South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership opens inaugural survey to glean trends amongst regional residents.
SOUTH BEND – ELKHART REGION (Mar. 22, 2021) — The Regional Belonging Survey will reveal insights from residents living in the South Bend – Elkhart region, including their lived experiences, perspectives on representation in leadership positions, and needs from the community as it relates to a feeling of belonging. The survey may be completed by any resident in Elkhart, Marshall, or St. Joseph County and respondents may enter to win a $250 Visa gift card (limit one response and one entry per person).
The Regional Belonging Survey has been developed based on models from public and private sector and educational institutes, and is being administered by the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership as a result of the Regional Economic Development Strategy’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The survey is aimed at capturing key concepts related to belonging and income trends analyzed across several variables (e.g., race, gender, geography, industry) and is being done in partnership with Vennli, a regionally based market research firm.
The goals of the Regional Belonging Survey are to:
- Establish a baseline to give an accurate perception of the current state of inclusion and belonging within the South Bend – Elkhart region.
- Find opportunities for improvement by leveraging powerful analytics to see where regional citizens are having different experiences and the areas where we can have the greatest impact.
- Drive data-based change in the region. With the insights we glean from the survey, we will provide recommendations and programming to regional employers and community leaders that is reflective of what we learn through the respondents.
The Regional Belonging Survey is open March 22, 2021 – April 16, 2021 and can be accessed in English and Spanish by clicking here.
About South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
The South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership is a collaboration of the economic development partners from 47 smart connected communities in Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan. The Regional Partnership focuses on a long-term systemic approach to advance the region’s economy by aligning the efforts of various stakeholders around five key areas: Educating a world-class WORKFORCE, Recruiting and retaining great TALENT, Attracting and growing new economy companies in complement to our remarkably strong manufacturing INDUSTRIES, Promoting INCLUSION and sparking opportunities for minorities and Helping ENTREPRENEURS thrive. The Regional Partnership seeks to unify and collaborate so that together, the communities across the region to work together to achieve what cannot be done individually. For more information about the Regional Partnership, visit SouthBendElkhart.org.
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Media Contact
Bethany Hartley
South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
574.344-4686 x 4804
bhartley@southbendelkhart.org