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 Vision A Dayton Renaissance, driven in part by a multitude of micro-renaissances of community-driven initiatives. :: top :: Mission Involvement Advocacy is committed to developing and deploying programs that actively engage the citizens of Dayton, Ohio in order to address pressing social, economic and civic needs in the community. :: top :: Core Beliefs
Initiatives  Blue Sky Project is an internationally-competitive summer artists residency that links young people aged 14-18 from throughout the community with professional artists from around the world. Combining the artists' creative interests with the unique perspectives of teens, participants collaboratively produce new and significant works of contemporary art. After four years of operating in McHenry County, Illinois, for 2009 Blue Sky Project will be operated in partnership with the University of Dayton. Blue Sky Project's objectives are threefold:
"Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will not themselves be realized." -Daniel Burnham, Chicago lakefront master plannerPremise In 2008, Forbes Magazine named Dayton one of America's 10 Fastest Dying Cities. Eventually, one will be the first to make the list of America’s 10 Most Livable Cities. Only we can ensure it is Dayton. The intellectual, organizational, financial, emotional and spiritual resources to transform Dayton already exist here. We can choose not to confront our challenges because they seem too expensive and complex, or we can resolve to determine a new future for our community. However, it is going to take a different kind of approach to produce the as yet unseen levels of engagement, imagination, possibilities, partnership and progressive pragmatism that will define the 21st Century community we want to have in Dayton. Description Seeds of Change is a new, broad-based, citizen-action initiative utilizing school-based gardens as the starting framework for intra-and inter-neighborhood community-building in Dayton, Montgomery County and the region. In this case “Seeds” refers to Dayton’s most important asset, the people who reside here. As we are fast coming to the realization that the production/consumption economy is not sustainable, we are discovering the importance of returning to basics—investing in infrastructure, people and community, and our natural resources. Seeds of Change represents all of these things, because gardens not only grow healthy food, but they grow people, ideas, promote creative expression, strengthen social ties, and foster an environment of well-being. A Collaborative Effort Seeds of Change is the brainchild of Peter Benkendorf, executive director of Involvement Advocacy; Treva Jenkins, Owner of Breaking Ground, a horticultural and human resource company; and Liz Landis of The Boonshoft Museum. Key collaborators are Luci Beachdell, Five River Metro Parks’s Grow With Your Neighbor program; and Brian Raison, Community Development Director, The Ohio State University Extension and facilitator for Miami Valley Grown. Pilot Neighborhoods Partnering with Dayton’s Neighborhood Schools Initiative, the pilot gardens will be in East End, affiliated with Ruskin School, and Wolf Creek, affiliated with Edison School. The Action Group, made up of members of the two communities and the development team, are creating a program focused on three outcome-oriented strands: The Garden; Curriculum; Community Engagement. What Do You Think Is Possible? We want your thoughts about the the kind of community you envision. To print out a Seeds of Change survey, click here.
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Forbes Magazine “10 Fastest Dying Cities” Symposium and Art Exhibition Celebrating the Human Spirit August 7 – 9, 2009 Dayton, Ohio 
An article in the August 5, 2008 issue of Forbes Magazine declared Buffalo, NY; Canton, OH; Charleston, WV; Cleveland, OH; Dayton, OH; Detroit, MI; Flint, MI; Scranton PA; Springfield, MA and Youngstown, OH as the 10 Fastest Dying Cities in America.Looking to prove that nothing could be further from the truth, and timed to celebrate the article’s 1st anniversary, the Forbes 10 Fastest Dying Cities Symposium and Art Exhibition is the brainchild of Peter Benkendorf, executive director of Involvement Advocacy, and Mike Elsass, owner of Color of Energy Gallery, both of Dayton. Taking a page from Woodstock, Benkendorf and Elsass have declared August 7 -9, 2009 as “Three Days of Ideas and Inspiration,” in an effort to bring together artists and activists, community leaders and organizers, and civic-minded people from the 10 cities. Having concluded that there are amazing people doing amazing things in Dayton, imagine the possibilities if that power were multiplied by 10! Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin is on board and organizing is getting underway. Given the short timeline, Benkendorf and Elsass hope to call on local contacts and institutional partners, plus the connectivity of the internet to build a community of attendees. In order to make the session as valuable as possible, and to attract a diversity of backgrounds, the Symposium is being organized into five content strands. Local Action Groups will be responsible for helping develop the substance of each, as well as getting the word out within their co-horts. The Five Strands, and working themes are:
Saturday August 8 – Day-long symposium where people from each city will have an opportunity to present some of the most innovative projects currently underway. Special interest discussion groups will allow attendees to cross-pollinate ideas around the specific topic areas. Saturday August 8 – Evening is the time to head out with new-found friends for dinner and entertainment in Dayton’s vibrant night life. Sunday August 9 – A morning session will give people time for some further sharing of ideas, a final exchange of contact information and to some grab nourishment before heading back to our respective communities to get on with the work at hand. History Involvement Advocacy was founded in Chicago in 1992 by Peter Benkendorf, to provide individual citizens the opportunity and resources fundamental to addressing systemic community needs. In 1993 Involvement Advocacy created Sister Neighborhoods, an initiative to link up residents of resource-rich communities with those of more limited resources. The first relationship was between the north shore suburb of Winnetka and the Chicago public housing community of Cabrini-Green, much to the surprise of many. A number of exchanges and programs took place over the first year, however the one project that took hold was the establishment of Voices of Cabrini, the only resident-run community newspaper in the Chicago public housing. Through Voices of Cabrini, which received national recognition from Senator Paul Simon, for highlighting the positive activities taking place in the community, residents were trained in writing and interviewing techniques, project management, desktop publishing and advertising sales. As a result, a number of people working on the paper were able to gain full- or part-time employment and the paper was self-supporting over its four-years of publication. However, at a higher level, hundreds of people of all ages from throughout the community who had never been heard, took advantage of an opportunity to share something important and begin to make a difference. In 2000, Benkendorf relocated to McHenry County and in 2004 Involvement Advocacy was reconstituted with a local board of directors to initiate Blue Sky Project, as well as other innovative programs that offer new frameworks for community-building. In 2009, Involvement Advocacy was relocated to Dayton, Ohio, in part to form a partnership between Blue Sky Project and the University of Dayton, and in part to continue the grassroots civic engagement begun in 1992, in a community that seems ready to rise from its Rust Belt ashes. :: top :: Contact Office: Involvement Advocacy The Kuhn's Building 15 West Fourth Street, Suite 330 Dayton, Ohio 45402 847.287.6702 peter@involvementadvocacy.org Mail: Involvement Advocacy P.O. Box 10506 Dayton, Ohio 45402-7506 :: top :: |