From Talk to Action: Warren County's Community Action Plan


Last Updated: May 29, 2008
 

From Talk to Action is a report on Warren County, North Carolina's action plan to ensure that all of its children and youth succeed and thrive. from_talk_to_action_th.jpg / Talk_to_Action_Final.pdf
From Talk to Action

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From Talk to Action documents the efforts of Warren County, North Carolina's citizens to create and actualize a vision for the success of all of its children and youth. From early to mid-2007, some 80 individuals from various socioeconomic, political, and religious backgrounds participated in a series of conversations known as "Study Circles." Launched by the Warren County Training School-North Warren High School Friends and Alumni Association (Alumni Association) in partnership with The Rural School and Community Trust, the Study Circles immersed community members in an intensive visioning and planning process that included a deep study of the plight of the county's young people, barriers to their success, and ways in which the community might respond to ensure that all of the county's young people thrive.

From Talk to Action captures the "what," "so what," and "now what" of the Warren County visioning process.
  • "What" -- the study circle process
  • "So what" -- the discoveries and findings of the study circle process
  • "Now what" -- recommendations, community responses, and actions
Three key questions guided the county's visioning process--
  • What would a community look like that ensures success for all of its children?
  • What relationships must be in place for children to succeed and thrive?
  • What is the community's capacity to ensure success for all of its children?
The Alumni Association is one of three community-based organizations partnering with the Rural Trust in Northeastern North Carolina in the "Connecting School and Community" initiative. The Rural Trust started the initiative with a three-year commitment from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The overarching goal is to build the capacity of grassroots leaders and community-based organizations to engage in local school reform in vulnerable rural communities, build justice-oriented models for academic and other supports for vulnerable children, and establish a network of rural activists who will advocate for supportive educational policies and practices.