OPINION

Can Cincinnati be nice(r) for 31 days?

CIN

Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber'sC-Change Class 9 includes Janae Chaney, Terry Coates, Jennifer Hamann, Laura Koehler, Jim Ortman, Kyle Pohlman, Aftab Pureval, Marisa Richter, Charles Rinehart, Andrew Salzbrun, Liz Schmidt, Rob Siegmann, Jaclyn Smith, Leslie Whalen and Melissa Wideman.

Greater Cincinnati is a grand, friendly city, but friendliness does not always equal welcoming. Sometimes, pride in our high schools and neighborhoods prevents us from connecting with communities within our city that may be different from us. Unfortunately, this is driving away skilled, educated and diverse talent.

But there's good news! We know how to make people feel more welcome. It's as simple as an invitation – to dinner, drinks, an art gallery, or to play pick-up basketball. The challenge is taking that invitation and applying it citywide – that's why we've created The Grand City Experiment.

The Grand City Experiment is 31 days in October of random acts of kindness to make Cincinnati more welcoming. It's a daily opportunity to create a shared experience with someone new. When taken together, these individual acts of welcoming can transform our city by building stronger communities, encouraging diversity, and attracting and retaining talented employees and good neighbors.

So, grab coffee with the new guy on your street. Heck, add a shot of espresso. Now what if 100 people in our city did that today? Think of the ripple effect we could create together if thousands of us did one simple challenge each day for an entire month. Everyone in our city could feel at home.

Greater Cincinnatians of all ages, neighborhoods and walks of life can participate by signing up today at www.TheGrandCityExperiment.com. Participants are then encouraged to complete the daily challenges October 1-31 and share their experiences on social media with #TheGrandCity.

The Grand City Experiment was created by participants in C-Change Class 9, the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber's premier leadership development program for young professionals. All five projects from C-Change Class 9 focus on making Cincinnati a more welcoming city, each with a distinct approach:

Destination Innovate offers a select group of local college students the unique opportunity to learn first-hand about Cincinnati's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through a daylong bus tour, 50 students will visit major hubs of startup activity in Cincinnati. The students will come away with an intimate understanding of how their skills can help further build this community in Cincinnati. The event is Friday, October 24, 2014. facebook.com/destinationinnovate

HYPE Ambassadors is a program that matches new-to-town young professionals with Cincinnati USA ambassadors who can help them establish social, professional and community connections. The program currently runs for five months and includes 3-5 planned events, with other perks and insights along the way. We are looking at ways to improve the program, from awareness to overall experience of both ambassadors and those who are new-to-town. hypeambassadors.com

Pep Cincy Welcome to Cincinnati! Whether you've just moved here or you've lived here all your life, you'll be amazed by what's happening here! On Thursday, October 2, join Mayor John Cranley, UC President Santa Ono, city and community leaders, arts and sports performers, and friends old and new for a first-of-its-kind interactive pep rally! Featuring local eats and drinks and hundreds of community members at the Downtown Masonic Center, Pep Cincy invites you to make yourself at home. pepcincy.com

Queen City Commit Have you ever thought about whether we're a welcoming city? Queen City Commit is about Cincinnatians acting to change the perception that it's hard to make social and professional connections in our region. Commit and help spark the movement to make Cincinnati a place for everyone. queencitycommit.org

Let's join together to make Greater Cincinnati a more inclusive and welcoming place to live – for everyone.