1.   Moms Coworking and Share – Starting at the end of July, moms and other women will be able to get together at Higher Grounds – Maplewood location and work on projects, independently, yet side by side.

2.   Artistic Jelly -  If you are an artist, a want to be artist, a writer, a blogger or someone with a cool talent, come grab a tea or jo’ and with your laptop, drawing pad, pencil and other garb.    Then, get to work at Firehouse Cafe, in East State Village, from 6 p.m. – finish, on Tuesday evenings.

3.  Night Owls – Coming this fall, at a yet to be secured coffeehouse, will be a chance for those who love to work on projects during the 3rd shift, a chance to get together and work, and work hard.

1.   Infrastructure -  The street department has worked very hard to maintain our streets, while our water department has done the same with water filtration.    However, driving down Rudisill Blvd. as of late makes how great our street department has become.  Once, a very busy four lane street has become a less-hurried street.   It is the type of street that doesn’t divide the community, but rather strengthens it.    The neighborhood is more walkable, increasing its health.   I believe their are a number of other streets that could take the same treatment, which will increase the viability of all neighborhoods.

2.   Safety -  Fort Wayne is rather safe!  While crime happens, there has been a decrease in violent crime and death in the past decade.    The worst neighborhoods have become quiet neighborhoods, for the most part, with children playing outside their front doorstep.   While we have increased our ability to make all neighborhoods safe, we have not ensured our disenfranchised youth have opportunities of engagement, when they are removed from school for a shortened time period; i.e. 10-or-less day suspension.   An alternative out-of-school suspension program that would involve community services and lessons in responsiblity and civility would be key to providing our offending youth the hope and education they need for a positive turn-around.

3.  A clean, attractive downtown – Downtown Fort Wayne is clean and attractive.  With an historic theatre, number of churches, a small number of restaurants and entertainment venues, the central core of the city can be a focal point of residents all of the city.   Together, we need to work to expand the number of businesses that wish to operate from downtown and increase the number of nightly entertainment options from outdoor films in the summer to musicians who play in the street to a jazz club.

4.   Diversity -  Due to it’s strong number of social service agencies and number of churches, in addition to ease of attainment of manufacturing/low-level jobs and relatively, Fort Wayne has attracted a number of refugees and immigrants from various countries.     As I have worked with the youngest refugees and immigrants, we need to realize that these young people have a strong work ethic and understanding of the imporatnace of education.   Thus, we need to ensure that these young people with their high goals stay in the areas to establish their roots.     Approximately 1:10 person’s in Fort Wayne is an immigrant/refugee,  those figures have a large impact on our region, especially in terms of potential population growth.

With the rise of a refugees and immigrants from all over the world is the great food that each culture brings to Fort Wayne.   In addition to many customs add to the vibrancy of the city.     With a number of the Burmese opening grocery stores on Calhoun, it is easy to see how this corridor to the south can become a vibrant business zone of pan-Asian restaurants, funeral homes, Mosques or religious institutions, clothing and record stores, night clubs and more.   In a matter of a couple of years, Calhoun could easily become a great icon for the city.

4.   Community leadership  -  While there are a great number of community leaders, who strive for a better Fort Wayne, there is an overall notice that only 20% are the key players.    Thus, we need as a community to expand upon programs such as Leadership Fort Wayne and church/religious programs that empower individuals to be civil members of society.    Austin, Texas and Silicon Valley, CA are two cities where people, of all backgrounds, have been able to come to the table and present ideas.    Such creativity has resulted in two great cities.    Businesses and workspaces that formulate due to community first, rather than space first, have shown to have a strong, life expectancies.

5.   Neighborly, neighborhoods.   -   Fort Wayne’s neighborhoods have great neighbors.  In particular, there a great historic neighborhoods – Indian Village, Williams Woodland, Lakeside, North Side, Southwood Park and Oakdale – that have great homes, friendly people and sense of pride.     Within walking distance, I believe that every neighborhood should have a cafe/bristo, small grocery store/meat market, dry cleaner and small drygoods shop.    Think East State Village with Pio Meat Market, Abbey’s Brown Chocolates, Firehouse Tea House and the Rib Room.    Think if you want a Coke, a tea or a roll of toilet paper you should be able to walk downt the street to obtain it, and not need to drive five or ten minutes to do so.

Fort Wayne with its bounty of historic homes, great parks and friendly people, has become stuck in the mud.  Yes, we have accepted a mediocre lifestyle.   Just travel down a street in the Summit City, and you will see at least two or three gas stations.    No, we don’t all drives SUVs.   But we have accepted the mediocre lifestyle of low-paying, low-tech/low-creative  jobs, which has led to a gluttony of low-level services.   Simply, we have too many gas stations, big box stores and fast-food restaurants.

And our gas-pump filled streets, lead to the glories of the newer baseball stadium or the interstate, they rarely lead us to places of true innovation.  Yes, we have places where people can innovate a few things but not too many.   Let’s be honest, Fort Wayne was the CITY, the city of innovation.   The gas pump, television and calculator were invented, right here in the city.   Yet, we have lost the luster to think outside the box.    I remember asking people to come to an evening event, and critically think about what could be improved about downtown.    To my disappointment, a few people came.  The fact is WE are NOT too busy, come on, I see people posting to facebook and twitter in the evenings!   The fact is WE in Fort Wayne are LAZY!  Come on, instead of arguing about the mayor’s salary and naming of the  City’s new building, we need – WE MUST – start arguing about WHO works the LONGEST hours (17 hours days are very fulfilling) and WHO is CHANGING Fort Wayne with grass roots, not government, efforts.

Maybe it is all that ISTEP testing in our public schools these days that has made city residents lose the ability to reason and think rationally, and think outside the box!     Which must realize that the schools’ focus on the tests is causing our children to lose out on important lessons on creativity – art and music.    And while the STEM effort is great, we need to be cautious.   Science, technology, engineer and math are really great to focus on, however if we don’t produce our children with lessons in literature, arts and foreign langauges.     Ponder this! China is poised to become the next greater player, even larger than the U.S., in the economy, yet no high school in Fort Wayne is teaching Manadrin.   The fact is if we invent something great in Fort Wayne, because of the language barrier, there will is a great chance in not selling it to the Chinese.  The well respected Zhao Young,  implies that “American companies lose an estimated $2 billion a year due to inadequate cross-cultural guidance for their employees in multicultural situations. U.S.-based multinational corporations employed 21.8 million workers in the United States in 2003, accounting for one-fifth of total U.S. non-government employment.”    If those 40 and younger are NOT well-cultured we will lose out on multiple contracts around the world.   This is beyond going to George’s for Taco, but learning the languages spoken here and around the world, understanding the religions of the world and the cultural affects, so an individual NOT like ourselves is offended.   Due to Fort Wayne, it is very easy to immerse yourself in several communities from the Burmese to the Guatemalan to the Japanese.   It is imperative for each person, if we are to be a global competitor to understand the role of race, religion and ethnicity on capitalism.  Citizens we MUST go beyond “Ming La ba, na kaing, soy mu, y tu?  We must immerse ourselves into the world cultures, so we can become a global force.

As we just concluded the primary races, we realize have the same old same people and same circles of people and families who are running for government, and the same story more government or less government, but we are not seeing individuals step up and do something bold.   We need fearless leaders, not politicians!   For those individuals of great faith, there is a question “Would you die for your cause?”  Think about it.  Would you put your life on the line for city of Fort Wayne – to make it great?  WE NEED BOLD LEADERSHIP -   people who are boldly passionate, willing to sacrifice their lives for their fellow community members.   We need individuals to make bold grassroot efforts and will not be afraid to come at odds to get something done.  We need the bold leadership that has existed in the lives of Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr. and other legendary figures.

As I write this, I think about the places I love to frequent.   One of those places is a great coffeehouse on South Wayne, The Friendly Fox, that I e to visit frequently.    The small strip filled with old buildings, set in the historic South Wayne neighborhood, would the perfect spot for an artist gallery, an old fashion dollar store or a clothing boutique.  There a number of young vibrant families in the neighborhood, who would love to be in walking distance to a shop, where they could get basic household goods or a business where they could obtain the latest fashion goods in their backyards.

In terms with our love for food, we need to develop leadership in the area of agriculture.   One can literally leave their downtown office and go to a farm and milk a cow in thirty minutes, or less!   With that type of agricultural impact, there needs to be devotion paid to the growing small specialty food market, especially in the area of ethnic foods (70% of the meat eaten, each and everyday, worldwide is goat.), which will give rise to jobs – farm and nonfarm.  

Lastly, as a fearless leader – who is willing to go against the grain – we need to make sure our brightest people do not leave.   Right now, as I am looking at job opportunities, it’s slim pickings in Fort Wayne.   And as individual, who has bills to pay, I will move outside of Fort Wayne and even, Indiana to have the strongest changes of the best career, so I may become the best-person-I-can-be.   Fort Wayne it will be your challenge to be your best version of yourself, so you can help me become a better person, a better leader, a better servant.   Let’s all get past the mediocrity.   – jdean

Low and behold a few weeks ago, when I walked into a local coffee house to meet a friend.  While waiting for my friend to show up, I peered over the shoulders of young adults who were creating pieces of works on their laptops and sketchbooks.    I began asking questions, and soon realized that they had the same vision I had dreamed about for many months.   Excited to find the jelly, I had been longing for I was excited.

So tonight in the supportive community, I write this blog and feed off the creative energy around me, and I smile!  For Fort Wayne has an authentic coworking community filled with people who enjoy helping each other, answer questions and give support.   So, my friends, never give up on your dreams!  And, if you want to be a part of an energetic, creative group send me an e-mail: jodi@ourspacefw.com.

Within numerous areas around Fort Wayne, community members seem to be reluctant to take action that would better their own neighborhoods.   The areas of Downtown, Broadway, Calhoun, Wells, Fairfield, Oxford and Hana-Creighton are areas waiting to made into limelights, amonst the layers of decay.   Yet, leadership has gotten in the way!   Several of the powerful people, leaders who in many regards are decent, respectable and dedicated are those who make decisions for the general – each and everyday.   They make decisions about new businesses, community organizations, K-12th education and much more that affect one or more neighborhoods.

Whilst we need leaders, we also need the rise of the ordinary citizen who can solve issues in Fort Wayne.   The community man or woman is often the one who lives in a neighborhood, interacts with the people on their block and knows would be best for the residents.   Would a ice cream stand or widen sidewalks be the best for the children in their community?   These ordinary citizens often interact with the surrounding neighbors enough, they are able to  know who is capable of working full-time, speaking multiple languages or developing a small business.

The key in becoming unstuck is finding good capable common people who want better things for their communities, and provide the tools and resources for developing the 21st century Fort Wayne, they would like to see – not those in authoriatairan positions.      Returing to Calhoun Street, there are a number of common, ordinary citizens who are allowing a comeback of that area.   In the last year or so, a number of businesses have popped up, including a  restaurant/night spot, a tatoo shop, a skate business, a record store and a Burmese grocery store.   And more businesses are coming with an expected law firm to open and another night club for sale with numerous interested buyers.   

The key is that we in Fort Wayne, need to allow the common citizen to rise up, then we will see a rise in the number of businesses, organizations and services.    Whilst leaders are necessary and needed at times, they need to know that this is an important time to step back and watch.

2011 could be a real great year for Fort Wayne, if citizens choose to make it happen.   To make it a grand year in Fort Wayne, here is what we need to do:

• Let’s being willing to fail!   Civic leaders have utilized models of programs that are successful, and only successful, in other areas.  They have not created businesses, organizations, opportunities that are one and onlys, as they are worried that they shall fail.   However, these civic leaders meet in planning sessions, after planning sessions, and get little done.
• Throw the leaders overboard.  No, not litterally.   Within this city, we have a corporate/government mindset “do what is told, rinse and repeat.”    While good leadership is needed to run city operations, the public citizenery needs to get together organization, and not wait for someone to do something.    There seems to be much movement to meet at the bar, but nothing more.   As I have pointed out to more than one contact, young leaders want downtown development, but they wait for Fort Wayne’s Mayor and other political heads to fund it.   Yet, young professionals and their older counterparts can easily crowdsource their way to the a new eatery, theatre or entertainment venue downtown; those in Michigan shows crowdsourcing is the way to go.  Let’s not wait on the leaders to determine the next steps for the city, but let ordinary citizen do so.
• Let’s talk about REAL issues, not sports.   TinCaps, Komets, MadAnts and Colts are great to distract you for everyday life.   Churches, parks and weather developments are great for distractions as well…however, we need to discuss things like business strategies, marketing, etc.  Why?  The smart people don’t want talk about the Colts, they want to discuss business.  Case in a point, a recent Silicon Valley transfer misses his old west coat buds.  He misses the conversastions at school and community functions, where “we did not talk about football or government payments, we talked about business financial improvements, strategies, etc.   The real stuff that matters in business.”
• Develop a real zeal for K-12th education that combines innovation, creativity, knowledge and practical skills courses.   Crayons, colored paper and scissors should take forefront in the education system, rather than pencils and the ISTEP.  Near Halloween a parent, whose child is in a local public city school, stated that “the ISTEP is not until “the middle of March, yet they are telling the 3rd graders what will be on and not on the test.”  Kids are being taught to fill in bubbles, rather than utilize their imagination to do anything creative.    Math, writing and reading go hand in hand with creativity and communication skills.   Fort Wayne natives Zach Kline and Bill Blass are perfect examples.  If we want to ensure that bright people raise their children in Fort Wayne, we must have develop schools full of creativity and innovation.    A recent school development in Flordia shows that the top schools often have nothing to do with test scores.

1.    Keep the recipts, tax files in a fire proof safe.   Milage books, reciepts and documents go up in flames or ruined by the sediments in the aftermath.

2.   Store the momentos – photos, a few trinkets, your kids’ 1st clip of hair, and more – in the fire proof safe.   The snapshot of your kids’ silly grin or the sweet smile of your relative can be gone in a quick minute.

3.    Back up your computer and put the thumb drives in the safe, and not by the computer.   The multiple personal, professional and business documents that took a long time to create are ruined, as they were on my desktop or a thumb drive.  Unfortunately,  the thumb drives were in a plastic case near the computer.

5.  Know that everything is not replacable.   The photos of the students I taught during my graduate school days, the cowboy boots from my paternal grandparents (that were a 16th birthday gift, and still in awesome shape), the notecard from my friends’ five-year-old boy – sweet things that provided good memories are irreplacable.

6.  And somethings are!  The furniture and electronics are replaceble.  And, the high school graduation diploma that you thought was gone for good, can be replacable.

7.  The smallest things will bug you!   Go down to write done a list in the task book, and it hits you – there is no task book.   You look for the big red dice for the game you played with your kids’ and its been burnt up.  

8.   Keep a positive outlook.  Each day, there are several hundreds of refugees who have arrive to the U.S. with nothing except an i.d.   They grow, develop and prosper from nothing – litterally nothing.   You have something – a car, things at the office, items from family members, etc.    You will survive.

Several individuals have asked if they can be of any assistance.   I am a fortunate individual, and wish you would donate to the Arcola Volunteer Fire Department, 11401 Railroad Street Arcola, IN 46704.   The men and women firefighters put their lives at risk – each and every time they go to on call without pay.

Unfortunately, as the teens of yesteryear developed into adults, the copy, cut and paste method has popped up into business and innovation.   In the book “Poorly Made in China,”   there are several stories of Chinese manufacturing companies looking at Product A, and making slight changes and coming up with Product B.   Really Product B is just Product A in pink with ribbons.

As midwesterners, we have eluded this methodology until a few years ago.  The copy, cut and paste method was something that wasn’t done here, as we had our own unique innovations!  Our natives developed the t.v., gas pump and Iron Out. But times have changed, and copying and cutting corners is now in our mainstream classrooms, and even our press.   Take for instance, there is a young man who likes silk shirts and wants to design them.   Nice guy, very nice.  But he just wants to make a silk shirt, nothing really fancy, with a special element just a pocket for that iPhone, or such.    In all reality, he is not developing a truly new innovative product, he is taking a shirt and just copying it and adding sophisticated fabric.  While he may develop a few sales, he has not truly developed an innovative product.

Furthermore, there is a young man housed in a local innovation park, who developed a software company, that is not new, but it provides a cheaper product for accountants.    Beyond the scope, we have multiple website development companies, while they provide a valuable service, their websites are often not branded in such a way, one could differentiate company A from B.

During the early 1900’s Fort Wayne was ripe with true innovation!   Our men and women of that time period produced items that were truly unique, not copies of other innovations.    We didn’t wait for the coastal regions of the United States to do something, then we would do it.   Fort Wayne residents would approach it first, then it would radiate through out the land.     And, if we want the Summit City to be on the cutting edge again, we must be innovative, try things that have not been done again.  We must cut the conservative tape, and take risk!    It’s vital for the city, and our heartbeat!    And our list keeps growing from “Flyover Country” to “Copy Town.”   It is time to step, become passionate about things that are different, and not just the copy method!    Be outrageous, be out-of-the-box thinkers!

Approximately 40% of all children, 18 years and under, in Fort Wayne are of an ethic minority ( Indiana Department of Education,  Nov. 2010).

1.    Invite those who serve to the community to the table. On a regular basis, numerous groups – Screaming Monkeys, SocialMedia Fort Wayne, Ad Federation Fort Wayne and Linux Users Fort Wayne – meet to discuss social media strategies, process systems requirements, media projects and numerous other issues.   While attendees are passionate about their craft, and discuss the latest news and tips, they have the forgotten the ‘evangelist’ strategy “invite your neighbor, representative, advisor – anyone – to the plate and fill-it with knowledge and useful hints and hope they ask for seconds.

2.   Promote the community. One of the motivations for the development of OurSpace, LLC was to provide a place for individuals to have a collective voice within Fort Wayne.  A place for independents not only to work, but to gather, share knowledge and team up.   Creatives and techs are often an island of off – off doing their own thing – fighting the uphill battle to be located.    When there is a collective of talented minds in a room, individuals know each others talents and can lend them a hand to being spotted by a entity that needs that specific talent.   This ability to network and promote allows for individuals’ work can give rise to the talent level in the region, as the majority of residents know at least one politician in city hall.

3.  Become event savvy. Philadelphia’s tech scene is exploding to the level of commitment displayed by its tech community, as they have exploded in the number of events implemented by the growing tech and entrepreneur community.   Coordinated activities such as BarCamp, TechCamp, TedEx, Start-Up Leaders, Start-Up Drinks and Ignite, have allowed to take their message to the mainstream, and invite community leaders to the table that address the needs of the business community.

WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN CREATING A STAND OUT COMMUNITY? Here is your chance to get plugged in and create the standout community, needed to improve the quality of life in Fort Wayne.

START-UP Drinks: Next Thursday, Nov. 18 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Dash-In, downtown Fort Wayne. A simple concept: encourage the start-up culture in Fort Wayne, via the gathering on independents at a bar to have a drink and discuss what they are working on, what they need help with and what they can do for each other.  RVSP to jodi@ourspacefw.com.