Activators live the new Atlanta Method every day: where there is a WILL, there is a WAY!

By Britton Edwards, COO, Atlanta Way 2.0

You may have heard of Atlanta Way 2.0. Our founders created this nonprofit with the goal of bringing back the best of the old Atlanta Way—thinking about collaborative efforts to solve our city’s biggest challenges—but with a new twist called “Activators.” It’s different from the old Atlanta Way in that everyone can and should participate. We want everyone to have a seat at the table. We’re calling on all Atlantans to become Activators. What does that mean? It’s simple. You do your best every day to help strengthen the civic fabric of Atlanta.

Vision for Atlanta Way 2.0: Atlanta has a thriving civic culture where all citizens are connected, engaged and empowered.

How do we strengthen Atlanta’s civic fabric? By building connections between people or organizations who should know each other, welcoming newcomers to the city, sharing resources, and helping to spread the word about events or opportunities to get involved in initiatives in our area where community voices are needed. Activists must always be “on alert,” as our Board Chair Ann Cramer puts it, looking for opportunities to connect, collaborate, and come together. Ideally, everyone can find a way to experience an Atlanta Way 2.0 moment every day!

Mission: To create a compassionate and just community by educating, equipping and engaging activators, partners and stakeholders.

Our goal is to build community. This is a people-driven movement, which means that success depends on everyone’s participation and active contribution. While Atlanta Way 2.0 is here to provide guidance and support, it is essential that each of you take ownership and commit to the work. Together, we can achieve great things, but it requires commitment from each of us. Our organization is a A movement, not a force. Atlanta Way 2.0 does not make political statements for or against campaigns, projects, or events. This does not mean that our staff and board members are not outspoken advocates for or against various controversial events in the city. On the contrary, they are very involved and passionate individuals who look forward to opportunities to discuss and debate current events. Our goal is to bring people together for civil conversations to find common ground and explore solutions to move forward and create the best possible future for our city. We look forward to hosting many events in the future where people from all sides of the issue have the opportunity to share their opinions, seek common ground, and find possible solutions.

Last year, U.S. Surgeon General Murthy released a report titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The Surgeon General’s Recommendations on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community.”Scientific research shows that “about one in two adults in the United States report experiencing loneliness.” Half of us are suffering from the post-pandemic effects of remote work, siloed rather than collaborative processes, and an increasingly connected existence. “Community is a critical component of human success and satisfaction. However, it is the quality of these connections that has the greatest impact on health, not their quantity,” says a UC Health article reviewing the report’s findings.

How do we bring people together again? Atlanta Way 2.0 board member Munir Meghjani, for example, is looking for ways to “make Atlanta feel smaller” by hosting gatherings where attendees connect on a deeper level than “so what do you do for a living?” Instead, Munir creates an invitation to use name tags like “ask me about” or other alternative identifiers to spark conversation and create connections that might have been missed without this small but powerful shift in approach to introductions. As our city continues to grow, finding new ways to reconnect and foster connections is critical. We want to hear from you about how you’re making Atlanta feel smaller and creating pathways for people to connect again.

Another way to build connections is to bring people together by introducing them with intention. Maria Saporta is famous for her ability to listen to people and connect the dots between people. We are all connected in some way, but how we connect the dots determines how things get done. I often witness an Atlanta Way 2.0 moment when Maria hears someone mention a passion or potential challenge in their work, and before you know it, she has her phone out to connect that person with someone she knows who can help. Sometimes, she will follow up and even set a date and time to meet for coffee or lunch. At a Rotary luncheon in Atlanta several years ago, she realized she was sitting between the executive director of the Atlanta Regional Commission and the president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the two had never met! These moments are essential to our civic fabric and relationships foster collaboration.

In 2023, Maria was the emcee for Southface’s Visionary Dinner. Over the years, Atlanta Way 2.0 board member Michael Halicki and Maria remembered the Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable (SART) forums that used to happen pre-Covid. They connected with James Marlow and others from Southface and agreed to help organize a SART program for Southface’s 46th anniversary. It was a compelling discussion about the future of sustainability with environmental leaders who had taken on new leadership roles over the past four years. Maria and Michael hosted a panel discussion with sustainability pioneers. Hosting events that foster community and build connections is essential to our civic fabric.

I hope you’ll consider becoming an Atlanta Way 2.0 Activator. We’re looking for Atlantans who love our city and are building community to join this movement. Once you sign up, you’ll commit to doing one or all of the following when you can and tracking your activities:

● Create links: introduce people who need to know each other.

● Welcome Wagon: welcoming newcomers to Atlanta and helping them get involved in the community.

● Building bridges: seek to build bridges that exist between people and organizations that do not currently work together.

● Compassion Corner:provide support to people who are going through difficult times on a personal or professional level.

● Encourage success: looking for ways to help people be more successful.

● Pay in advance: Spread the message of Atlanta Way 2.0 to all generations – by inviting people from all walks of life to become Atlanta Way 2.0 Activators.

We will be sending out a year-end survey to our Activators to see how you embody Atlanta Way 2.0 activities. How often have you presented? Have you been able to help and connect people or organizations with resources? With over 500 Activators already signed up, we know this movement can and will have an impact as everyone strives to do these kinds of tasks on a regular basis.

What is your passion? Is there something you would like to see revived in Atlanta that has fallen by the wayside? How can we help you start something that strengthens the community or civic fabric of Atlanta? What are we missing? We love feedback and look forward to engaging with everyone through this movement.

To become an Activator, visit our website and fill out our registration form. We will send you information about upcoming events, opportunities and more once a month via our newsletter. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

https://www.atlantaway.org/become-an-activator

Contact Britton Edwards with any questions or ideas: [email protected]

Atlanta Way 2.0

The Atlanta Way, a concept that dates back to Atlanta’s early days, became a driving force during the civil rights era, when white and black business and civic leaders worked together to solve problems peacefully. The cooperative approach of business and civic leaders helped Atlanta become a beacon of peace and problem-solving from the 1960s to the early 2000s.

Atlanta Way 2.0 is a modern concept aimed at connecting people and organizations for the greater good of the Atlanta region. This could mean bringing together people and organizations with related missions to work on common goals, introducing executives new to the city and helping them connect with the community, or connecting regional leaders facing challenges with people who can help them find real solutions.

Unlike the historic Atlanta Way, comprised primarily of powerful male leaders, Atlanta Way 2.0 will strive to be much more inclusive – welcoming civic-minded people from all walks of life to be part of the multi-layered fabric that makes up our region.

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