APPENDIX C: Announcements and Promotional Material for Fuquay-Varina Community ForumFuquay-Varina Community Forum
30 March 2000
Fuquay-Varina Middle School Auditorium
As part of the community assessment process, the team of student investigators must present the findings of the research in the context of a community forum. The purpose of this type of meeting is to:
The assessment was conducted by the team of students from the School of Public Health of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at the request of Wake County Human Services and the Southern Regional Center located in Fuquay-Varina. A community assessment is based on the foundation that there are many influences on quality of life, which in turn influence the health of the community as a whole and of the individuals within that community. The project uses a variety of means to determine both the strengths and areas that need strengthening in a community.
Fuquay-Varina's community forum was prepared in conjunction with a planning committee made up of several students from the team, the preceptors of the study and community members. Although four community members were invited, only two participated in the planning. The forum planning committee met twice before the forum was held in order to discuss the agenda for the forum, promotion of the forum, and the date and location. Also on the planning committee agenda was a discussion about the expectations for the forum.
The planning committee agreed to the date of 30 March 2000 and chose the middle school as a central and accessible location. The committee recommended promoting the forum with flyers, radio announcements, and announcements in the two local newspapers (The Independent and The Neighbor). They also suggested contacting churches so that details of the forum could either be announced at services or in the church programs. Student from the team contacted these groups and sent announcements to 33 churches, 5 radio stations and the 2 local newspapers. Flyers were produced in English and Spanish and sent to individuals interviewed during the community assessment, and the students then took flyers to local businesses in Fuquay-Varina. In addition, Wake County Human Services arranged for transportation from local apartment complexes and the Pine Acres Community Center to the forum. The flyer distribution, contact with previous interviewees, and translation of the presentation into Spanish all helped to include the Latino residents.
On Thursday March 30, 2000 from 7:00-9:00 pm, the Fuquay-Varina Community Forum was convened at the Fuquay-Varina Middle School Auditorium. The following is a summary of the major themes presented.
Drugs: The first topic presented was drugs and the Citizens Against Drugs task force that was created as a result of the drug problem. This is an area demonstrating the strength of the Fuquay-Varina community, which came together to effectively combat the drug problem. Growth: The next issue presented was growth. People think it is good to grow economically but want to keep the small town atmosphere and not be like Cary or Apex. Traffic has increased, which means more lanes are needed on some roads, and a bypass is needed to redirect trucks around the downtown area. There is an effort to revitalize the historic downtown business area along with the town's comprehensive development plan. The growth has also had an impact on schools, making them overcrowded. Overall, there is a desire to grow carefully.
Diversity: There are concerns about selected improvements being done in a segregated manner, for which only some benefit. Community members expressed a need for improved communication across different ethnic groups. Ethnic diversity is seen as positive and enriching the community, as a strength not a weakness. The railroad tracks seem to separate White from Black churches. Some feel tension when visiting each other's churches, though the churches come together when there is a need. African American and White children mingle at school and think that ethnicity is more of an issue for their parents than for them.
Health: There is a shortage of primary-care physicians and a lack of Medicaid services - doctors' schedules are booked. People are very pleased with the SRC, but there are some concerns about access, that it is only by appointment. People would like more walk-in service. No unusual patterns of illness are seen - only the usual diseases, diabetes, stroke.
Many brought up teen pregnancy as a problem from several perspectives. Last year 16 births were to teenagers under 19 years old, or 9.4% of all resident births.
Schools: Schools were frequently mentioned during interviews, with some concerned about quality and not keeping up with the rest of Wake County, especially at the Middle and High Schools. Kids are not being prepared adequately to move to the next level. Community groups actively support students and school activities. Children have a good opinion at the elementary level. Most students feel safe, and trust their teachers, but not all feel that teachers keep confidences.
Small group discussions of the themes presented above were incorporated a technique called Force-Field Analysis. This technique allows the group to first to define the present situation (what is the problem), identify a goal, and then discuss the forces that either help the present situation move toward the goal or hinder the achievement of that goal. After discussing these forces, the group identifies either a helping force that can be strengthened or a hindering force that can be weakened, and based on their choice, defines an action that can be taken. Following the small group discussions, the meeting was reconvened as a large group and a spokesperson from each small group presented a summary of their discussion.
| Topic | Goal | Action step |
|---|---|---|
| Diversity | Having affordable housing in Fuquay-Varina | Strengthen collaborative efforts that are in progress now. Raise awareness of these efforts and opportunities. |
| Health | Shortage of Doctors in F-V |
|
| Schools | Need to decrease class size | Lack of money prevents more teachers, with higher salaries and more classrooms. How to get more money? Look to big business to support schools more. Solving class size will take time to address. |
| Growth | Goal is to be more friendly to walkers | Helping force would focus more attention on town policy to prompt action: evaluate gaps in plan that hinder walking. |
Thank you for coming tonight. Thank you for making us welcome in this community and letting us explore Fuquay-Varina. Our report will be available in May. We are passing out post-it notes and invite you to write one thing on it about how tonight went. Did you learn something? Please write one thing that you either think, feel, like or would do differently. Post it on the posters next to the sign in table.
Goal: To work with members of the Fuquay-Varina community and the Wake County Southern Regional Center (SRC) to organize a community forum as a setting in which community members can discuss issues that are relevant to them and their community.
To work with Fuquay-Varina residents and the SRC to organize a community forum to:
Fuquay-Varina Community Forum Advisory Meeting
March 3, 2000
11:00 pm - 12:30 pm
AGENDA
Fuquay-Varina Community Forum Advisory Meeting II
March 14, 2000
7:00 pm -9:00 pm
AGENDA
Volunteers to set up the day of the forum (overhead projector, tables/chairs, registration table)
By Tammie Quick
Staff Writer (Fuquay-Varina Independent)
Last Thursday evening at Fuquay-Varina Middle School, a group of graduate students from the University of North Carolina's School of Public Health held a community forum.
The meeting was a chance for the group to present to the town their findings after a 6-month long assessment of the area. Their study concentrated on areas of strength as well as areas to be improved, all determined by the citizens who actually live in the community.
The team of students was invited by Wake County Human Services to conduct the assessment. A similar study by the same department at the university was done in 1996. Because the area is changing so rapidly, Wake County Human Services thought it was time for a follow-up to the previous findings.
The team conducted over 40 in-depth interviews with different people who live in the area. They started out in the obvious places, with town and community leaders. From there, they interviewed average citizens who don't hold any office. Over half of the people interviewed fit into the second category. Lastly they spoke with some youth of the area.
The areas that were concentrated on came from the citizens themselves, and they were growth, diversity, health care and schools. At the forum, around 50 citizens came to hear the results. Overall, the prevailing attitudes were positive. Although most people could find areas that needed improvement, almost everyone felt "good" about living in Fuquay-Varina.
After presenting their findings, the assessment team invited the forum participants to divide into smaller discussion groups according to their interests. These groups then used a "force field activity" process to try and come up with concrete action steps to find solutions to some of their concerns.
The larger group reassembled later and a participant from each smaller group presented their findings. "The group reports went great," says Susan Haws, an assessment team member. "We had very diverse groups working together, and the people seemed excited to use a process to try to come to a solution."
Haws explains that the gist of such an assessment is that the team that conducts the study is made up of objective observers and listeners. "We strive to hear the voices of a representative sample," continues Haws, "we find lots of voices and get them to talk about the quality of life."
There were numerous businesses and groups in the community who served as liaisons to get the team going. Alan Muriera and Deborah Cerrito were the connections for the team at the Wake County Department of Human Services. Betty Rush and Wanda Denning were Forum Advisory Committee Members that often served as the team's connection with the community.
"Our hope is to get the people in the community talking about the issues, and we wanted to provide an opportunity to get all the parties to come together and work on these issues," says Haws.
A copy of their findings will be made available at the public library and the Chamber of Commerce. The community assessment team is tentatively scheduled to present a formal report at a future town board meeting as well.
Apparently from an outsider's point of view, things are going pretty well here. Haws says the entire team enjoyed very much getting to know the people in the town. "We really enjoyed the experience, and some of us are even thinking of moving there," she adds.
| APPENDIX C: Announcements and Promotional Material for Fuquay-Varina Community Forum | Back to TOC |