Invigorating the Creativity of West Virginians
Written by Jason Keeling on October 7, 2009
Organizers of the 2009 Create WV Conference are asking the public to jump start the conversations that will take place there by using Twitter, Facebook and blogs to answer this open-ended phrase: “WV, I WILL CREATE…”
Because conferences can tend to offer too many ideas and not enough results, people are being asked to not only talk about bettering their everyday lives and communities, but to actually do something.
In fact, action is creativity, defined as a process in which you cause something to happen. Your response might address a basic task or a complicated endeavor, so long as you do something about it.
Simply place and fill in your response to “WV, I WILL CREATE…” within your Facebook status update, on a blog, or for those that use Twitter.com, place “#createwv” at the end of your tweet(s).
As an organization, Create WV is formally working to address these focus-areas:
- “WV, I will create…EDUCATION AND TALENT.”
- “WV, I will create…QUALITY OF PLACE.”
- “WV, I will create…ARTS AND CULTURE.”
- “WV, I will create…DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION”
- “WV, I will create…ENTREPRENEURSHIP.”
- “WV, I will create…TECHNOLOGY.”
Obviously, nobody will be policing respondents to complete what they say they’ll do, but many will follow through, and that makes the effort worthwhile. Whether or not you attend the conference (Huntington, Oct. 18-20), your response(s) will help establish outcome-oriented thinking, hopefully inspiring yourself and others to act.
Posted in Business, Culture, Economy, Education, West Virginia
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October 7th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
WV, I will create…GOODWILL AND A POSITIVE EXAMPLE. As a webmaster, i recently had the honor of posting a great story about the WV Blazers, our ABA pro-basketball team in Bluefield. The Blazers teamed with Habitat for Humanity and helped to promote the groundbreaking of the 600th Habitat for Humanity house in WV. They each signed 2 x 4s for the foundation with their blessings and promoted the cause. The team does a lot of work with kids and the community and this is just the latest example. Their efforts and goodwill inspire me, and I’m sure others as well.
Check out the article at http://www.wvblazers.com
October 7th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
WV, I will create…LEADERS capable of diversifying the economy and creating new opportunities for themselves and others. This is the ‘new class’ of young professionals coming together – for the first time – through groups under Generation West Virginia. I work directly with these professionals every day and I see the talent we need to break through to this state’s Golden Age. Its right around the corner and it will come not through old ways of thinking - but from an abundance mentality. It will come if we collectively embrace change, demand innovation, welcome diversity, tear down the silos, and focus on what we have in common. I have never had more confidence in my home state as I do when I see the talented and driven professionals who are volunteering their time to make West Virginia a better place to work and live – both now and for generations to follow.
“The best way to predict the future is to CREATE it.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
October 8th, 2009 at 12:04 am
“WV, I WILL CREATE…” | VALUE in education with StudENT Corps http://studentcorps.ning.com/ ENGAGING Students - Entrepreneurs | #createwv
October 8th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
WV, I WILL CREATE……the next generation of West Virginians who think, do, and love our state. I think so often about the opportunities we have every day with young people in our lives to teach by example. About everything. Do we show them how much we love West Virginia? Do we show them that love for WV, like love for anyone or anything, is not about selfishness, or jealousies, or holding so close there is no growth? I need to not just say, but do. My child holds me accountable every day for 1,000 things. I see her study my reactions, my tone of voice, my interaction with others, my comfort level in every situation. We all have so much opportunity to create the future through our purposeful interactions with children, both our own and all of those around us. I WILL CREATE…..a new future by showing these children that seeing the world is not betraying anyone or anything, that getting more education than the generation before you is not being unfaithful to family, that being willing to lead sometimes mean being willing to be marginalized, and that the good fight is always, always worth it.
October 13th, 2009 at 7:58 am
West Virginia, I WILL CREATE … Awareness. Care and thought for any cause is imperative to a well-rounded individual. My cause is The Alzheimer’s Association. My best friend’s cause is Susan G. Komen’s breast cancer fight. We all need a good cause to fight for!
October 13th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
WV, I WILL CREATE…a climate for entrepreneurship in the beautiful community of Fayetteville. As many of my friends know, I recently made the decision to move from Morgantown to Fayetteville. I left one of the top ten “best places to launch a small business” for life in one of the top ten “coolest small towns.” Here’s hoping I’m able to apply the principles learned from Morgantown’s success and put years of research in entrepreneurial development into practice in my new locale. Fortunately, I’m not alone in this mission. Team members from the newly formed Create Fayetteville group and several other interested community members stand ready to pull up their bootstraps and make the Fayetteville ‘experience’ more satisfying/enjoyable/attractive for both citizens and visitors. With a wealth of scenic and recreational assets, Fayetteville is brimming with opportunity and has the potential to attract new economy businesses from far and wide. If you have an interest in learning more, give me a shout at holly.clark@cesd.wvu.edu.
October 14th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
WV, I WILL CREATE…the best image of West Virginia possible to share with everyone I come in contact with. In today’s interactive world full of technology, we each have the opportunity to be an ambassador for our great state like never before. With Web 2.0 in full swing and Web 3.0 coming fast, we can each share our passions and life changing experiences of WV with people all over the world. I can be talking with a nonprofit director in Australia, messaging with an entrepreneur in France, emailing with a blogger from Canada, or tweeting with a music producer in England. Each person we interact with, either in person or through a virtual form of communication, we are their window into the lives of West Virginians. I will strive everyday to create the best image of our state (which native West Virginians already know) and share it with non-West Virginians to show them what opportunities exist here and what an amazing place to create a life! There really is heaven on earth in West Virginia!
October 16th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I was thinking more about my previous post and thought of this to add.
In the past year I’ve had the privelege of traveling to a few different countries. Undoubtedly, no matter where I go, everytime the people know WV through John Denver. Everyone from other countries I’ve visited love the song “Country Roads” and know it word for word - in English. It just goes to show that people know us and love us all over the world. Let’s reinforce their feelings and show them that West Virginia is one of the best places. “Take me home, country roads, to the place, I belong…..West Virginia……”
October 21st, 2009 at 3:17 pm
WV I WILL CREATE …opportunities for students to learn more. Each class will have a “did you know” section about West Virginia and will feature those who are working the solutions. I will promise to teach about technology, about convergence of cultures, about diversity, about change and transformation.