{"id":22950,"date":"2019-03-25T17:39:55","date_gmt":"2019-03-25T17:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/miamifoundation.org\/?p=22950"},"modified":"2019-03-27T15:47:33","modified_gmt":"2019-03-27T15:47:33","slug":"my-miami-story-conversations-are-working-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miamifoundation.org\/blog\/my-miami-story-conversations-are-working-heres-how\/","title":{"rendered":"MY MIAMI STORY CONVERSATIONS ARE WORKING … HERE\u2019S HOW"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]Just before Election Day in November of 2018, a senior friend of mine expressed that he was unsure about who and what to vote for. Most of us remember that miles-long ballot in Florida, full of local referendums, constitutional amendments and congressional candidates. He couldn\u2019t make sense of it all. The day before he went to the polls, I printed off his custom sample ballot and we sat together, researching the issues, looking at what the Miami Herald and others recommended and talking through his opinions. We ended up with a solid guide he felt confident about.<\/p>\n

The next day, he took the guide down to his neighborhood precinct in Buena Vista. There were a good number of people there, so he waited in line for a while and eventually got a booth to vote. He followed our guide to the T. Once done, he announced to the room that if anyone was looking for some help on who and what to vote for, they were welcome to use his sample ballot guide, explaining he and I had done the research and made informed recommendations. One person spoke up and took the sample ballot. When they were finished using it, another asked to see it. And then, another. Two hours later, his sample ballot had changed hands more than 20 times, helping dozens of voters feel more confident about their choices.<\/p>\n

One small act of civic participation can have an exponential impact on our community.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”22953″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=””][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]That\u2019s the entire concept behind My Miami Story conversations<\/a><\/strong>. They try to get every resident thinking about what they can do to take ownership of an issue they care about, whether it\u2019s speaking up at a county commission meeting, tutoring your nephew to ensure he passes the third grade, or helping a friend vote. Every single action taken to improve the lives of Greater Miami residents is impactful and matters.<\/p>\n

That was clear in survey results from participants in the 2018 day of conversations. On October 23rd, more than 4,000 Miami-Dade County residents sat down in small groups at hundreds of gatherings communitywide. They shared their Miami stories: how they got here, why they stay here, what matters to them in their community and what they could do to address it. Almost 400 residents took the post-conversation survey, and the research analysis<\/a>, made possible with the generous support of Knight Foundation<\/a>, provided deep insight into what Miamians think about their community and how they want to change it. Here are some of the top takeaways from what we learned:<\/p>\n

Impact of the conversation experience
\n<\/strong>2018 My Miami Story participants who completed the post-conversation survey are highly engaged in their community and express a strong sense of confidence that through their actions, they can make a positive difference. Seven in 10 survey participants are involved in civic and neighborhood activities.<\/p>\n

Among 2017 My Miami Story conversations participants who returned to participate again in 2018 (and did the survey), nine in 10 took part in an activity specifically as a result of attending a conversation:<\/p>\n