The Hanai Listening Project
The Hanai Listening Project was designed and implemented in 2018 by Carli Smythe to help Hanai develop a clearer picture of the community landscape. Carli and a small group of volunteers listened to 115 contributors representing a broad spectrum of Central Oregon residents.
Over the course of six months and 350+ hours, we listened to understand what barriers to living, working and gathering exist today, to understand what brings people together and what tears them apart, to determine who will want to use the space and how, and to identify ways in which Hanai can make a meaningful difference in the community experience.
We listened to the recently arrived and the generationally rooted. We listened to grassroots leaders, pastors, educators, mothers, nonprofit leaders, students, makers, fathers, farmers, lawyers, environmental advocates, Spanish speakers, healers, artists and so many more. The Listening Project notebooks are filled with the voices of our community and guide our work today.
Hanai’s Listening project served as both an opportunity for Hanai to learn about our community and show commitment to incorporate what we’ve learned into program design. Each listen was as much an opportunity for all to experience authentic connection as it was an opportunity for researchers to collect data. We asked each participant the same five questions and took copious notes of the responses we heard.
Here are a few of the thoughts and suggestions recorded reflecting common themes: