Indiana’s Bicentennial: More Than Just a Party
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana communities are hungry for creative ways to bring people together and celebrate what they love about their hometowns and the Hoosier state. That’s one of the key lessons learned from Indiana Humanities’ ALL-IN program – and one of the reasons why we think the state’s bicentennial year is going to be about a lot more than just celebrating 200 years of Indiana history.
When we launched ALL-IN in 2014, we were reacting to data from the National Council on Citizenship’s 2011 Indiana Civic Health Index, which suggested that, while Hoosiers are more likely than other Americans to belong to a civic organization, participate in a school group or attend church, the state ranked 45th in the nation in terms of neighbors working together to solve community problems. In response, we wanted to create an infrastructure that would help Hoosiers work together more meaningfully.
So we created ALL-IN, a digital program designed to help Hoosiers connect with each other and learn more about our state. Through a series of easy challenges, ALL-IN encourages people to try new experiences, expand their knowledge of the Hoosier state and connect to each other. It invites them to share their "Indiana-versary" (when their family first came to Indiana), give someone a book, post a picture of a hidden gem on social media, take a civic literacy quiz, and more. Through these challenges, Hoosiers begin to think, read and talk about themselves, their communities and the state in new ways.
After holding launch parties across the state, we quickly realized that ALL-IN was a great tool to bring communities together. So, we created an "ALL-IN Block Party" toolkit that would help provide community groups like nonprofits, schools and libraries, with organizational and logistical resources and let them focus on fun.
We had high hopes that communities would respond to this opportunity and embrace the spirit of ALL-IN. We quickly discovered that even our highest hopes fell short of reality, as community after community threw ALL-IN Block Parties on their Main Streets, in their parks and on courthouse lawns.
In Otterbein, an annual 115-year-old street festival became an ALL-IN affair hosted by the local library, with hundreds of the town’s residents scrambling to complete scorecards asking them about when their families came to Indiana, challenging them to try international foods, and more.
In Centerville, individual nonprofits sponsored different challenges for the event that included Jamaican food and offered a ride in a World War II airplane as a grand prize. In Martinsville, residents completed challenges by identifying beautiful Morgan County houses of worship, sharing inspiring verses or quotes, and working on a mural of the county’s "hidden gems." A Muncie event was sponsored by a wellness professionals group, which used it as a way to promote social and civic wellness and – as one organizer put it – "help people fall just a little more in love with their community."
Over and over, we saw communities jump at the opportunity to take the ALL-IN concept and apply their own creativity and local flavor to create something with lasting impact. We were continually impressed by their innovative approaches and the local pride they applied to the challenges and events. And we were delighted by the evidence of an earnest desire to come together, show pride of community, and learn more about their neighbors.
The timing couldn’t be better. As Indiana approaches its bicentennial year, people across the state are planning activities to engage Hoosiers in the celebration. One of the centerpieces of these activities is the torch relay, which will see a flaming torch carried across the state, visiting all 92 counties. Certainly, each county and community along that route will want to do something to celebrate the torch’s arrival. And, from our experience, we know that they will want to do something fun, engaging and memorable.
And we want to help – which is why we’re once again encouraging communities to apply for ALL-IN Block Party resources, which include a starter kit of collateral, communications support, three hours of professional graphic design services and $1,000 to cover the costs of the Block Party.
The truth is, Hoosiers could just celebrate the state’s bicentennial. We could plan parades, shoot off fireworks and listen to speeches. But what we’ve learned over the past few months is that the people of Indiana want something more. They want to create creative and meaningful opportunities for people to connect in ways that not only honor the past but also help us build toward an exciting future – a future in which we do indeed work together to strengthen our communities and our state.
Isn’t that a party you’d like to attend?
You can find more information on hosting an ALL-IN Block Party by clicking here.
Keira Amstutz is president and chief executive officer of Indiana Humanities.