KCCI Catalysts Select Initiatives for Tallahassee Area
TALLAHASSEE, FL—The Knight Creative Communities Institute’s (KCCI) community catalysts have selected four initiatives that aim to enhance Tallahassee’s economy and help develop a stronger sense of place for its residents.
The 31 volunteers met over a two week period for a training seminar that focused on understanding the work of renowned social theorist Richard Florida and reviewing community survey data to devise new ways to help the city’s economy grow. The three-day program was facilitated by local entrepreneur and educator Nolia Brandt and Elaine Bryant, CEO of E.W. Bryant Associates.
After brainstorming and passionate debate, the catalysts have narrowed their focus to four projects: Explore Outdoors, Illuminate Tallahassee, Startup Startup and Talent Lives Here.
Explore Outdoors is a regional project aimed at promoting Tallahassee/Leon County and its adjacent counties as a premier destination for ecotourism and outdoor recreation.
Illuminate Tallahassee aims to help reshape Tallahassee’s image as it focuses on the unique and historical places that make Tallahassee special. These volunteers will engage the community in its efforts to preserve and enhance Tallahassee’s visual appeal through various art projects with a focus on Tallahassee’s urban core.
Startup Startup seeks to foster an entrepreneurial climate through the creation of jobs for the creative sector by assisting start up businesses, particularly in the areas of technology, research and development.
Talent Lives Here will focus on connecting talented college and university students and graduates with local employers in an effort to create job opportunities for them to establish long-term employment and enhance community relationships in the capital region. This will enhance a sense of place for students and graduates through cultural and social ties to the greater Tallahassee community.
Over the course of the next year, KCCI volunteers will work together with local leaders and advocates to develop these projects into self-sustaining organizations or programs. Members of the first KCCI catalyst group were responsible for producing the Tallahassee Film Festival, the environmental group Sustainable Tallahassee and the Get Gaines Going Initiative to turn the street into an arts and entertainment district.
“We encourage the community to get involved with any of our projects,” said KCCI Executive Director Laurie Hartsfield. “Our success is dependent upon a community-wide investment in our vision.”
If you would like to participate or get involved with KCCI projects, please visit our website at www.kccitallahassee.com or contact Laurie Hartsfield at (850)201-6442.
KCCI is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more information about the Knight Foundation, please contact Mike Pate, program director for Tallahassee, at (850) 915-0258.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of the U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects with the potential to create transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.
About Tallahassee Community College’s Center for Workforce Development
The Knight Creative Communities Institute is part of the Tallahassee Community College’s Center for Workforce Development. TCC’s Center for Workforce Development reaches out to the Big Bend community by offering customized courses and services to enhance employees’ careers, programs to improve business effectiveness, and support for returning adult learners. Tallahassee Community College is an open admission community college serving 25,000 students annually.
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