On May 14, the JAM podcast studio was the arena for freewheeling reflection by the current class of Leadership Upper Valley.
Arts Day for the 2024-25 Class of Leadership Upper Valley (LUV) was a typically lively mix of tours and talks with some of our region’s most active professional arts venues. In addition, like most of the 10 sessions of the year-long program, there was a hands-on portion, in this case, a chance to record a podcast episode in the neat, relaxed JAM (Junction Arts & Media) studio in White River Junction.
The class broke into two groups and each gathered around the studio counter to reflect on what important takeaways they had gleaned from the nine monthly LUV sessions so far. (The final Closing Day session takes place June 11.) The conversation revealed the trust, camaraderie, and space for deep thinking the group had built over the past nine months.
Government and Politics Day moved a number of them. “I never wanted to go into politics. But I feel this is my entry point. I have so many ideas. I need to start going to school board meetings in my town. I was really buzzing after Government Day. To me, it made change so accessible.”
Education Day impressed participants, especially the time spent touring and hearing from students at the Hartford Area Career and Technology Center. “I took a lot from that day that I can use with my work with students at the collegiate level, in terms of the job skills a liberal arts degree gives them,” said one participant. Said another, “Gen Z has the highest bachelor’s degree attainment of all US generations thus far, but so far they are not going back in droves for higher degrees and are focused on job stability and are starting to go back to the trades, which is exciting when you think about the data about all the jobs in manufacturing we are going to need to fill.”
Justice Day revealed the enormous paperwork and staff time that’s involved any time an offense becomes a criminal complaint – which is one of the arguments for diverting nonviolent offenses to the less cumbersome and often more satisfying channel of restorative justice. “The first thing that comes to be was the exercise we did where each one of us was a person in the process of the judicial system, and seeing how many people were involved and how inefficient it was. I never realized that before.”
Participants also cited Transportation and Livable Communities Day. “It made me think about how we live in a car-based culture here and we go to great lengths to reduce friction for drivers, but it’s not good for the rest of us.” Said another, “Transportation Day was where I realized I needed to check my assumptions because I had seen the buses driving around and didn’t realize it was a free transportation system. I had never taken the opportunity to learn about it. So one takeaway for me is taking the time to be curious and look into something before I assume things.”
Other LUV days focused on health and human services, economic development, and the environment, and each led to revelations, participants said.
Said one lifelong Upper Valley resident, “I came into this program with what I assumed was a pretty good awareness of a lot of the systems that operate here in the UV and have been pleasantly surprised to learn so much more and to have been offered some visibility into the ways that all the different systems operate. This has made it seem more accessible to me to be engaged. And I really appreciate also being exposed to all the people already doing such good work in all these areas.”
Echoed another participant, “With the current administration, I just feel overwhelmed, but being able to see what all these people are doing in small chunks makes me feel hopeful. You can see it piece by piece and think, ‘Maybe I can work on this or that and make a difference in the community.’ ”
The connections among the participants themselves have been meaningful. “It’s really cool to realize there are so many people around us who may work for a bank or for this company or that or whatever sector, but share my concern for community and what it means to participate in a place we all care about. Just the experience of being connected to them has been powerful.”
They reflected on employers’ roles in the community. “Coming from a manufacturer in the Upper Valley, my focus has been on what I can bring back to our employees. What are we doing as an employer to envelop our people in the community? This cohort has helped me focus not just on helping our employees become leaders within our company but in the community.”
They expressed ideas and determination for this experience to launch them into greater community involvement, quoting one presenter’s urging to “find your entry point. It can be any number of things you already do like, I’m a gardener, White River Junction is looking for people to volunteer for the garden club.’ And ‘Lead from where you are.’ Very often for me, anyway, I think, ‘I’ll get to that someday or when I have more skill.’ Just do it from where you are.”
Said another participant, “Find what you love — that’s the entry point. Find something you love or are excited about that makes you want to read the stuff and watch the documentaries, and then you will be energized and — voila, you have a leader right there. Because you love.”