FOCUS

A detailed Summary of FOCUS

F.O.C.U.S (Forging Our Community's United Strength) Greater Syracuse is a community-wide project designed to economically advance the Central New York area by facilitating an atmosphere of positive change and unity in the community. It was founded by a group of Leadership Syracuse graduates and residents and is a non-for-profit organization. FOCUS is loosely based on an increasing number of similar organizations popping up in regions across the country. In brief, to facilitate the beginnings of this economic development, approximately 200 trained volunteers went into the community, (schools, workplaces, houses, of worship, etc.), and facilitated over 124 open sessions with over 2,500 participants. Participants were asked to come up with ideas and dreams for the future of the area, and over 15,500 were generated. These were entered into a database at the local college and grouped into 87 main goals for development in the following categories: education, government, health and human services, neighborhoods, downtown, economic development, arts and events, and tourism. These goals were compiled into a community report, voted on by the community at the 'Vision Fair', and used to benchmark progress of the group.

Syracuse based their plan for success on that of Chattanooga, Tennessee, a poor and distressed urban center with few resources. Chattanooga recently experienced a new growth in their civic life, and decided to enact a community driven economic development project similar to FOCUS, the Chattanooga Regional Growth Initiative (CRGI). Their plan was different than Syracuse's in that they decided to use a Regional Industry Clustering method to jump-start economic development. The method is based on the work of Professor Michael E. Porter, head of the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at the Harvard School of Business. Chattanooga experienced great success with this method, and Prof. Porter has a database with detailed information for every county in the United States. For more information on Regional Industry Clustering, see the briefing report to follow as well as additional reports and information in the appendices.

Syracuse has experienced a great deal of intangible success through this project, via increased interest and concern from citizens and a renewed desire to participate in economic development. However, they have also experienced notable physical change over the past few years. As per a telephone conversation with Trina Tardone-Steinhardt, projects such as building a new aquarium, the construction of a multi-tiered entertainment complex to draw tourists and conventions, and a self-contained area built for hosting festivals, have all spawned as a result of FOCUS initiatives. Money and manpower come from foundations, groups, and businesses, which also supply the 'ambassadors' (trained volunteers) to the community.

- The FOCUS group serves to eliminate duplication of services among all municipalities, government departments, and regional groups and instead facilitates more cooperation.

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Approximate Word count = 1302
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous