My name is Kehinde Bello and this past spring I interned with the Great Plains Institute, where I assisted with GPI’s work as a partner of the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program. Through this internship, I not only made connections with mentors and colleagues, but I also learned how collaborative community engagement can lead to a more significant impact.
My main task was to assist in completing the GreenStep Cities Strategic Plan as part of the program’s 10-year anniversary of providing a voluntary challenge, recognition, and assistance program to help Minnesota cities and tribal nations achieve their sustainability and quality-of-life goals. The strategic plan summarizes the program’s accomplishments, current state, recent initiatives focused on climate and equity, stakeholder feedback, and priorities for GreenStep Cities’ future.
Experiencing the value of community connections
This internship was my first opportunity to gain real-world experience and knowledge about sustainability within nonprofit organizations and how sustainable development can impact cities and their residents. I also learned about how important community engagement and social entrepreneurship are to have an impact within this field. Throughout the strategic planning sessions, I saw how it took many different stakeholders—in unique roles—to complete the strategic planning document.
I’m originally from Southfield, Michigan, attended the University of Minnesota for its academics and the women’s basketball program, and graduated with a BS in applied economics this spring. At first, moving to Minnesota was an adjustment and a struggle, but I adapted and found some great people to surround myself with and mentor me. My connections and network grew extensively this year, and this internship and the people within GPI were a big part of that. For example, I learned about social entrepreneurship in the connections I made through GPI Senior Energy Planner Abby Finis, such as Alexis Goggans who shared her experience as a sustainability consultant. I’ve met many people within the field of sustainability who were welcoming and willing to guide and support me on this new, professional journey, and for that, I’m very grateful.
Learning how GreenStep Cities engages local communities in Minnesota
My work with the GreenStep Cities truly made me feel like I was making an impact on the local communities within Minnesota. Minnesota cities’ involvement with GreenStep Cities has contributed toward progress on cities’ sustainability and quality-of-life goals across the state.
The positive impact of GreenStep Cities was evident in the strategic planning document and the information provided through the focus groups that were part of the statewide listening sessions held with GreenStep Cities and partners throughout the state during the planning process. The information collected from these focus groups enabled us to identify ways to align local and state priorities and challenges, and improve the program’s limitations.
As part of the focus group conversations, participants identified their top priorities and challenges currently and looking into the future. Some of the challenges that emerged were prioritization of projects, funding, engagement, equity, resource sharing and matching, technical assistance, and better access to data and metrics. These challenges fell into broader categories around energy and climate, natural resources, transportation, communication and engagement, and infrastructure. The GreenStep Cities Steering Committee used this input to determine strategies to help better facilitate connections and action while expanding resources, as the committee works to improve the program.
The steering committee is working to wrap up the strategic planning process. GreenStep Cities has supported cities in achieving their quality-of-life goals for 10 years. There is an opportunity to build on the program’s success to facilitate better connections and improved engagement; facilitate more impactful action; create better tools for collecting and sharing metrics; and open the platform to connect cities with interns, college students and classes, and other community members who are motivated to act on sustainability.
My main takeaway from this experience was that civic and stakeholder engagement is vital to making lasting change in communities. It truly does take a village, as the saying goes. Each stakeholder brought value and a different perspective that could help in achieving GreenStep Cities’ overall program goals.
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