That said, perhaps this discussion can set an example. What concrete actions can you now take to generate more dialogue and more resulting actions?

Thanks for the links and the comment. I agree that talk without action is cheap. I think we have had a lot of that for a long time. I agree that we are missing a better online community for dialog and that it really should challenge people in regards to participation and engagement.

The Downtown Academy sound interesting as well. Are there any dates yet for when this is expected to launch?

Perhaps more important though is the need for people to do less talking. The city hires consultants who deliver reports on different issues, but that is where things stop. There isn’t any follow-up and action. We need people who start the conversation by actually taking some positive action in the right direction. We need to be an area that encourages failure, otherwise we ensure mediocrity. And at this moment, there are some fun things that are happening in town that I am aware of that will give Fresno a bit of “Wow” factor. Those things that people outside of Fresno can see and say, “Wow. That’s cool. I wish we had something like that here.” But the only way to get that conversation is through doing. Showing people the benefit of what you’re doing based the results that you create. That is how Google, Apple, and Microsoft work. They create products and services that get people talking.

Through a YPO in town called FLYP (http://www.flypinfo.com), I'm currently working with Craig and others YPs in the DCR to put together a proposal for what we want to call the Downtown Academy. This group will consist of a select number of Fresno's most energetic and motivated young, creative professionals learning about the history and current entrepreneurial efforts being made to revitalize Fresno's downtown. They will then have the opportunity to visit other flourishing downtowns in California to put some perspective on what a vibrant, thriving downtown should look like. And this experience will culminate in a final project where participants will not only provide insight on what changes should be made downtown, but there will also be a group project put together by participants to transform downtown Fresno into a destination for a night. To show people what it can look like if we start doing something about it. Other things I can think of? Pecha Kucha & ArcHop, to name a couple off the top of my head.

Here's the analogy I often make. In elementary schools, we try to teach kids about grammar and spelling. But what if, instead of focusing on making our children such great technical writers, we focused on helping our children discover good stories or draw on personal experiences to write about before they approached writing from a technical standpoint? What if we gave them ideas to think and exposed them to the humanities and liberal arts, which would encourage them to let their imaginations run freely and then had them capture those thoughts on paper? That is when discussion runs at its best—when people can come into a situation with an open mind because they are inspired by something they have experienced, seen, heard, touched, tasted, etc.

So what are our biggest challenges as a region? Finding the people who are ready to give their time to help with local projects. Recognizing the great things people in our community are already working on—those projects that push people to think more innovatively and beyond their existing comfort zone. If seeing is believing, we need more people willing to put in the work to show others what’s going on.

And perhaps to the dismay of those with positions of privilege to lose, I think in the coming years we will see many of these innovative ideas that develop Fresno's “Wow” factor come to fruition. We need to keep the conversation alive and encourage people to communicate their ideas with one another openly and mindfully. But conversation alone is not enough. We need leaders and people in our community to inspire others to become movers and shakers. People willing to volunteer their time and energy after work to move the needle and create results. To have something to show to others so that people have something to discuss.

One final comment: we also need to look outside our area for new ideas. It's easy to get caught in what others are saying in the moment. But we aren't the only city trying to reinvent and reposition for the future. It just seems that way, until we travel outside of Fresno and take a look around and realize there are other people out there.