Vermont Futures Project

Will we see you tomorrow? VFP's Executive Director Kevin Chu will be speaking at Local Maverick's Making Mavericks event tomorrow! Get your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/e3-Warhn

Learn more about one of our summer interns, Cole, who's joining us through the Middlebury College Middworks for Vermont summer internship fellows program!

Attend Vermont Conversations - The Business of Vermont on July 23 from 5:30-7:00 PM at the Southern Vermont Arts Center with the Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning. The Vermont Futures Project's Executive Director, Kevin Chu, will join other experts as panelists to discuss Vermont's future in business, government, and community. Don't miss insights on the economy, climate change, housing, and more. Register now: https://lnkd.in/eJEmEsPJ

Do you know the origin of “Brave Little State”? It’s from a 1928 speech by President Calvin Coolidge after touring Vermont to assess the damage from the Great Flood of 1927 and subsequent recovery efforts. As I watch the storm today on the anniversary of the 2023 floods, my mind keeps coming back to the Brave Little State speech because of the resilience shown by Vermonters in the past year. The speech is worth reading in its entirety, but I’ll highlight the closing remarks. “I love Vermont because of her hills and valleys, her scenery and invigorating climate, but most of all because of her indomitable people. They are a race of pioneers who have almost beggared themselves to serve others. If the spirit of liberty should vanish in other parts of the Union, and support of our institutions should languish, it could all be replenished from the generous store held by the people of this brave little state of Vermont.” There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world right now. Climate disasters are becoming more frequent and severe. The spirit of liberty is under threat in many places. Support for institutions is languishing. As much as Vermont needs more people, more people need Vermont too. Or as my friends at the Vermont Council on World Affairs like to say, “Bringing Vermont to the World and the World to Vermont.” The World needs Vermont now more than ever. It’s okay for us to grow and scale up our impact! Let’s be brave, together. #vermont #bravelittlestate #serveothers #bethechange #growthmindset

📣 Calling all BIPOC Vermonters! Vermont Professionals of Color Network has launched a statewide survey to gather your experiences, successes, and challenges. Your voice matters! Help VT PoC advocate for the needs of the BIPOC community in Vermont. Please participate and share the survey with others: https://lnkd.in/e7Y-MaXF

Join us on Thursday, July 18th from 5:30-8:00pm to bust some Vermont myths regarding our economy, environment, and equity. Making Mavericks is a speaker series showcasing Vermont entrepreneurs, artists, & creators... and during this edition Local Maverick founder Ryan Nakhleh will sit down with Kevin Chu from the Vermont Futures Project to explore the question: “How can we use data to support the evolution of Vermont’s economy towards a thriving future full of opportunity for all?” In addition to all of the knowledge sharing, App Gap Distillery will be on hand serving up small batch libations that are uniquely Vermont! Space is limited... So reserve your seat today! Tickets are just $10 and include non-alcoholic beverages and Vermont snacks! Get your tickets here >> https://bit.ly/45XBbLE

VFP's Executive Director Kevin Chu was recently on WVMT's Morning Drive chatting about the data-driven work we do and our upcoming Economic Action Plan, which is being developed with a coalition of strategic partners from all over Vermont. https://lnkd.in/eZZx8rKu

Our Executive Director Kevin Chu was on WDEV's Vermont Viewpoint yesterday talking about the work the Vermont Futures Project does and the upcoming Economic Action Plan, which will be released in the coming months. Our Middlebury College interns, Cole Siefer and Malachi Shiffer-Delegard, also joined to chat about their Vermont story. https://lnkd.in/exkGQcBf

Our data-driven Economic Action Plan is set to launch in the next couple of months! Today, Executive Director Kevin Chu was joined by some of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce team for a collaborative strategic planning meeting.

Our summer interns started yesterday! The Futures Project and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce are hosting three talented interns from Middlebury College and Dartmouth College this summer. We're excited to have them on board!