Overview

The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) is a State Affiliate of the Air Collaborative which serves Connecticut through facilitated cross-sector community conversations. Connecticut Air invests in creative solutions to support the economic and community development of Connecticut communities.

The Connecticut Office of the Arts provides opportunities to train and hire CT Certified Air Facilitators to support Engage and Shift community workshops. Learn more about our current facilitators HERE or reach out to COA's CT Air Activator to learn more about the process of becoming a CT Air Facilitator in the future.

CT Air workshops include:

Engage: Assess Local Interest

Begin with a two-hour workshop with CT Air Certified Facilitators to spark a collaboration between creative and business-mined individuals, including municipal and community leaders.

Engage workshops must include a broad range of community members. Bring together local artists, municipal employees, business owners, community groups, non-profit staff, healthcare professionals, teachers and more. In-person workshops often include between 20-50 participants but several more can join. Online workshops are capped at 36 participants. 

In FY23, COA will invest between $600 and $1,000 per Engage workshop to support the fees paid to CT Air Certified Facilitators. Communities will be considered on a rolling basis until we reach our funding cap.

Shift: Design a Community Project

Soon after completing an Engage, participants may dive into a multi-day Shift workshop with CT Air Certified Facilitators using collaboration skills, business planning and design thinking to plan a small, yet impactful project.

Shift workshops include a smaller cohort of approximately 12-36 individuals and may include participants from the prior workshop or new community members.

A Shift workshop must take place over three consecutive days to experience the full collaborative and design thinking effect. Day one is a 4-hour commitment, day two is 9-hours, and day three is 4-hours. A 2-hour Action Session occurs approximately 2-weeks following the Shift.

In FY23, COA will invest between $2,000 and $6,500 per Shift workshop to support the fees paid to CT Air Certified Facilitators. Communities will be considered on a rolling basis until we reach our funding cap.

Communities who participate in a Shift workshop will implement a small project (funded at the local level and not to exceed $10,000). Projects can be completed over the course of one-year following the Shift workshop.

Communities interested in getting started with an Engage workshop can learn more by contacting COA's CT Air Activator.

Gather Often	Learn	Do	Inspire
Convene community voices Listen and share find common values & goals	Collaborative Skills Creativity Tools Design Thinking Business Planning	Start small Implement projects together Grow your team Support creative entrepreneurs	Hope Empathy Self-reliance New Leaders Local Investment Diverse Economy

 This program is made possible in part by a grant from The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.