Partners in Building Community Capacity

1
Partners in Building Community Capacity
MissionOhio State University Extension Community
Development helps communities enhance their
well-being.ValuesAs Community Development
Professionals, we valueVisionOhio
State University Extension Community Development
is a leader in community development education
and an unbiased partner in the implementation of
strategies to achieve community goals.

• Education as a means to help people identify
  assets, capacities, needs, resources, and
  solutions.
• Civic involvement and participation to improve
  the quality of community and neighborhood life.
• Internal and external collaborations and
  partnerships.
• The uniqueness of individuals, as well as
  communities and neighborhoods.
• The applied and theoretical dimensions of
  community development.
• The development of viable communities through the
  wise use of natural, economic, social, and human
  resources.
• Information and knowledge as a basis for
  decisions.

Based on strategic planning efforts conducted in
2004, Ohio State University Extension Community
Development aligns its efforts under three areas
of emphasis
Discovering Economic and Workplace
Innovation Enhancing Community Capacity and
Decisionmaking Creating Community Educational
Excellence
Extension professionals in every county in Ohio
conduct programs aimed at enabling communities to
enhance their well-being. Ohioans in 14 counties
enjoy the benefits of Extension professionals
with full time CD appointments.
2
Ohios economy has lagged that of the United
States in its transition to a knowledge-based
focus in several areas including percentage of
its population with at least a bachelors degree
(tied for 39th among the 50 states). The
Knowledge Economy Initiative aims to address this
issue via three focus areas employment success,
entrepreneurship, and local community involvement
to create education excellence.
Knowledge Economy Initiative
3-Phase Approach

• Task 1 - Create OSU Extensions internal
  infrastructure and capacity
• webpage and weblog for sharing information
• Spring conference involving 90 OSU professionals
  to share information about their programs
• regional forums to explain the Knowledge Economy
  and develop potential relationships with
  community leaders
• Task 2 Develop tools and curriculum to create
  change in Ohio communities
• online community preparedness indicator system to
  measure Knowledge Economy readiness
• web-based curriculum development program
• Task 3 Work with Ohio leaders and communities
  to create positive futures
• web-based program to train local leaders in the
  development of competitive strategies
• curricula that can be used throughout Ohio
• community planning programs in Ohio communities

http//knowecon.osu.edu/
Center Director Phone e-mail Bill Grunkemeyer,
Wooster 330.263.3799 grunkemeyer.1_at_osu.edu Jerry
Thomas, Lima 419.422.6106 thomas.69_at_osu.edu Tom
Worley, Piketon 740.289.2071 (x222) worley.36_at_osu.
edu
Entrepreneurship Development
How We Can Help Regions Compete

• Convene regional dialogues
• Help regions identify niches
• Transfer technology
• Foster SMEs
• Build business networks and clusters
• Boost skills of regional leaders

Center for Study of Rural America, Federal
Reserve Bank of Kansas City

• The Go BIG Network
• Connects members of the startup community with
  people who can help them.
• Provides access to needed resources and qualified
  labor in rural areas where critical mass does
  not exist.
• Promotes regionalism and cluster development.
• Levels the playing field by reducing geographical
  challenges.

Community leaders, business owners, residents and
business support organizations can work together
in building an entrepreneur-friendly community.
To become more entrepreneur-friendly, try our
entrepreneur readiness community assessment and
the workshop series designed to strengthen your
community's ability to provide support services
to entrepreneurs.
The overall goal Increase your community's
ability to compete in the knowledge economy.
Bill Grunkemeyer 330.263.3799 Myra Moss
419.422.6106
3
Enhancing Community Capacity Decisionmaking
OSU Extension works with communities to identify
local assets and capabilities to create more
opportunities for their citizens. We promote
active citizen participation to develop
sustainable communities and enhance local quality
of life.
Extension Teams focus on developing an awareness
of community characteristics, leadership
development, and organizational development.
Leadership Development Education

• Leadership Development programs encourage and
  support community leadership education throughout
  Ohio. Programs aim to

Increase knowledge and awareness. Increase
volunteerism in community activities. Foster
collaboration among community decision
makers. Increase levels of successful community
change projects. Increase citizen involvement
in community decisions.
Community-Sponsored Programs involve Extension
professionals as teaching resources. Numerous
community sponsored leadership development
programs are conducted statewide annually,
involving Extension professionals as subject
matter experts.
Extension-Sponsored Programs involve Extension
professionals in the design, creation, and
delivery of community leadership education to
residents throughout the Ohio. These programs
include the Local Government Leadership Academy
and the Grassroots Leadership Academy, for
example.
Don Lacy 614-932-0468 Chester Bowling 614-296-1174
John Conglose 330-466-1031
Advancing Community Tourism
Tourism has connections with land use, food
systems, capacity building and sustainable
communities. Tourism is becoming more recognized
and implemented as a viable economic development
strategy even in small communities, neighborhoods
and rural areas. It builds community, encourages
civic involvement, and contributes to individual,
family and community pride and image. Advancing
Community Tourism is the program initiative of
the OSU Extension Tourism Team for tourism
development education. Focus has been on
connecting tourism and agriculture and linking
that sector (agri-tourism) with nature, heritage
and cultural tourism.
How we help communities and businesses
share tourism experiences, best practices, and
applications
link tourism organizations and resources both
locally and regionally
work with communities to assess tourism readiness
identify, produce and/or package the community
tourism product
assist with attraction development tourism
business development planning and marketing
provide organizational support for tourism
organizations through strategic action planning,
feasibility studies, reaction panels, marketing
plans, etc.
conduct hospitality and customer service training
Deanna Tribe 740.289.2071 (x118) Treva Williams
740.354.7879
4
Creating Community Educational Excellence
The creation of high quality schools may be the
most important factor in the development of high
quality communities. OSU Extension Community
Development professionals collaborate with
schools and communities to identify and expand
community and school resources for their mutual
benefit.
Extension Teams focus on developing capacity to
engage in meaningful deliberation of issues
surrounding the betterment of our public schools.
Public Issues Education (PIE) Team

• Extension helps communities deal effectively with
  public issues in order to make better-informed
  decisions. The two-stage approach involves
• Issue Framing to clarify the question or issue
  and to outline the potential approaches that
  might be taken to address the issue
• Public Forums to involve community members in
  discussion of the issue and evaluate the
  potential approaches to the resolving the issue

• Extension professionals may take either of two
  roles in Public Issues Education
• Content Role providing content expertise from
  within an academic background
• Process Role providing facilitation expertise
  in group process including within
  politically-charged settings

Provide clarity to concerned residents and public
officials with respect to the issue Enable
informed decisionmaking Improve overall quality
of life
Joe Konen 330-466-0912 Chester
Bowling 614-296-1174
Public Issue
Different Oftentimes Conflicting Viewpoints
Better-Informed Decisionmaking
Information Sharing
Deliberative Process
Common Ground
Issue Framing and Public Forums
Vision to Action
Having trouble finding direction? Or, have an
idea where to go, but not sure how to go about
getting started? The Vision to Action program
assists organizations and communities clarify
their vision and develop an action plan to to
make the vision a reality.
Different Oftentimes Conflicting Viewpoints
Lack of Focus
Limited Energy
Program Objectives

• Involve the entire community or organization in
  an interactive participatory process
• Identify what will be done, who will do it, and
  when it will be accomplished in a written action
  plan
• Emphasize what the community or organization
  wishes to preserve, change or create

Vision to Action Program
Clearer Vision Strategic Direction Focused
Energy
The Four-Step Process Get Started Organize the
process and prepare for the workshop Community
Workshop Develop statements of Purpose, Values,
and Vision, and an Action Plan Project Planning
and Implementation Define the basic steps for
Action Plan Implementation Measure Momentum
Keep the process going via regular evaluation of
progress Also available Community Assessment
and Monitoring and Evaluation tools
Achievement of Anticipated Outcomes
For more information on the teams and programs
described here, as well as other programs
offered, contact any of the Extension
professionals listed here, call 614-292-6356,
your local county Extension office, or visit us
on the web at http//comdev.osu.edu Remember to
pick up a copy of our How We Help brochure to
see all the other ways we can help your community.
Joe Konen 330-466-0912 Deanna Tribe
740.289.2071 (x118)