>>> WORKING CITIES PITTSFIELD USES COLLABORATIVE AND INVENTI
MEETING STYLE TO ACCOMPLISH ITS GOALS, GENERATING IDEAS TO
IMPROVE THE CITY.
THEIR SUCCESSFUL VENTURE SERVES AS A
PILOT FOR OTHER WORKING CITIES TEAMS IN CONNECTICUT AND RHODE
I SAT DOWN WITH ALISA COSTA, TH INITIATIVE DIRECTOR OF WORKING
CITIES PITTSFIELD AND THAISA GILES, THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
DIRECTOR OF JACOB'S PILLOW TO FIND OUT MORE.
>> THE PARTNERS FOR GATE
WAY CITIES WERE SELECTED.
SO THEY CHALLENGED THE CITY AS A WHOLE TO WORK TOGETHER
TOWARD A COMMON GOAL SO DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS NEEDED
TO COME TO THE TABLE TO APPLY FOR THE GRANT.
SO IT WAS PEOPLE WHO WERE IN ORGANIZATIONS WHO REALLY CARE
ABOUT MAKING THE CITY A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYONE.
AND, YOU KNOW, JACOB'S PILLOW IS ONE OF THE PARTNERS THAT
CAME TO THE TABLE.
>> SO HOW DID THEY SEE THE PROJECT, SAW THE IDEA AND SAID
YEAH, WE WANT TO BE A PART OF IT?
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY.
JACOB'S PILLOW IS REALLY ENGAGED IN FINDING WHO HAS
ACCESS TO IT AND HOW CAN OUR PROGRAMS BE FOUNDED WITH
PARTNERSHIP AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND THAT IS WHAT WE
DO SO INCREDIBLY WELL, THE RELATIONSHIPS FORMED IN THIS
OPEN-FORMAT MEETING.
SO ATTENDING THE MEETINGS, GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE,
HEARING FROM RESIDENTS AROUND THEIR KEY CONCERNS AND AREAS
THEY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT AND WHERE THEY WANT TO MAKE
POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE CITY, TO ME, THAT IS INCREDIBLE
INFORMATION AND AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER AND
THAT IS REALLY MY ENTRY POINT INTO WORKING CITIES, IS
KNOWING THAT IT IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS AND MAKING
CREATIVE IMPACT ON OUR CITY.
>> SO THE LARGER GOAL, JUST TO GIVE PEOPLE A WORKING VIEW OF
WORKING CITIES IN PITTSFIELD BECAUSE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
THEM, YOU DECIDED TO FOCUS ON POVERTY.
HOW DID YOU SET THAT AS A FOCUS YOU WANTED TO HAVE?
>> WELL, POVERTY IS A HUGE POINT OF ISOLATION FOR
RESIDENTS.
IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET, DON'T HAVE A CAR IN
THE REGION, IF YOU ARE WORKING THREE JOBS TO PIECE TOGETHER A
LIVING, YOU DON'T HAVE THE TIME OR RESOURCES TO REALLY
CONNECT TO YOUR NEIGHBORS AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
AND WHEN WE HELD OUR COMMUNITY LISTENING SESSIONS AHEAD OF
APPLYING FOR THE GRANT, THAT IS OVERWHELMINGLY WHAT WE
HEARD, IS THIS SENSE OF ISOLATION.
SO WE REALIZED THAT A DEEP ROOT OF THAT IS THE RATE OF
POVERTY IN THE AREA.
>> SO FOR JACOB'S PILLOW, THAT COULD MEAN MAYBE THE COST OF
ADMISSION IS MORE THAN SOMEONE CAN AFFORD?
WHAT HAS JACOB'S PILLOW HEARD FROM RESIDENTS IN PITTSFIELD
BECAUSE IT IS LOCATED IN BECKETT.
>> WELL, IT IS FOCUSED AROUND EQUITY AND ACCESS AND LOOKS
LIKE TWO THINGS, ONE, BRINGING THEM INTO COMMUNITY AND
PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND INITIATIVES,
ESPECIALLY WORKING CITIES TO REALLY DREAM AND VISION WHERE
DANCE CAN TAKE PLACE IN THE CITY OF PITTSFIELD, WHETHER
THAT IS AT THE STREET FESTIVAL ON THURSDAY OR ZION LUTHERAN
CHURCH OR THE GIRLS AND BOYS CLUB OR THE CHRISTIAN CENTER
WHERE MEETINGS ARE OFTEN HEARD.
MATCHING ARTISTS WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGH THE
CREATIVE PRACTICE OF DANCE AND THE CREATIVE PRACTICE IN
GENERAL TO UNLOCK THE POWER OF IMAGINATION AND PARTNERSHIP.
SO IT LOOKS LIKE ACCESS IN ANOTHER WAY AS WELL WHICH IS
REALLY THINKING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION AND THE LACK OF
TRANSPORTATION THROUGHOUT BECKER -- BERKSHIRE COUNTY.
>> WHICH WE HEAR A LOT BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THERE IS EVEN A
ROUTE TO GO TO JACOB'S PILLOW.
>> THERE IS NO PROCESS AND THE KEY WE HAVE HEARD AGAIN AND
AGAIN CENTERS AROUND TRANSPORTATION.
WE WERE ABLE TO PILOT THE PITTSFIELD PILLOW EXPRESS AND
THIS COMES DIRECTLY OUT OF THE WORKING MEETINGS, HEARING THE
KEY CONCERNS ABOUT TRANSPORTATION.
AT THE PILLOW, WE OFFER MANY FREE PROGRAMS AND THEY ARE
FANTASTIC -- >> BUT IT YOU CAN'T GET TO
THEM -- >> EXACTLY.
>> -- THEY ARE NOT REALLY WORKING.
>> EXACTLY.
>> SO YOU ARE HOLDING THESE MONTHLY MEETINGS NOW.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM RESIDENTS?
>> THERE IS A MIX.
RESIDENTS DO HAVE A LOT OF HOPE BECAUSE THIS SPACE IS A
PLACE WHERE THEY CAN CONNECT TO RESOURCES AND POWER IN THE
COMMUNITY AND THAT HAS REALLY BEEN THAT DISCONNECT WHERE WE
NEED THAT TWO-WAY CONVERSATION BETWEEN POLICYMAKERS, HUMANS,
SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, TO HEAR FROM RESIDENTS WITH THEIR
NEEDS AND THEIR WANTS.
SO IF IT IS AN IDEA TO MAKE THE CITY A BETTER PLACE,
WHETHER A COMMUNITY BARBECUE AT DOWER SQUARE, WE CALL IT
THE SCAFFOLDING ON THE SIDE, LIKE IF YOU ARE BEING A
LEADER, LET'S SUPPORT YOU IN THAT WORK, WHATEVER IT TAKES.
AND WE RALLY AROUND THOSE IDEAS AND HELP THEM GROW.
ONE OF THEM WAS THE PITTSFIELD TO PILLOW EXPRESS, OTHERS HAVE
BEEN COMMUNITY BIKE RIDES AND IT HAS RUN THE GAMUT AND COOL
TO WATCH PEOPLE GET EXCITED ABOUT THEIR IDEAS.
>> HAVE YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT PEOPLE COMING TO
THE TABLE FOR COLLABORATION AND ADDING ON NEW
COLLABORATIONS OR HAVE YOU NOT GOTTEN THAT FAR YET?
>> NO, ABSOLUTELY, I THINK IT IS THE CONNECTING POINTS WHERE
WE CAN BE RESPONSIVE AS WE COME TOGETHER AT THE TABLE AND
REALLY LISTENING TO WHAT PEOPLE'S HOPES AND CONCERNS
ARE ABOUT.
AND THAT IS ABSOLUTELY INFORMING PILLOW PROGRAMMING
IN TERMS OF PARTNERIPS WITH INITIATIVES ACROSS PITTSFIELD
OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY POSITIVE ONES AND AMPLIFYING
THAT.
AND FOR JACOB'S PILLOW, WE GET TO DO IT THROUGH OUR ART FORM
WHICH IS DANCE.
>> IN LOOKING AT THE GOALS, IT WAS INTERESTING, ONE REALLY
STOOD OUT TO ME.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS ISSUE OF POVERTY, ONE OF THE THINGS YOU
ARE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE SURE PEOPLE FEEL MORE SOCIALLY
ACCEPTED.
>> MM-HMM.
>> SO TO ME THAT MEANS YOU ARE RECEIVING INFORMATION THAT
PEOPLE IN LOWER-INCOME COMMUNITIES DON'T FEEL THEY
ARE SOCIALLY ACCEPTED.
DID YOU RECEIVE THAT FEEDBACK AND WHAT WERE YOU HEARING?
>> SO WHEN WORKING CITY HELD THOSE COMMUNITIES LISTENING
SESSIONS, WE ASKED PEOPLE WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM YOUR CITY AND
THAT IS WHERE OUR TAG LINE JUST THRIVING AND SAFE COMES
FROM, SORT OF NARROWED THAT DOWN.
BUT WHEN WE ASKED ABOUT THEIR PROBLEMS, IT WAS THIS SENSE
THAT IT IS GREAT WE GET THESE HUMAN SERVICES PROVIDED TO US
BUT NOT GREAT THAT WE ARE MADE TO FEEL LESS THAN HUMAN IN
ORDER TO RECEIVE THEM.
AND THAT WAS REALLY POWERFUL TO THE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM WHO
WERE LISTENING.
WE DECIDED THIS IS NOT THE CITY WE WANT TO BE IN.
WE WANT A CITY WHERE PEOPLE FEEL WELCOME IN ALL SPACES AND
WE WORK ON A REGULAR BASIS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT IS AND
BREAK DOWN THOSE BARRIERS.
SO THERE'S CULTURAL COMPETENCE SIGH, THERE'S TRANSPORTATION,
THERE'S HAVING A WELCOMING SPACE THAT PROVIDES FOOD AND
CHILDCARE.
WHEN WE HOLD WORKING CITIES WEDNESDAY, WE DON'T USE OUR
TITLES, WE ARE ALL PITTSFIELDERS THERE WHICH
LEVELS THE PLAYING FIELD AND REMINDS US THAT WE ARE
ALTOGETHER AS A CITY AND THE ONLY WAY WE WIN IS IF WE ALL
WIN.
>> AND FLIPPING LEADERSHIP MODELS, WHAT EXACTLY DOES THIS
CONCEPT MEAN TO YOU?
>> SO WE TALK A LOT SOMETIMES IN THESE MOVEMENTS ABOUT POWER
AND CONTROL AND POWER IS -- CAN BE EXPONENTIAL.
IT IS CONTROL THAT NEEDS TO BE GIVEN UP SOMETIMES.
SO ALLOWING RESIDENTS TO TAKE ON THOSE LEADERSHIP ROLES TO
BRING THAT VOICE TO THE TABLE.
WE USE THE TERM PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE PEOPLE AT THE TABLE WITH LIVED
EXPERIENCE INFORMING YOUR PROGRAMMING AND YOUR POLICIES,
THEY ARE NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
SO MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE AT THE TABLE AND SUPPORTING
THAT LEADERSHIP, SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE WORKING CITIES.
PLANNING A BARBECUE, IT CAN BE RESIDENTS DOING WHAT THEY WANT
WITH US SUPPORTING THEM ON THE SIDE.