FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the Victoria Alliance?

The Victoria Alliance is all of us. It is our community coming together to create a shared vision with the help of an expert in this field. The Alliance also will support all ongoing and future work that other organizations do toward the community vision.  The role of the Alliance will be to take the vision we develop and keep it top of mind by reporting openly and consistently on our progress toward the goals we set.  

Who is behind this effort?  How is it funded?

Many community members have come together with a focus on bringing business, education, government and the community together to produce a systematic plan for progress for Victoria's future. This effort starts with a review of best practices seen in other communities for creating widespread community engagement in setting a unified vision and direction for our community.  A diverse group of people have been selected to participate on a steering committee who will guide the start of the visioning process.  These people include 

Ben Galvan, Mark Loffgren, Mark McNeill, Mike Hurt, Adrian Canady, Dr. Yusuke Yahagi, Dr. Farhad Niroomand, Danny Garcia, Gary Moses, James Martinez, Jon Sixtos, Diane Jernigan, Claire Vivian, Marc Hinojosa, Deidrick Miller, Debbie Escalante, Carmen Herrera,  Chris Seilkop, Blanche DeLeon, Alma Medrano, Susan Cain, Geri Schroeder, Sue Prudhomme, Kate Garcia, Dr. Helen Gadson-Ross, Ricky Mumphord, Emett Alvarez, Abe Adjrami, Heidi Adjrami and Dr. ShahidHashmi.

 Funding has come from both public and private entities that support a vision for building a better Victoria.  Our funding partners, thus far, who have given equal contributions, are Citizen Medical Center  klean corp international, The O’Connor & Hewitt Foundation, Port of Victoria, Victoria Advocate, and the Victoria College Foundation. Additional funding will be sought as the project moves forward.

Why create a new organization?

Victoria has many strong organizations in our community which do wonderful and important work. However, there is limited coordination across many of these organizations to ensure alignment toward a common vision.  We also have found that when an organization assumes a specific function or role, all their efforts and resources are consumed with that work.  Whether it's serving children and families, training workforce, providing culture or bringing in new business, every existing organization has a function.  In order to keep a community focused on a common vision with many goals and to communicate the effort toward that vision through consistent and measured results, we need an organization dedicated to that effort.  

Why is this different from any other effort or past community visioning project?

In addition to the visioning project, the Victoria Alliance will create metrics that align with the key goals of the vision.  The Alliance will consistently measure and communicate progress made toward those goals.  This helps provide accountability toward achieving the goals.  

How do you plan to sustain this effort?  Who keeps it going after the expert leaves?

We've hired a consultant that works with the community to teach a process for engaging community members for positive change.  He will lead us through the process as well as help us set up metrics that will keep us focused toward our goal. This process from the beginning isn’t about creating a plan; it’s about creating change. We’re focused on action and getting the people and structures in place to ensure progress and accountability. We don’t just want to dream big – we want to reach that dream, and how we get there is built into the process every step of the way.

How do we get widespread community engagement?

The diverse group of community members on the steering committee will be tasked with taking this process out to the community and reaching their individual spheres of influence.  See question No. 7 on the process to garner community input.

What does the process look like?

The process to create a vision based upon the wants and needs of Victoria residents takes place outside of any political agenda, allowing for continual growth regardless of civic turnover.

• Steering Committee.  This committee ensures the validity of the process and the quality of the final outcome. The primary duty of the steering committee is to connect with the community to ensure all voices have an opportunity to be heard; monitor the process and feedback to address concerns; review draft information before public release to make sure it’s fair, accurate and clear; take leadership roles in public forums to encourage community dialogue in developing the vision.
• Project Planning.  Gather data and analyze trends in our area that may be relevant to the visioning process.
• Vision Scan.  This scan of existing or past organizations’ work will identify common themes and values and provide the opportunity to build upon past efforts.  This previous work will be synthesized and included in developing the vision.
• Community survey. Based on information gathered from the vision scan, input from the steering committee and other community conversations, the survey will gather feedback on the desired future for Victoria and identify key issues.  The survey will be in conjunction with a public launch and available in a wide variety of formats.
• Launch Event. This will be a community event to engage Victoria County residents. All participants will have the opportunity to learn how to take part in the visioning process, share issues they would like to see addressed and get information on how to encourage others to get involved. 
• Public Forums. Four will be scheduled with these aims: 1. build consensus on issues and values; 2. create target areas; 3. define success; 4 identify strategies and partners
• Public Release Event. End of vision planning process will be celebrated.
• Implementation and Action. This will be ongoing for many years. We will identify community indicators, which provides a roadmap for the community, showing where we’ve been, where we are now and the direction in which we are headed.  This is the crucial part of a change model, providing both focus and support to address our community’s needs and assess progress toward our vision.

What other communities have used this process successfully?

Walla Walla, Wash. wwcommunitycouncil; Jacksonville, Fla. jcci.org; San Antonio, Texas sa2020.org.  

What defines the region for community involvement?

When we ask for opinions on our community survey, it will be open to all.  People who have lived in Victoria and moved away have important perspectives on our community.  People in the outlying areas that use our community for services also have important information to share.Anyone who wants to get involved, share their opinions and take on responsibility to help create positive change is welcome.

 
How do I get involved?

Email info@victoriaalliance.org

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