Seven Idea Gathering Meetings were held between September 16 and September 25, 2008. These public brainstorming sessions were open to everyone who lives or works in the greater Lakeland area. Public meetings took place in various geographic locations and were designed to attract diverse representation from the Lakeland community. During the 2-hour meetings, participants received a brief orientation to the Make Your Mark process, and then worked in small groups with a trained volunteer facilitator to brainstorm responses to a single question: What can we do to make Lakeland the best that it can be in the coming years?
A total of 495 people participated in the Idea Gathering Meetings, and generated over 1,000 ideas to express their hopes for the future of the Lakeland community. These ideas were entered into a database and categorized according to 11 topics and 40 subtopics, which would become the basis for the vision’s Strategic Elements.
Public Idea Gathering Meetings:
Sept 16 – Youth Meeting – Southeastern University
Sept 16 – Lakeland High School
Sept 17 – First Presbyterian Church
Sept 18 – Lake Gibson High School
Sept 22 – Kathleen High School
Sept 23 – George Jenkins High School
Sept 25 – Heritage Baptist Church
Oct 16 – Freedom Center (targeted outreach meeting)
