Unleash Dayton’s potential at the Re-imaginathon

What would the Dayton region be like if every resident were realizing their full potential?

In 2018, the Frontline/ Propublica documentary “Left Behind America” featured Dayton as an example of what has happened to too many American cities and the people who live there as a result of our current socio-economic model: they have been left behind.

Re-imagining America: Dayton, Ohio is a response to the widespread feeling that America has somehow left itself behind. By building a citizen-driven movement, we can ensure that in the future, all Daytonians are able to thrive.

The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of Montgomery, Greene and Miami Counties is a microcosm of America and an ideal laboratory for citizen-driven transformation. Across the counties, one can find five aspects of American life: 1) an urban core, hollowed-out from the loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs, struggling with the effects of systemic racism and generational poverty; 2) inner- and outer-ring suburbs, some challenged and some thriving; 3) small towns; 4) agriculture; and 5) rural communities suffering from disinvestment . ...

Re-imagining America: Dayton, Ohio is built on four principles:

■ The maximum power principle states: During self-organization, systems with the most available energy will prevail. A community’s ability to thrive is directly related to its ability to unleash the potential energy of all its residents.

■ What you measure defines your model . In America today, we define success in economic terms — stock market, GDP, average household income, unemployment rate, poverty rate, home prices, etc. In Dayton, what if Well-being became the measure of success? The Gallup Organization makes this possible with their Well-being Index. This community self-assessment provides a comprehensive view of citizens’ well-being down to the census tract level, providing deep insight into the gaps and opportunities. These insights, coupled with qualitative data gathering through deep community conversations, provide the framework for co-creating a new model that will allow for realizing a more thriving future.

■ Everything happens because of people and relationships. The quality of relationships, the way of being together, is the foundation of community. Mutuality, reciprocity, and a “we not me” mindset must be present from the outset or this work and the desired outcomes cannot be realized. Individuals, not institutions, drive transformation.

■ People are more important than money. The objectification of wealth stands in the way of creating a community of well-being. When wealth becomes the basis for getting ahead, too often it is done so at someone else’s expense. This is not a condition where mutuality can thrive.

... To be a part of co-creating a new model, we invite you to join us on Saturday, for our Re-imaginathon, a no-tech hackathon, where residents from across the region will come together to start to re-imagine and define what we want our shared future to look like.

For more information about the Re-imaginathon or to register, visit reimaginathon.eventbrite.com.