About Maine West

Guiding beliefs

Maine West partners’ collaborative work is guided by the following core beliefs:
  • Effective cross-sector collaboration will improve outcomes for people, communities and the environment;
  • Strong relationships and collaboration among project area communities will generate new opportunities to address regional issues;
  • Increased investment is needed to secure long-term community benefits;
  • Local and sector-specific work is important for its implicit value and as a testing ground for regional learning and replication;
  • Learning together, across sectors and across communities, will build local capacity;
  • Engaging people of all backgrounds, incomes and education levels is necessary to ensure work that is grounded and relevant to community well-being;
  • The health of people and of the land are interrelated and must be addressed together;
  • Systemic change takes time and requires both patience and experimentation.

Context for regional collaboration

Maine West’s work is grounded in a fundamental understanding of the history and the issues that shape the area’s communities, and acknowledges the following factors as critical to our work: 
  • Shifts in the region’s economic and employment patterns are changing the ways people interact with the land and with each other;
  • Demographic changes and a generally aging population present both challenges and opportunities for local communities;
  • Recreation and tourism amenities have long played a role in enhancing quality of life, generating economic activity and attracting new residents to the area;
  • The forest products industry is a critical contributor to the region’s economy and culture and has played a central role in shaping the relationship between people and the land
  • Rapidly changing technology and communication systems exert an important and continually evolving influence on people’s lives and livelihoods;
  • Oxford County lags behind state and national trends on important indicators of health and wellness;
  • The region’s communities have a history of collaboration, but also distinct histories and assets that require intentional approaches to common issues;
  • Maine West represents a small subset of the organizations and stakeholders who must be involved in shaping the region’s future.