Four possible future scenarios for St. James were presented at the end of the Scenario Planning meeting.
Scenario A -Big Brains, No Heart. This was based on a presumption that St. James would grow their skills and assets, but lose community cohesion and responsiveness to change. The characteristics were:
• Highly skilled commuter culture
• People have low interest in activism and involvement in the community and there are fewer service organizations
• Crime rate is higher due to a lack of community connection
• More duplication/competition among churches, schools, etc.
• Existing businesses will struggle and new business will not be attracted
• Entertainment industry increases
Scenario B - Saintopia or “I will do it”. Presumed St. James would grow skills and assets for the future, and also increase community cohesion and responsiveness to change. Characteristics were:
• Community supports new endeavors of all kinds
• People work together instead of being territorial, there is great community strength, energy and purpose
• Infrastructure is in place to serve as a fertile ground for new opportunities and expansion of existing resources
• All people in St. James receive a good education
• Residents are committed to being ‘green’
Scenario C - Good Attitude, No Action. Presumed St. James would not improve skills and assets for the future, but would increase community cohesion. Characteristics were:
• Population will age, younger people will move away
• As a result of changing demographics, school system will struggle
• Businesses and investments will come from outside, not within the community
• New businesses will struggle to find work force
• Community will continue to look the same, but as the world changes, St. James will miss major economic opportunities
Scenario D - Double Negative. No improvement in skills, no improvement in cohesion. Characteristics were:
• Lack of public funding and decay of infrastructure – roads, health, education all suffer and associated jobs are lost
• Increased community fragmentation – crime, drug use, social unrest increases.
• Major manufacturing and retail industries will be lost; jobs will primarily be in bars and other entertainment venues, care for elderly, etc.
• Little intercultural communication or ‘neighborly’ behavior, public gathering places suffer
• Bio-energy may be developed, but it will drain our water, pollute our land and be owned outside the community
Early responses showed that people prefer Scenario B, Saintopia or “I Will Do It”. So people were asked “What can you and the organizations you work with do to make that scenario a reality?” Here are the responses and the number of people with similar responses:
• Work together – this isn’t one person’s community (30)
• Get more people involved – get active in the community – So Get Up St. James!!! (26)
• Set an example — make a personal commitment to do what needs to be done (12)
• Support existing institutions (businesses, groups, churches..) (9)
• Set concrete goals particularly in education and being green - -be more proactive (8)
• Get different people to stand up and talk, participate in community discussions, listen to youth (6)
• Fundraise, find more dollars (6)
• More diverse businesses working toward same community goals; find more jobs for people (5)
• Bridge the cultural gaps that occur in the workplace, embrace our cultural diversity (3)
• Come back to St. James (2)
During the October 26 meeting, several topics came up in discussion:
• There is a strong interest in bridging cultural gaps and making diversity a community asset.
• St. James is seen as being well-positioned to capitalize on increasing demand for green energy.
• Participants agreed that making the community appealing to young people, both culturally and economically, is essential.
• The strong traditional institutions in St. James must grow with the community if they are to continue to serve as the community’s ‘backbone’.
• Participants saw education as an important part of the community’s investment in the future.
• Growing access to technology could lead to greater isolation or greater connection in the community.