Island Fellow

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Patrick S. McGinnity
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2013 5:04 pm
Location: Beaver Island
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Island Fellow

Post by Patrick S. McGinnity »

We are excited to announce that a Community Site Application for an Island Fellow has been submitted by Beaver Island to Maineâ??s Island Institute. This effort is based on two years of surveys and stakeholder meetings, as well as numerous public meetings on the island (including the nearly completed Master Planning process), in which areas needing attention or improvement were identified by the public. Improving communications among and between island organizations, residents, visitors, and businesses, and with mainland news and entertainment outlets came up again and again as a top priority. Fortuitously such an effort also aligns well with both the typical scope of an Island Fellow project and the mission of Michiganâ??s Office of Great Lakes, which has committed to helping fund the Fellowship. The Fellowship program is, however, ultimately dependent on the island communityâ??s ability to fund the remaining portion of the project costs.

The proposal includes a thorough plan to utilize a post-Masters graduate for one year to lead the implementation of a multi-platform community communication effort. The Fellowâ??s work will produce wide-ranging benefits for our island community, from increased mainland awareness of the island as a great place to not only visit but also to live, to increased and easier communication between and among island residents, visitors, businesses, and organizations. This will be accomplished in part by leveraging the information already being aggregated in the WVBI/ Community Center Calendar, ensuring relevant items are systematically distributed to mainland publications for their own regional calendars, and using it as a source for articles, podcasts, social media posts and video shorts about events on the island; and by providing mainland news agencies with compelling, in-depth island-living articles, thereby strengthening mainland-island connections and increasing awareness of the island and its unique assets. Digital signage systems like that currently in place at the Community Center will display postings for events and information of interest to improve public access to accurate and timely information through location-specific feeds. Each display will operate with the ability to present slides, full-motion video (with sound), location-specific weather, live internet feeds, public service announcements, recreational, historical, and cultural resource information, and current news or event updates. An end-of-year survey is planned for the summer of 2018 to delve into the community and visitorsâ?? experience with this project and identify areas where we can continue to improve visitor's experiences on the island. While the submitted proposal provides an outline for the Fellowâ??s first year on Beaver Island, there is still plenty of opportunity for input from those who might be interested in helping to fine tune and flesh out the project plan. Anyone who is interested is invited to attend an informal meeting on March 31st at 4 p.m. at the Community Center where the exciting possibilities the Island Fellow program presents will be discussed.

This is the first site application for an Island Fellow in the Great Lakes region, and the program will be administered through the Island Institute, which has successfully placed over a hundred Fellows in Maine island communities over the course of 32 years. Michiganâ??s OGL views this as a pilot program to see if an Island Fellow program in the Great Lakes can be a success as it has been in Maine, and has committed to funding nearly half of the project with additional funding from related state agencies. Of the $51,000 goal, a total of $30,000 has been secured. This funding will provide a $12,000 stipend for the fellow, as well as covering housing, health care, and travel, and providing for administrative expenses for one year. The remaining 40% of the funding ($20,000) needs to be in place by May 2017 for the project to go forward. Having such a substantial financial commitment to the project from the State, while also having the Island Instituteâ??s invaluable aid in administering the fellowship, represents a truly remarkable conjunction of opportunities for Beaver Island, one that is unlikely to occur again unless we capitalize on it and demonstrate the tangible benefits an Island Fellow can bring to a Great Lakes island community. If the program proves successful, this opportunity will likely continue to be available to Michiganâ??s Island communities in the years to come. Contributions of any amount toward funding the project are warmly welcomed. Should you wish to discuss opportunities for supporting the first ever Great Lakes Island Fellow, whether as an individual, business, or organization, please contact: Kevin Boyle, Pam Grassmick, or Patrick McGinnity.
Patrick S. McGinnity
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2013 5:04 pm
Location: Beaver Island
Contact:

Reminder

Post by Patrick S. McGinnity »

Just a reminder about the meeting this Friday at 4:00 pm at the Community Center, for anyone interested in learning more about the Island Fellow program, application, process, etc.
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