July - September 2006

New Vision

October 5, 2006

Dear Neighbor,

For 35 years, we NPA-ers have always been part of a busy tradition - whether it has been marching in where we weren’t expected or marching off the map to blaze new trails. Winning and implementing victories along the way have also been a key part of that tradition.

On August 14, 2006, nearly 65 leaders participated in NPA’s evaluation and planning meeting to discuss a new “vision” for NPA.  The word “vision” has a double meaning – to have foresight and to have perception of the current reality.  We discussed that by always running and being busy – our “busyness” - can lead us into a brick wall.  We decided that we needed to tame our “busyness” by seizing new opportunities and blazing new trails.  And while risk taking is something that we at NPA are familiar with – it is also one of the best ways to guide our journey into the future.

NPA needs to reflect and plan how we want:

1. the world to be a different place in 2008 during and after the presidential election;
2. all our issues to be at the center of the presidential and national debates; 
3. to be a major influence on the new administration and Congress about the future of all our neighborhoods – urban and rural united.

To those ends, we envision that over the next two years we will plan and implement:

1. training sessions for experienced and upcoming NPA leadership;
2. reflection and planning sessions for local organizations and national leadership;
3. opportunities to strengthen and expand the national NPA leadership team;
4. relationships with new allies, collaborations and new groups to work with NPA;
5. surprise “site visits” - anywhere in the nation - on those who are hurting our neighborhoods – when and where they least expect us; and
6. a huge turnout to an action-packed national conference in Washington, DC in May or June of 2008.

I am looking forward to sharing more details and to hearing from each of you - as to what makes sense – in where and how you will be participating to build power and move our issues!

Sincerely,

Inez Killingsworth
NPA Co-Chairperson