Powered by the NWA Council
Powered by the NWA Council
We’re thrilled to launch the Belonging Barometer survey adapted for Northwest Arkansas! This tool is designed to delve into our community’s sense of belonging, shedding light on how we can enhance our collective regional experience. Belonging is a core human need, crucial for both individual and community well-being. However, it’s often challenging to measure, which can lead to its oversight in addressing broader societal issues. The Belonging Barometer aims to fill this gap by providing a clearer understanding of our community’s sense of belonging. Developed by Over Zero and the Center for Inclusion and Belonging at the American Immigration Council, the Barometer is backed by a team of experts from various fields, ensuring it provides comprehensive and insightful data.
The Belonging Barometer survey in NWA is a significant initiative emerging from our year of Belonging & Bridging. This year-round commitment includes the formation of our Committee for Belonging & Bridging, which supports our efforts to understand and measure belonging in the region. This initiative evolved from Welcoming Week, a long-standing celebration in Northwest Arkansas. Starting in 2021, EngageNWA reinvigorated Welcoming Week NWA into an annual community-led, collaborative region-wide effort, that in 2024 was expanded into a comprehensive year-round strategy for belonging and bridging.
At EngageNWA, accessibility is a core commitment because we believe everyone’s full participation is vital to our community’s success. For the Belonging Barometer survey, we’ve taken meaningful steps to ensure everyone can be heard. Whether you choose to complete the survey online, over the phone, or in Spanish or Marshallese, and regardless of your preferred format or need for assistance, we’ve implemented a range of measures to make it accessible. These efforts will not only guide our future initiatives but also drive us to continually explore new ways to enhance accessibility.
To support the survey, we have developed an Outreach Toolkit. This toolkit provides a comprehensive understanding of the survey’s background and offers practical resources to help share the survey within your community. It includes detailed explanations of why measuring belonging is important, the survey’s design considerations and its methodology. Additionally, the toolkit offers a variety of tools for engagement, such as customizable email templates, social media posts, phone call scripts and guidance on presenting the survey in person. These resources are designed to empower community leaders and members with the necessary tools to effectively engage others and drive participation in the NWA Belonging Barometer survey.
While the Belonging Barometer is a powerful tool, it is important to acknowledge its limitations. Belonging is a complex and deeply personal experience, making it challenging to capture in a survey. The Barometer provides valuable insights but cannot encompass the full spectrum of human experiences and emotions associated with belonging. Despite these limitations, it serves as a crucial step toward understanding and fostering belonging in our community. In addition to measuring belonging, we are also committed to assessing and enhancing bridging and relationship-building as part of our long-term efforts. This is part of our year-round commitment to belonging and bridging.
We see the Belonging Barometer as a foundational tool for sparking meaningful conversations and actions around belonging in Northwest Arkansas. By capturing this data at the local level, we can better address gaps and work toward creating a more inclusive community. The survey findings will be available to the public and can help guide the design of future programs and work that prioritize initiatives to foster true belonging for all community members.
The NWA Belonging Barometer will be available until September 30, 2024.
We invite you to help us measure belonging in Northwest Arkansas and join our efforts to create a more inclusive and welcoming community. By participating in the NWA Belonging Barometer survey, you contribute to a greater understanding of what it means to belong and help us identify areas for improvement.
Together, we can continue to build a community where everyone feels valued and connected. Share your story, engage with your neighbors, and be a part of this transformative journey.
For more information on the NWA Belonging Barometer, visit https://engagenwa.org/belongingbarometer/.
