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Oshkosh is home to a variety of ethnic, socioeconomic and political groups, which makes for a diverse set of opinions on the growth and productivity of the city. Square One, a local grassroots organization, is working to bring these groups together to share their voices in a community discussion called Views and Brews.
Paul and Courtney Van Auken created Square One in 2008 as a means of celebrating the diversity of the Oshkosh community and to promote community growth.
“One of the thrusts behind the group is to try to make it a more welcoming community,” Paul Van Auken, an assistant professor of sociology and environmental studies at UW-Oshkosh, said.
Van Auken created Views and Brews discussions as the first step towards promoting unity in Oshkosh.
“The idea is to get, hopefully, a variety of people from the community to come out to talk about important things, but in a comfortable, fairly informal setting,” Van Auken said.
Each Views and Brews is set up as a facilitated discussion led by Van Auken in what he described as a talk show setting. Audience members are then invited to ask questions of the panelists and provide their own input on the topic.
The first Views and Brews, held in May, discussed race relations in the Oshkosh community, and the second in August was on agriculture and local foods. Van Auken said he thought both were successful, drawing 75 audience members in May and 50 in August.
Thursday’s topic will be a downtown summit including several topics concerning downtown development and the discussion will include four panels each discussing a different topic concerning downtown. Each panel consists of small-business owners from the Oshkosh area and other community members, including senior Jose Navarro.
Navarro said he has never participated in a Views and Brews event before, but was excited at the opportunity to play a role in this one.
“I would have to say that I not only believe that it is important for students to become involved in the community dialogue,” he said, “I would go farther and say that it is important for students to become involved in all community matters.”
Navarro will be sitting on a panel set to discuss the relationship between UW-Oshkosh and downtown Oshkosh.
Other panel members of note will include Chancellor Richard Wells and City Manager Mark Rohloff.
This Views and Brews will also serve as a marketplace for local businesses and nonprofit organizations. The marketplace will precede the discussion from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and the discussion will continue to 9 p.m.
As with the previous Views and Brews, this week’s event will be held at Becket’s Restaurant in the Oshkosh City Center. Van Auken said he teamed up with Becket’s co-owner Kris Larson before the first Views and Brews.
“We agreed to provide a venue for Views and Brews because we think it is important for all businesses, especially those downtown, to be as much a part of the community as is possible,” Larson said. “Restaurants especially should be more than just places just to go out and eat.”
The events have also received new sponsorship from the American Democracy Project on campus.
“ADP is interested in supporting healthy public discussion and civic engagement, so it is a good fit with Views & Brews,” Van Auken said.
In addition to Views and Brews, Square One has also created a program called Oshkosh Home Away From Home.
“What we’re trying to do is connect students that might feel like a fish out of water for a variety of reasons,” Van Auken said.
Home Away From Home connects UW-Oshkosh students to families in the Oshkosh community, which Van Auken said he hopes will create a bridge between Oshkosh and the community.
The next Views and Brews will be held Feb. 11, 2010, and will be a continuation of the first race relations Views and Brews. In the works for spring 2010 is a sustainability Views and Brews that Van Auken said may include a contest for attendees submitting their ideas for making a more sustainable Oshkosh.
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