Have you ever left a meeting having identified a great idea or core challenge but without a sense of how to tackle it or what comes next? If it’s the kind of nugget that affects everyone but lacks clear definition or next steps, Mpact:LAB might be for you.
Mpact:LAB offers flexible options for bringing stakeholders together to understand a local question or problem and develop consensus about next steps.
Ranging from one day convenings or a few strategy meetings to a six-week MOVE Roundtable, the LAB’s interventions are not technical assistance. Rather, LAB sessions create or revivify connective tissue among cross-sector stakeholders and help them find a shared path forward. The LAB can provide facilitators to help inform the question or draw out new thinking. And the LAB can assist with tools to implement next steps.
Mpact:LAB works in communities of every size. Whether in a small town or a region, the process is the same. As LAB program director, Sarah Rudolf says,
“We bring the stakeholders in one room to level set, have an honest conversation about the reality that’s out there, find out what we know – and what we don’t – and where we agree. Then we work on where the group wants to take it. We leave with concrete next steps. And believe it or not, people are interested and willing to keep going. They find value in making connections across sectors.”
Here’s where Mpact:LAB has worked over the past year, the format of LAB work and the core questions or goal each group tackled. Many LAB locations arise through Mpact:LAB’s involvement with the AARP Livable Communities program or the Lincoln Land Institute. But the opportunity is there for other places to call on the LAB. Contact Sarah Rudolf with ideas and questions.
Where: Charlottesville, VA
LAB activity: 2 Strategy Sessions
Goal: Framing a shared understanding and approach to community engagement
Where: Charlottesville, VA
LAB activity: Supporting next steps
Goal: Creating a tip sheet for designing transit stops for older adults
Where: Cleveland, OH
LAB activity: MOVE Roundtable
Goal: Creating a shared vision about implementing TOD in the region
Where: Houston, TX
LAB activity: One-Day Stakeholder Convening
Goal: Reconnecting stakeholders and identifying key priorities for update of livable communities action plan
Where: Milwaukee, WI
LAB activity: Supporting next steps
Goal: Creating advocacy worksheets to understand transit funding and decision-makers
Where: Mt. Airy, MD
LAB activity: One-Day Stakeholder Convening
Goal: Forging shared understanding about challenges of serving seniors with transit across county lines
Where:Orlando, FL
LAB activity: MOVE Roundtable
Goal: With Brightline service coming, assessing transportation options for older adults
Where: Philadelphia, PA
LAB activity: One-Day Stakeholder Convening
Goal: With Mpact Transit + Community 2024 conference coming, creating collective awareness and regional identity
Where: Youngstown, OH
LAB activity: MOVE Roundtable
Goal: Building momentum toward revitalizing an arterial corridor