Project Description

Crossroads Charlotte is a two-year civic engagement project that aims to shape the future of Charlotte, NC. Throughout 2004 and 2005, organizations, institutions, and individuals will hear and respond to four different stories depicting plausible futures for the community in the year 2015, and will collectively decide which direction they would like to steer toward. The ultimate goal of this community-wide project is to collaboratively choose and pursue a future for Charlotte, NC, based on intentional choices and creative foresight.

In 2000, Charlotte was one of the 40 communities surveyed for social capital by Robert F. Putnam, and the results shocked them: Charlotte placed 39th—second to last—in the category of interracial trust. This statistic was the driving force that propelled Crossroads Charlotte. As a result, the Foundation for the Carolinas brought together a group of 21 prominent community members to participate in a think tank, hoping it would result in a civic engagement project that could shift their ranking during the following 10 years. One of the exercises during this workshop asked participants to write responsively to this core question: “What course will Charlotte chart for all its residents over the next 10 years as we deal with issues of access, equity, inclusion, and trust in the social, political, economic, and cultural life of the community?” The participants were instructed to also keep in mind what they know about demographics, civic engagement and leadership, economy, patterns of growth and development, allocation of community resources, and education in the community. The group soon realized that the stories were so important that they weren’t going to lead to an idea of a civic engagement project—they were the project.

Four scenarios in particular stood out.  “Fortress Charlotte” is a vision of Charlotte in 2015 in which the city becomes gripped by racial division and fear, and the economy falters.. In “Class Act,” Charlotte emerges as a truly world-class city and offers a quality of life second to none; however, old patterns of racial, ethnic, and social division remain in the midst of prosperity. In “The Beat Goes On,” Charlotte is positive proof that old habits die hard, as growth and opportunity remain on the lips of citizens, though many wonder if an opportunity has been missed. In “Eye to Eye,” Charlotte has found new ways to govern itself, and has succeeded in making collective decisions and creating a city where diversity is the rule, not the exception.

Civic Engagement/Dialogue Activities

In the first phase of the project, a representative group of key leaders, CEOs, and executives were invited to attend one of two Crossroads Executive Sessions. For two hours, participants explored the scenarios, heard and saw artistic responses, and discussed their own roles in each of the four scenarios—as well as the roles of their organizations. Then, members from Charlotte’s corporate, nonprofit, and community networks were invited to participate in sessions called Crossroads Live! In one of nine sessions, participants used the scenarios to role play and develop possible organizational responses. To introduce the scenarios, a multi-media presentation was played, and then a participant volunteered to read one of the four scripted stories. Following the recitation of each story, a different member of Crossroads Charlotte’s slam poetry group—created for the project—performed a piece of poetry inspired by each scenario. At the end of these workshops, the organizations chose whether to continue working with the Crossroads Charlotte staff further, or to end their collaboration. Out of the 40 organizations participating in 2003–2004, all 40 asked to continue with the process.

The next phase of the project was called Crossroads Charlotte Internal. When the organizations agreed to continue to participate, consultants went to their offices to observe their staff and facilitate dialogues and workshops. One of the main issues discussed with each organization was what role they could play in each of the four scenarios, and what they could do to guide the community, during the next 10 years, toward a positive future. The consultants worked closely with the staff to develop a realistic, organizational strategic plan: a goal for the company that was within their normal scopes of work. For example, one organization’s goal was to develop a new program to help recruit Asian-owned businesses to the area. As soon as all the organizations had gone through this process, Crossroads Charlotte staff facilitated a comprehensive plan for all 40 organizations—these were united into a “Crossroads Learning Network.” At the convening, other local organizations also shared their new, internally focused missions, to create a national initiative.

In 2005–2006, the project will enter into its final grassroots phase. The Crossroads Charlotte scenarios will be unveiled to the public in a traveling dialogue series, stopping at local venues around the area (museums, churches, congregations, etc.). This will allow the public to take a personal part in crafting their own responses to the scenarios. not just as being identified by the organization they work for, but in the groups with which they identify themselves such as: family, friends, neighborhood centers, congregations, interest groups, civic organizations, and community-based organizations. The facilitators will use the previously scripted stories and poetry to present these scenarios, and will help each citizen/group develop their own plan of action.

Crossroads Charlotte is free to all participants at every stage of the project, thanks to major grants from Foundation for the Carolinas and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

After the final phase is complete, Tracy Russ, a member of the project design and management team, hopes to plan a follow-up event to highlight the project’s successes and evaluate the community’s progress after a year’s time.