard from different community members on a variety of topics.
Participants were passionate about topics such as environmental conservation and climate change, early childhood development, green infrastructure, water preservation, youth violence prevention, representing the voices of leaders in the Hispanic, Latino/a, and black communities, and more.
Community members connected over passions for common issues and topics, and we were grateful for the opportunity to host such an electric conversation! We thank our incredible participants for sharing their ideas and concerns with FOCUS.
WATCH VIDEO HERE
Each year, FOCUS conducts a virtual “Forum on Future Forums,” which guides our forum planning. Last year, we listened and provided forums on: affordable housing needs, infrastructure plans, local media, and more!
TOPICS SUGGESTED INCLUDED:
- Public Transportation and bus rapid transit
- Families, pregnancy support, and early childhood support/child care
- Hispanic and Latino/a Leaders
- Lead poisoning
- Environment, climate change, food systems, and energy efficiency/green infrastructure
- How out community has solved issues
- Affordable housing, hosing developments, and home ownership
- Health equity
- Aging in place: support for our seniors
- Route 81, local DBE participation, and the community grid
- Blueprint 15
- Poverty
- Early childhood education, development, and educators
- Embracing, supporting, and promoting diversity
- Micron – impact on Cicero/Clay, job cuts, plans for other businesses
- Water, wetlands, waterways, and watersheds – Skaneateles, City of Syracuse, etc.
- Tourism – present and future
- Youth violence prevention
- Public engagement methods and how to activate unengaged residents
- Immigrant and New American local leaders
- Census 2020 – the growth of our diverse populations
- Meet you new Council Districts
- Utilization of abandoned houses
- Garbage collection/litter
- Columbus statue
- CNY Connected Community Schools
- Consolidated CNY community planning
- Black community leaders and their work
- Business development for impoverishes neighborhoods
- Job train programs
- Veterans
- Future of Parkside Commons
- Sustainability of the community – environment, economics, equity
- How can the community re-engage with FOCUS Greater Syracuse and collaboration with other
groups - Mental health, workforce mental health