It鈥檒l be interesting to see in ten years what Outlook may look like, especially if people take to heart what was said at a pair of meetings last week.
A consultant from Alberta hosted two sessions aimed at compiling data and getting the town and RM to start to think about this area鈥檚 future as it relates to developing a community strategic plan.聽 The host, Chris Fields, asked the audience questions and they responded by texting, and the responses from each question were on display in real-time, which helped everyone to know what everyone else was thinking and really got you thinking about what the future may have in store.
It was like trying to form an outlook鈥︹�n Outlook.
I attended the first meeting on Tuesday, and I thought it was pretty interesting, but I did have some concerns upon leaving the Civic Centre that evening.聽 First off, the attendance for the meeting was very, well, let鈥檚 just say 鈥榤odest鈥�, with about 20 people there.聽 I heard it was roughly the same at the Thursday session, too.聽 Granted, there鈥檚 a lot going on at this time of the year and perhaps some people just weren鈥檛 interested, but I also think the time to get interested and invested in what鈥檚 trying to be accomplished here is now.
But I guess you really can鈥檛 blame people for not packing the building to capacity.聽 After all, this whole community planning thing has been talked about before in Outlook, only for it to putter out and just be shelved for maybe another time down the road.聽 I guess I just hope that time is now, and that this doesn鈥檛 become one of those projects that meanders on and on and on without really going anywhere.
I thought what Chris had to say at the meeting was right on the money when it comes to things such as weathering criticism, dropping cynicism, and the general attitude towards change and planning for the future.聽 While I think Outlook has made great strides toward being progressive, there鈥檚 still a mindset of keeping many things the way they are and just sticking to the status quo, with no real thoughts or initiatives behind planning for the future.
His blogs are a great source of the kind of mindset needed to really jumpstart the idea of a community plan for Outlook, where Chris talks about moving away from the dreaded comfort zone that so many other communities like Outlook remain in.
An excerpt from a September 2017 blog entitled, 鈥淭he Time Has Come for the 鈥楢rt鈥� of Community Building鈥� helps highlight one of the main points that Fields made at the meetings in Outlook last week.
鈥淚t鈥檚 natural to want to invest in the motion of what we have known in the past. It鈥檚 a comfort zone. And so our arena becomes a flash point. We want another one, or to re-invest in our crumbling one. It鈥檚 Canadian鈥�.like maple syrup and thick socks in the winter. But imagine a more multicultural future, or our societal need to transform into a more creative economy that innovates, or our aging population. Change suggests we broaden our considerations鈥�.even make different choices. However, we are stuck in a paradox; because the future can鈥檛 be known we conclude it鈥檚 a dangerous game to plan for it.
It鈥檚 funny how we will spend millions on a hockey rink but debate a performing arts centre expansion 鈥� or even a more basic concept like how to enable our creativity to set the stage for the future 鈥� for years, if ever. A hockey rink and a performing arts centre is one and the same鈥�.just different kinds of people pursuing their aspirations. While we鈥檙e psychologically wired to value one over the other, should it be this way?
A brave community determined to forge its distinct and compelling future will also invest in its creativity. It will become more vital over time as we continue to shift to a knowledge-based economy, where innovation becomes our only competitive advantage as a country.
And so while recreation 鈥� and clinging to the romance of our arenas 鈥� dominates our conversations, leadership is about having the bravery to commit to the less comfortable path.鈥�
I thought Chris hit the nail on the head about committing to a less comfortable path.聽 Outlook is a fantastic community, but it鈥檚 not without its issues; one of them being that we fear major change because it鈥檚 part of the unknown.
Hopefully, some of the movers and shakers in this town will have no problem venturing into that unknown if it means establishing a prosperous future.
For this week, that鈥檚 been the Ruttle Report.
