Rural Montana Life Community Groups
The Town of [Wild Horse] Plains, in the Cabinet Mountians Valley of western Montana, was named for the thousands of wild horses grazing in the mild winter months a century ago. The residents of the Plains area are the members of community groups who vision, plan, and work together on community goals.
Community groups are non-hierarchical structures.
Group members communicate directly with each other on ideas and projects. Decisions are made with general agreement. The advantage is freedom for community members to coordinate with other groups, agencies, and councils as necessary and on behalf of the group.
Community groups begin with a visioning meeting to understand the project's scope and set project goals.
This is how Polson Community Groups were formed.
We quote directly from the Polson Heart & Soul website.
NEIGHBORHOOD GATHERINGS
Neighborhood: A geographic district forming a small community within a city or larger community.
How to get residents of the various neighborhoods together: Secure a convenient location in each neighborhood, order plenty of good food, and invite everyone to the party. Send invitations, post liers, publish the dates in newspapers, and broadcast the gatherings over the radio waves. Leave no rock unturned in your attempt to get a good turnout. (Did we mention, make sure you have plenty of good food?)
How to get input from each neighborhood regarding their community values, ideas, wishes and concerns: Welcome everyone who shows up, and have them sit down to share some good food with their neighbors. Play some fun get-to-know-you games and then divide up into small groups to discuss and share stories about topics like:
“What would you miss most about Polson if it suddenly were gone?” and “Why did you move to Polson - or why did you never leave?”
Have participants group their discussions and stories into categories that represent values or important beliefs. Wrap it up with some cool prizes and give-aways!