Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
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closeIn mid-August, the Leadership Tri-Cities program brought together Class XV for the first time.
We were 24 strangers from diverse backgrounds. Our first experience together dared us to conquer new heights at the Columbia Park Ropes Course, overcoming our fears and personal restraints together.
We quickly learned that although our class varies in ethnic, social and educational backgrounds, we have a lot in common. We all are dedicated to improving ourselves, our families and our employers through Leadership Tri-Cities, an educational program that allows current and future community leaders to examine issues that face our region.
LTC has 311 alumni who can be found in nearly every sector, including business, education, government, Hanford and nonprofits.
The members of Class XV are equally dedicated to improving the Tri-Cities community. One demonstration of this dedication will be through our class project.
Each LTC class completes a project that's chosen by consensus and requires participation of each class member. We are committed to selecting a project that is reflective of the vision and values we identified.
On Aug. 17, the Tri-City Herald editorial board challenged LTC Class XV to ask the "hard questions" as we launch our expedition through a 10-month program that includes a community-focused curriculum in topics ranging from agriculture to the arts.
The editorial board asserted that asking the hard questions will "lead to innovative thinking" and to action.
Our first call to action was in answering some very simple yet tough questions. "What are our personal and class values?" and "How can we implement those values in a class project that models the way, inspires a shared vision, challenges the process, enables others to act and encourages the heart?"
We spent two days together at a retreat, sharing our thoughts, our hearts and our dance moves (having fun is important to bonding). At the end of this process we discovered that as a class we hold three values over all others: family, spirituality and honesty/integrity.
Through a series of workshops and activities, we were challenged to assess whether our actions today align with our values. This was a gut check for many of us. We also discussed the community's values.
As many of you probably agree, the Tri-Cities is family- and service-oriented, and dedicated to economic prosperity.
However, in asking the "hard questions," we recognized that several values, while extremely important to the Tri-Cities, are not readily evident.
We believe an area with opportunity for growth is in maximizing and embracing the cultural diversity of the region.
We also believe that although there has been significant progress in the cooperation between local governments, agencies and nonprofit organizations, there are many opportunities to enhance the community as a whole.
Through our class project we would like to give a voice to those who typically are not heard. To encourage the heart of the Tri-Cities and model the way through our actions, we need feedback from the community - from you.
So, we pose these questions:
* What do you care about?
* What steps can we take to improve our community?
Many of us walked into the LTC program thinking it was an organization for white-collar professionals and that we would be that lone individual who would represent the average Joe, Jane or José.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that our class is not a cross-section of the elite, but a compilation of soccer moms, educators, engineers, social workers and a wide variety of people who share a commitment to and a love for our community. We are humbled to be part of Leadership Tri-Cities.
We invite you to follow our journey as Class XV through our regular columns in the Tri-City Herald. We can't wait to make a long and lasting difference for this wonderful community.
Send project ideas, comments and encouragement for Class XV at LeadershipTriCities@gmail.com. Learn more about Leadership Tri-Cities as a community organization at www.leadershiptc.org.
* Davin Diaz is a member of Leadership Tri-Cities Class XV. He is also the campaign manager for the Hanford Reach Interpretive Center.
Editorials are the consensus of the Tri-City Herald editorial board.
Editorial board members are Rufus Friday, publisher; Chris Sivula, editorial page editor; Ken Robertson, executive editor; Matt Taylor, contributing editor; Lori Lancaster, editorial writer; Shelly Norman, editorial writer and Jack Briggs, retired publisher
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