Executive Summary:
"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew."
- Abraham Lincoln
There is an era of great happening in our global society, and our nation has to be prepared to take its place on the summit. We live in a nation that promotes freedom and equality for all of its inhabitants–yet there are those of us who are citizens who do not have access to elements in life that bring achievement like meaningful jobs or well funded schools. If the United States is to be a key player in the world, then it must be willing to accept change and work towards solving the world’s root issues.
This change will need to happen on both the national and grass roots levels. There are many individuals putting great amounts of energy into the nations top cities, but what of those areas less traveled? What of those towns who have small populations of 15 thousand or less whom also need to be able to rise up to the demands of a global society? A bottom up approach to economic and social despair is what is needed to raise living standards for everyone in our country. Having access to opportunities and achievement is that freedom, and that is the driving factor behind what Thrive stands for.
Thrive is a National Sustainable Design Initiative that seeks to bring a systematic change to our country starting with the top 20 most impoverished regions within the United States. As a design center for the incubation of ideas that will lead to the creation of jobs, housing, and hope; professional and student designers will work with the people of these communities to create local solutions to local problems. Thrive will serve as a catalyst in these areas, creating optimistic signs of change and hope in areas in our country that are in pending need of both. Currently we are constructing a comprehensive and strategic outline of how we plan to enact this idealistic task. It will not be easy, and the only way it will be accomplished is the collective efforts of many toward the same goal. In addition to efforts and attitudes on our part, it is apparent that our society is demanding socially responsible solutions to bring our nation and our planet out of impending turmoil. It is time for initiatives like Thrive, and we are ready to answer the call.
Sustainable design is the pinnacle of creativity and it will shed light on what traditional education neglects. There is a gap of practicality in academia, and conventional education is not filling the demand. The student and young designers at Thrive will be given the opportunity to work with Thrive to achieve their first years of experience, while simultaneously putting their talents to good use in areas that need them most. For our young learners, Thrive will be an amalgamation of academia and practicality that centers its focus on creativity, innovation, and sustainable design.
In order to enact and ambitious goal such as Thrive there needs to be a system designed that is built to sustain itself. To go into these regions that are already in economic decline with no defined goals or strategy would be like going into battle without ample armor or weapons. This system must not only be enactable, it must also be repeatable. If Thrive cannot adapt to new regions with different needs and constraints, it is bound to fail. We have defined a metric system that portrays our involvement in these areas. We have set multiple check points stationed at integral points along the process to keep our intentions in check and prevent outcomes other than our primary objectives from happening. Words are merely intentions, either written or spoken, and our actions need to speak far louder that what we intend to do. With this fact in mind we know that time is a commodity that we cannot waste and there is much work to be done.
Momentum is a key element to Thrive's development throughout the 20 counties. This is why there will be moments of concentrated energy planned over time based off our involvement in each region. The purpose of these events will be to not only create ideas that will bring prosperity, but to also bring about awareness in a large grass roots fashion. We plan to start small, but have designed this system to be expandable for the years of growth and development that is to come. Excitement about new ideas and the hope for heightened prosperity will be the non-tangible items that will define Thrive’s success.
Thrive not only works to sustain the people and the land that provides it-we also know that there needs to be a strong foundation of financial stability. The system has been designed to sustain itself once off the ground. Angel donations from our constituents will be the energy that will bring Thrive to a state of actualization.
There is proof that speaks to the need for an organization like Thrive. Universities and Institutions dedicated to the arts are urgently attempting to find a way to bring sustainability into their curriculum. In response to the strong sense of urgency brought on by root issues like Climate Change and the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals; design firms across the country are also adjusting to the growing need for more sustainable practice. Organizations like the Peace Corp and Rural Studio are examples of existing organizations that are dedicated to societal redevelopment–what we bring to the table is like these worthy causes, but unique all its own.
Currently we are in the Seed Development stage of Thrive in context to development stages of a nonprofit organization. We are working in conjunction with associates in Phillips county Arkansas who are located in Helena-West Helena, where we are projected to break ground in early 2010. This city will be our first location for a Thrive Center, and will serve as our flagship location. Between that time and now we are acquiring the needed resources that will allow us to begin work. These resources include: the people needed for our team, ample funding, and awareness of our concept.
William J. Staley - Founder/Partner
Terrance Clark - Founder/Partner |
