Checking Our Pulse

“We come to BYC to pause and reflect; we come here to be alone; we come here to escape our perceived reality AND we come here to listen – to truly listen to nature, and thus to ourselves. We seek our own Listening Points at BYC.”

~ A BYC Neighbor

What is the purpose of checking your pulse? When one exercises, visits their doctor or watches an election year’s media it is standard to check your pulse. It is a reading of one’s health status at a point in time. It gives you a sample vision of your health.

Let’s check the pulse of the Brickyard Creek (BYC) Community. Is there a clear vision?

The concept of vision is not a well understood. In order to articulate a vision, one needs to clarify what the term means. A vision is a realistic, credible and attractive future for an organization, an association, a group of individuals and/or . . . for YOU.

So, what is your vision at this point in time of the BYC health? What is the pulse of BYC?

Checking the BYC Pulse

During Annual Meeting Weekend of May 2011, the BYC Vision Committee was formed. It all started when a group of your neighbors and fellow cabin-owners suggested it. A small group met that same weekend to contemplate a philosophical question . . . Why are we here?

The here in this question is here, at Brickyard Creek. Three powerful, but brief, questions guided the discussion that day in May 2011.

1. What makes BYC special?
2. What is the draw?
3. What is the hold?

Your neighbors answered these three questions with enthusiasm and inspiration. Maybe it was the location of the meeting – it was held at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College – or maybe it was the challenge to respond but it is interesting that these neighbors left the meeting with a draft of a vision statement. Here it is . . .

This community is committed to maintaining this unique environment, promoting responsible educated citizens, sustaining a network of partnerships (with the broader community) and creating a legacy of responsible stewardship for all who share in the experience we call Brickyard Creek. (approved by BYC Board June 2011; June 2013)

The Vision Committee scribed this vision statement based on a their brainstorming of responses to the three guiding questions: What makes BYC special? What is the draw? What is the hold?

• Engagement of my senses
• Sense of community; a sense of belonging
• Legacy
• Opportunity to give back to the environment
• To renew, refocus and restore
• Emotional safety and tranquility
• To be a part of something special
• The lake, the land, the lifestyle and continuous lifelong learning

Things moved quickly. The board endorsed the BYC Vision Statement in June 2011 and expressed support for the committee to continue to meet and consider issues that would inform the BYC Community. Throughout the fall and winter months, the Vision Committee exchanged email communications and scheduled several conference calls. In Spring 2012, the committee wrote several key goals.

• Recognize the various changes facing BYC – current and future;
• Draft a Vision Statement, Mission and Goals to guide all aspects of the BYC Community;
• Engage the members of the BYC Associations in a sustained dialogue about the uniqueness of the BYC natural environment; and,
• Continue to build a sense of community; a sense of belonging among the neighbors of BYC.

This is the historical narrative of the BYC Vision Committee. It chronicles the formation of the committee but it does not come close to capturing the enthusiasm nor the commitment from its members. Research has well-documented that a Vision Statement can only survive if the members can restate it and personalize it.

Checking Your Own Pulse

The BYC Vision Committee invites you, as a fellow owner and neighbor, to consider the three original guiding questions and document your responses – a mental note, an insert in your daily journal or best yet – sharing your responses with your neighbors on our BYC Community website.

1. What makes BYC special?
2. What is the draw?
3. What is the hold?

Do you need some inspiration? Prior to considering each guiding question we suggest you take a slow hike/walk through BYC again with the wonderful pictures posted on the BYC Community website. If you are willing to share your responses to these original guiding questions with your neighbors, please send them to the BYC Manager, Jeffery Garrett for posting on our BYC Community website.

Checking of Our Collective Pulse

The Vision Committee believes our collective commitment to a stewardship philosophy at BYC is essential. We believe that there will be evidence of success when we share a common purpose and direction as represented in the BYC Common Expectations/Rules and Regulations and the BYC Rental Agreement materials.

The Vision Committee hopes that all of the BYC Community, including the renters and guests, view these materials as a sincere attempt to support the shared commitment to this unique environment.

Sustaining a Vision is not a solo venture; it is a team sport. The Vision Committee knows that we will never be effective until “We are WE”.

“We cannot teach and we cannot learn about the importance of our natural environments unless we personalize the experience. With thoughtful design and building practices firmly in place, one has to touch, smell, taste, and live with their natural surroundings in order to learn how to respect it. Brickyard is a perfect example of this concept.” ~ David Culberson

The 2017 BYC Vision Committee

Do you need some inspiration? View the work shared by other community members found in the BYC Library.

If you are willing to share your responses to these original guiding questions with your neighbors, please send them to the BYC Manager, Jeffery Garrett for posting here on our BYC Community website.