Create West Virginia

Make no small plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical plan once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our children are going to do things that will stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon, beauty.

Think big.

- Daniel Burnham, 19th Century Architect who planned the Chicago World’s Fair

So much of what we all desire as citizens centers on the community we live in. Our friends, our schools, our jobs, our parks, where we shop...Why do some communities thrive while others struggle? What tangible and intangible characteristics make up a "creative community" that delivers opportunities and quality of life for all citizens? 

Few issues are as strategic to long-term economic and social health as education. It's generally understood that our model for education - one that was designed for a transition from agrarian to industrial economy - doesn't fit our 21st century world very well. But what to do about it?

Do we start over? Try to modify existing structures? It's a difficult and emotional conversation, but one that we must have if we're to move forward as a country and a state.

What does diversity mean to you? Do you see it as something to worry about, or something to aspire to? Does the term make you nervous? Excited? Angry? 

At Create WV, we advocate that our communities and organizations strive for diversity as a treasured asset. Not just for a basic level of equality and fairness, but for a competitive asset for our state. Diversity can lead to more creative solutions, more business startups and more opportunities for all.

Quality of Place is the sum of a community’s parts—its built environment, its assets, its personality as experienced through all five senses. In these sessions, we’ll invite participants to assess their own communities in comparison with contemporary American ideals, and we’ll explore Wheeling, a community that is applying creative solutions to its challenges.

Access to and adoption of technology has fueled amazing growth around the world. A fast pipe to the global marketplace is akin to a major superhighway in the Industrial Age. But it's not just whether we have access; it's what we do with it to transform our healthcare and educational systems, drive research and development in our universities and enable entrepreneurs in every nook and cranny of West Virginia.

According to the Kauffman Foundation and other economic think tanks, building a powerful entrepreneurial engine is the only real way to build sustainable long-term job growth. And in this economy, who doesn't want that? 

Many folks have been to a lot of conferences...and well, we aren't always eager to go to another one! Sitting in boring seminars, eating bad food, listening to panel speakers without much to say...who needs more of that?

Wheeling, WV: The fourth annual Create West Virginia conference is coming to the Friendly City October 17-19, 2010. This statewide celebration of creative community building is designed to spark new economic growth in West Virginia.