Understanding our communities, then finding our place in them

Published 1:30 am Saturday, October 30, 2021

By Kathy Coffey Solberg and Erika Olson / Herald Forum

It seems there has never been a greater need to engage. To make a difference. To show up and step up.

In 2018, Leadership Snohomish County hosted a forward-looking event called Summit 2038. We mirrored a process that involved understanding our civic DNA. Who are we as a community? A county?

The results were that we are helpful, collaborative, diverse, resilient and growing. Those adjectives still describe who we are as a county.

This work was about activation and influencing; inviting strategic conversation with grass-roots individuals to dream about their future quality of life. We call that “finding the possible,” because we were “imagining everything Snohomish County can be in 20 years.”

I have talked on this topic nationally and partnered with individuals in Denver who led this process before me. Since then, Akron, Ohio, has followed this process as well.

Last year, LSC also convened more than 15 focus groups looking at systems. What is working? What is not? Where are the barriers to access? How do we move forward to create that future we want and not go back to normal?

I do not know the members of a group that serves the community who don’t say they want to better understand those that make up the citizen base and their constituencies. Nonprofits, government agencies and elected officials say they yearn to hear our voices. Yet we struggle to be heard. We struggle to use our experiences to make a difference. I struggle to know how I can best use all of the data that has been gathered in Snohomish County to make the most impact.

My questions today are, how will we accomplish such daunting tasks? Who is listening? Who is being listened to? Who is helping? And how? And who else will help?

Our LSC programs are built on civic engagement. It’s imperative. This year, I am working with a long-time friend and peer, Erika Olson of Perc Marketing, who serves as a Civic Fellow with Citizen University. She’s bringing civic tools, including what she calls a Civic Aid Kit, to our classes.

Erika: Living as a citizen as only you can

Some of us are opting out of civic life. Retreating to our own circles, to feel safe and to get away from conflict. We just don’t want to hear it anymore.

Meanwhile, some are doing far too much. Because it doesn’t feel like a choice. Because America is in crisis.

And, plenty of folks are somewhere in the middle. Watching the news. Perhaps feeling drawn to do something. But not sure we’re qualified or know enough. Anxious about how people will react.

For too long, I lived in that middle ground, alternating between speaking up and shutting up; between taking action and sitting back, feeling like it wouldn’t matter. But during the chaos of the covid-19 pandemic, I applied and was selected to serve a Civic Fellowship with Citizen University.

Now, I lead civic gatherings that provide a place (whether virtual or in-person) to reflect, talk, listen and even sing!

To reflect upon the very idea of what it means to be an American, living in a nation that is bound together only by a shared creed.

To embrace both rights and responsibilities. To live like citizens.

Citizen University’s training was powerful. Not only did I learn from founder Eric Liu and the talented CU staff, I have gained some very wise civic brothers and sisters. Together, we’ve grown in our understanding of civic power, character and action in this ongoing experiment that we call the United States of America.

But the No. 1 factor that’s serving me in this work? Simple willingness. Willingness to act. Saying yes when an opportunity arises. Seeking out new ways to listen and engage. I was appointed to an advisory board. I’ve learned about bystander intervention and having better civic arguments. I’ve joined my local chamber of commerce. And I created a tool called the Civic Aid Kit to share with folks who also want to thoughtfully live like citizens.

It’s just a start. And I’m just one person. But I believe that action, even imperfect action, is greater than good intentions. I believe that I am part of the problem and part of the solution. And I believe that each one of us can make valuable contributions to this American society. So I’ll keep listening and learning and doing what I can, where I can.

I invite you to join me, in the way that only you can. Use your unique voice, talents, life experience, character and civic power. Live like a citizen.

Kathy Coffey Solberg is executive director of Leadership Snohomish County. She brings together professionals and community members to examine critical issues affecting Snohomish County to create a thriving community. To learn more, go to leadershipsc.org.

Erika Olson launched Perc Marketing in 2012. She is a versatile communications partner for startups, small businesses, and nonprofits. Learn more about Civic Saturdays and the Civic Aid Kit at tinyurl.com/CivicAidKit.