CETANA PROOF - Flipbook - Page 93
S O LU T I O N
Engaging Local Leadership & In昀氀uencers
Finding the In昀氀uencers:
Every community, no matter how small or large, has voices that
seem to stand out. These voices can be powerful and persuasive
in making change or stopping change. It is important to identify
who the local heroes and in昀氀uencers are as soon as possible
because garnering their support will be key to project success.
These community representatives are not only knowledgeable
about their community’s needs, wants and fears, they are also
amazing networkers and doers. Through countless questions,
meetings, and local networking events, we were able to create
a list of in昀氀uencers in Innis昀椀l. These individuals have been
invaluable in our efforts to date – they’ve helped us build our
contacts, identify and navigate challenges early on, and support
our overall vision. For example, since one of our goals is to
support local businesses, we were introduced to a cafe owner
and active community member. We were open and transparent
with him about our plans and how we think it will serve the
community. In support of the project, this cafe owner took it
upon himself to create a list of like-minded business owners and
is helping us coordinate and host meetings with local businesses.
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