All Brandon community members are encouraged to take part in the second step of Brandon: A Hub and Our Home on Wednesday, May 27 from 6:00-8:30 p.m. at the Brandon Town Hall. During this session, participants will discuss and vote for community priorities that will improve the future of their town. Thanks to support from PEGTV, the meeting will be fully hybrid, allowing those unable to attend in person to join online and participate in real time.
This event builds on the strong turnout at the kickoff event in April. Through community forums, online and paper surveys, and two youth sessions, over 150 residents have shared ideas for the future of Brandon. The May 27 meeting will begin with a visioning exercise before participants review the full list of ideas generated by community members. Through discussion and dot-voting, the community will select the top priorities to move forward.
All members of the Brandon community are encouraged to attend — including youth, families, long-time and new residents, business owners, employees, and anyone who cares about Brandon’s future — even if they didn’t join the first meeting. Pizza and childcare will be provided. Details for joining the hybrid meeting, along with background on the process, are available at https://sites.google.com/vtrural.org/brandon/home or by contacting Alyssa Johnson at (802) 222-6896 or [email protected].
“A wealth of ideas were shared at the kickoff event,” said Alyssa Johnson, VCRD’s Community Visit Program Director. “This next meeting is a crucial moment where we move from ideas to action. We encourage all Brandon community members to weigh in and help shape the future of your town!”
The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) provides the overall structure and neutral facilitation for the Brandon: A Hub and Our Home process. A non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the advancement of Vermont communities, VCRD has supported more than 100 Vermont communities over the past 30 years in setting priorities and moving forward with locally driven solutions.
The final step in the process will take place on Thursday, June 25 at 6 p.m. at the Neshobe School, where participants will develop action plans around the chosen priorities and launch local task force groups to implement them.
The Brandon: A Hub and Our Home Community Visit is funded with support from the Northern Border Regional Commission, Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Vermont Community Foundation, National Life Foundation, the Windham Foundation, Heritage Family Credit Union, and VCRD supporters and donors.
For more information or assistance participating in the process, visit https://sites.google.com/vtrural.org/brandon/home or contact Alyssa Johnson at (802) 222-6896 or [email protected].
