Envision Bend has officially launched an online survey to gather input from residents about the future of the community. The survey is available in both English and Spanish at https://envisionbend.org/. The survey takes about 10 minutes on average to complete. People who complete the survey can enter themselves into prize drawings held every two weeks by Envision Bend, including a final drawing that will award two winners with large cash donations to make to local nonprofits.
The survey asks residents their views on community values, change and challenges, including issues related to growth, climate resiliency, and diversity. Survey respondents also can suggest things people
can do in their own lives to positively impact the community.
The survey is part of the organization’s Bend Vision Project, which is bringing people together to craft a community Vision and Action Plan to make Bend a better place for all of its residents. Since March, the Bend Vision Project has been interviewing community leaders and connectors, recruiting project partners, and researching global, national, and local trends. A total of 16 nonprofits, businesses and governments have signed on as partnering organizations.
This week, the Bend Vision Project kicked off its public input phase. In addition to the survey, the project will be engaging residents this summer with a series of ‘Listen & Envision’ workshops and focus groups, as well as attending numerous festivals and events to solicit input from a diverse audience.
The first ‘Listen & Envision’ workshop is being held virtually from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Thursday, July 14. Pre-registration is required at https://envisionbend.org/news/. Other upcoming workshops are listed at the same link. This fall, citizen teams will meet to analyze the public input and develop an Action Plan that will include a vision statement, strategies for new projects and programs, including large-scale “game-changers, and ideas for actions that people can undertake in their own lives. The Action Plan is scheduled to be published and released in 2023.
This is the first large-scale community visioning project for the greater Bend area since 2005-06. For more on the Bend Vision Project, visit the Envision Bend website at https://envisionbend.org/ or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/EnvisionBend.
Envision Bend is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works with government, business, community groups, and people of all backgrounds and perspectives from across the Bend area to help shape our future, making Bend a better place for everyone.
