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Where, What & How of IRIS

IRIS in constantly on the lookout for success stories from the people who live in North Central Washington, from Chelan and Douglas to Okanogan and Grant counties.

We invite people to help us gather success stories by recording interviews and writing stories for our annual Success Story Exchange.

We distill and distribute the stories that contribute to a healthy, sustainable community so they can be used to generate more success.

We work with our partners to balance our portfolio of stories to include those that illustrate the core elements of a sustainable community.

Caring for our lands and waters

Fostering thriving lives

Bridging cultural and
political divides

We connect people around the success stories we gather each year at the NCW Community Success Summit

Each year our story search turns up more successes that we weave into the fabric of our region inspiring hope and collaboration along the way.

We invite you to join us as we create an accessible and sustainable storybank of success for our region that will help others think like a community into the next decade.

Why IRIS

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IRIS shares stories to enhance a sense of belonging and attachment to place that empower people to make a positive difference in their community
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We believe everyone has skills, resources, and stories to share that will help someone else thrive.
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Our work, and that of our partners, is designed to promote whole community thinking – to show how our actions can affect each other and the natural world in positive ways.
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We believe that thriving communities in a healthy environment create success. When we think like a community, we recognize that our own success is tied to the well-being of our neighbors, human and non-human alike.
Explore the Nature of NCW
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 IRIS & NCW Libraries Launch New Digital Collections

NCW Collections, a searchable online archive that is home to hundreds of stories and other content IRIS has gathered between 2003-2021 is now open for business!  Focused on the good stewardship and collaboration that fosters healthy communities, NCW Collections provides users of all ages, newcomers and old-timers alike, with the opportunity to learn about the region – to listen to oral histories, read diverse success stories, view videos, and explore reports and learning materials about food systems – and to discover ways to get involved in adding to the archive.

A companion online handbook, Thinking Like a Community provides background on the Gathering Our Voice, Success Story Exchange and Food Systems collections along with suggestions for how individuals, families, organizations, and communities can use and contribute to this resource. 

NCW Collections
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VOICES FROM THE PAST

One of the many stories IRIS has explored in the past 15 years is that associated with the history of The Nature Conservancy in Washington. Sample some of those stories here.

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How does my mask protect our health? Share a photo for the Picture of Health.
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Susan Gaspar

My mask helps me prevent exposure that I might otherwise bring home to my family. 

How can my mask protect our health?

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March 11, 2020

Explore the Listening Post Network  

Check out the Listening Post Network sites across NCW to learn more about the history and natural history of this place. Listen to audio recordings, look at pictures, watch short videos and follow links to organizations who are working together to make this place thrive.

Visit http://gatheringourvoice.org/listening-post/ 

 

Annual NCW Community Success Summit

IRIS and our partners host a success summit in a different North Central Washington community each year. It is a great opportunity to showcase the success stories of our communities and the collaboration that strengthens the region. Please come join us for our next summit and submit your own success story to be shared!