Crossroads Charlotte is an initiative that uses imagination and
story telling to involve a community in choosing the path of its future.
The project began in 2003 in response to a 2001 Harvard social
benchmarking study that ranked the Charlotte, NC community next to last
in levels of social and interracial trust out of 40 U.S. communities
surveyed.
This was particularly alarming for a new south city that has struggled for decades with Black and White issues, and now finds itself growing rapidly more diverse, with an exponential rise in Latino and Asian populations. The survey presented a disconcerting juxtaposition: while Charlotte is heavily engaged in faith-based giving and volunteerism, at the same time, it revealed that the generous residents were distrustful and intolerant of people unlike themselves.
Crossroads Charlotte is a civic initiative that presents four plausible stories about the future of Charlotte, NC built on shifts in driving forces such as demography, education, economy, growth and land use, community resource allocation and civic engagement.
The stories are presented in live sessions involving actors, poets, readers and facilitated dialogue in a group setting where the community is asked to hear and respond to these stories.
It is designed to involve leaders and community organizations in meaningful dialogue and to promote individual and organizational actions that will build social capital and promote access, equity, inclusion and trust. The project recently opened an exhibit at the Charlotte Museum of History that features multi-media versions of the stories and highlights from the four stories on dedicated panels. Visitors are asked to view the stories, talk to others and ask themselves:
“What can I do to help steer the community towards a positive future and away from a negative one?”
This was particularly alarming for a new south city that has struggled for decades with Black and White issues, and now finds itself growing rapidly more diverse, with an exponential rise in Latino and Asian populations. The survey presented a disconcerting juxtaposition: while Charlotte is heavily engaged in faith-based giving and volunteerism, at the same time, it revealed that the generous residents were distrustful and intolerant of people unlike themselves.
Crossroads Charlotte is a civic initiative that presents four plausible stories about the future of Charlotte, NC built on shifts in driving forces such as demography, education, economy, growth and land use, community resource allocation and civic engagement.
The stories are presented in live sessions involving actors, poets, readers and facilitated dialogue in a group setting where the community is asked to hear and respond to these stories.
It is designed to involve leaders and community organizations in meaningful dialogue and to promote individual and organizational actions that will build social capital and promote access, equity, inclusion and trust. The project recently opened an exhibit at the Charlotte Museum of History that features multi-media versions of the stories and highlights from the four stories on dedicated panels. Visitors are asked to view the stories, talk to others and ask themselves:
“What can I do to help steer the community towards a positive future and away from a negative one?”
