Vision Statement
Freedom’s Way Heritage Association developed a mission and goals statement that evolved from the Feasibility Study of 1997 and subsequent stakeholder meetings. It says:
The mission of The Association is to weave together the stories of the land, the people and their ideas by using the common threads of significant open spaces and historic events. A strong sense of land stewardship is the legacy of the Native Americans, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Benton MacKaye, and scores of others. They have connected the use of the landscape to ideas about independence, individual rights, conservation, social justice, and democracy. Evidence of this connection is in the picturesque town commons, Shaker villages, Bronson Alcott’s Fruitlands, Thoreau’s walks through the countryside, and elsewhere. Having learned to cherish the native land, the Freedom’s Way towns now strive to inspire a deeper understanding and a sense of stewardship in children and adults.
The goal of the Association is to promote interpretation of the region’s heritage through education, documentation, and stewardship using the facilities of local museums, historical societies, heritage sites and cultural centers.
Vision and Mission Statements for the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area
A Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area regional vision will be developed during the management planning process. What is needed is a statement that can be refined and formally adopted during the workshops. The statement should address the broader long-term goals in keeping with the legislation. But the process will give the participants the opportunity to measure the words and find the strongest areas of mutual agreement as they shape their actions. The final mission statement will become part of an agreement or contract among the partners and cooperating entities.
An earlier attempt to develop a vision statement produced the following paragraphs. The management workshops will review this statement to adapt one that best suits the region’s vision.
In order to preserve those places that define our cultural and historical heritage, the open spaces and recreational facilities that enrich our lives and still create opportunities for growth, we need to redefine the American dream in ways that safeguard those opportunities and leave communities intact. An ongoing stewardship effort, designed to teach the stories about place while emphasizing their historic or cultural importance must be developed.
We strive to find ways:
- To preserve open spaces
- To re-use existing buildings wherever possible through adaptive reuse
- To preserve historic buildings
- To protect the history and cultural sense of community
- To retain a community’s historic elements
- To find ways to alleviate pressure to develop existing agricultural land and open space
- To maintain a sense of place.
We invite your comments: mail@freedomsway.org