Being engaged in your community gives you a strong sense of belonging while you make positive contributions to the place you call home. Your opinions and ideas matter, so share them! And, share your passion for Questa on Saturday, Feb. 25, 9 am to 2 pm, by participating in Part II of the Asset Based Community Development Workshop in Questa at the Living Word Fellowship Hall.
There are numerous positive benefits for getting involved in your community and February offers several opportunities for you to share your voice to help shape our area’s future.
According to research at UC San Diego, when you’re an active participant in your community, or you volunteer your time, the rewards and returns are many:
It’s good for you. Being involved creates a healthy sense of wellbeing and belonging, reducing stress, and building self-esteem. When you feel connected it boosts your self-confidence and life satisfaction.
It brings people together. When you volunteer you build relationships with others who share your passions and meet new people from diverse backgrounds, outside of your normal circles, who have different talents and interests, all while working together toward a common goal.
It strengthens your community. You get a chance to give back by sharing your unique skills, expertise, and experience as an investment in your community and the people who live in it.
It opens up new opportunities. Actively being engaged in your community is inspiring and can lead you down different roads to new passions you wouldn’t have known existed. The experience can be life changing.
You make a difference. Every person counts! Let your voice be heard (no matter how loud or quiet); you can impact projects, decisions, and the future of your community. Source: https://getinvolved.ucsd.edu/service/resources/experience.html.
The ABCD Workshop is an opportunity to have your voice heard and to make a difference in Questa’s future. Sponsored by a generous grant from the LOR Foundation, the Workshop is free to attend and includes a complimentary lunch.
Facilitator Louis Jeantete, of Turquoise Door Consulting in Taos, will review the outcomes from the April 2022 Workshop, then guide the group through a series of interactive exercises to identify key areas of focus for Questa in 2023 and beyond. The objective is to complete the day with a comprehensive community calendar for the year and a short list of actionable goals for each key area with time-stamped due dates and measurable deliverables.
Everyone from the greater Questa community in northern Taos County is invited and encouraged to attend, even if you did not participate in the first workshop. ABCD is for you if you are an engaged area resident, community leader, or a representative of a non-profit organization. There is no charge to attend, and we welcome your participation. Advance registration is required by Feb. 15 so the proper amount of food can be ordered.
For more information and to RSVP, please email Gayle Martinez at gaylelwm@msn.com.
