CD Colleagues: Greetings!

Welcome to the May Community Development e-Newsletter.  We have some interesting material this month that I think you will find a little different.  We have some important dates to announce - note that the BR&E Train the Trainer Workshop is scheduled for June 3.  Looking a little further down the road, we have the Ohio Land Use Conference on September 16.  Brian Raison has an article in this issue about a youth panel discussion from the “Leadership for Tomorrow” conference.  And, we have a note about Stone Lab, a wonderful OSU resource.  Enjoy! 

Tom Blaine, Editor

A Message from Interim AD, John Conglose

May has been a very exciting month for OSU Extension as the organization transitions into restructuring.  EERA Leaders have been appointed and meetings of this group, as well as various meetings within EERA’s have been conducted.  The four program areas have also conducted meetings over the past month.  The group of educators that have been assigned to CD met on May 19^th  in Columbus to discuss how the regional model for Community Development Education is going to start being implemented.  The group has decided to meet on a regular basis to flush out the many ideas and thoughts related to the restructuring plan, developing job descriptions, identifying areas of specialization and fine tuning the menu of educational programs that are going to be delivered by OSU Extension CD.  The group is also going to work on becoming a highly functioning and effective team.  As items are worked out by the group and the new model for delivering Community Development education and programming evolves,  I will continue to share information in upcoming additions of this newsletter. 

The next meeting of CD Educators is scheduled for June 25^th via web ex. We will be meeting face-to-face on the fourth Thursday of every month, thereafter with occasional web ex meetings held when deemed more appropriate. 

A Word from John Hageman, Manager, Stone Laboratory

Despite the sluggish economy and uncertain school funding sources for field trips, the Stone Laboratory Aquatic Science Workshop Program has managed to schedule a large number of schools and adult groups this spring, with a busier than normal summer lineup promised and the fall calendar continuing to shape up.

Highlights this spring include visits by the Institute of Great Lakes Journalists, 2 sessions of Elderhostel, the first visit by the OSU Biological Sciences Scholars and nearly 40 school groups totaling over 1,600 participants.

This summer there will be visits by the Geuaga/Portage and Huron County SWCD offices, 4-H Sea Camp, Ohio Dept. of Agriculture-State Directors meeting, Alber Center and Ohio Garden Club to name a few of the scheduled workshops, tours and conferences. In addition to science workshops and eco-history tours, our 100 seat conference room may be scheduled to hold office conferences, then enjoy the attractions on Put-in-Bay afterward. (The Perry's Monument observation deck is scheduled to close for repairs in August for a couple of years)

Small university-affiliated groups may also use the South Bass Island Lighthouse for meetings.

Autumn is an exceptionally attractive time of year to enjoy the mild weather; fall colors and aroma of ripening grapes; after the largest crowds have departed for the year.

Lunches and coffee breaks can be ordered at very affordable prices. To schedule a workshop, conference or tour, call the Stone Lab office at 419/285-1800.

Leadership Insights from Our Students: Motivations to include young people in community development process

By Brian Raison, CD Educator, Top of Ohio Area, and Director of Miami County Extension Office

“Our world has changed. Times are different. We will have to re-start how America will look in the future."

In late April, I attended the OSU Extension “Leadership for Tomorrow” conference. It was fabulous. But the final session, a youth panel discussion, really got me thinking about our future. It featured six student leaders from OSU. Each one active with a variety of on and off-campus associations, working on some aspect of grassroots community building, positive social action, and/or an environmental project.

Their stories were compelling. Their travel and experiences captivated our attention. Their noteworthy successes brought them to the event; but their insights extended to the cohort from which they came. Their passion and caring for our society and world brought me great hope.

The following highlights from my hastily written notes are their words. And I hear a lot of community development in them. Our challenge is to listen, hear, and then coach this tremendous energy to further expand the positive impact in our communities across Ohio.

Q: Tell us about your generation. How do you envision success?
“Access to information makes us aware of the world at large… and it’s flat. Our generation wants to make a change in this world. We’re passionate about making a difference. But it’s not about ‘me’ making the change. It’s working together for positive change."

“There’s so much information. It’s overwhelming with so many opportunities. And we have a lot of expectation and pressure put on us to succeed. When we grew up, everybody got a trophy, even if you scored your soccer goal for the other team."

“So we love recognition. Consideration is huge. But we don’t measure success on how we feel. Success is defined by discovering what we value and acting on that. The key is starting with the fundamental question of what I value. Then, I can create a definition of success."

Q: What can adults learn from today’s students?
“Our experiences mean a lot. We’ve done a lot. We have hidden experiences… but our age is seen as inexperienced. We know we need to gain trust. But we hate being talked down to. In fact, we’ll talk back and defend ourselves."

Q: You’re an exceptional panel of young leaders. How do we reach the majority of young people today?“We need adult leaders to boost confidence. We need mentors! But kids are afraid to ask adults to be a mentor.
“Give kids the opportunity to lead. Experience is the best teacher. Provide an atmosphere for student involvement. Involvement is key. Then leaders must make the opportunity to help new leaders emerge."

Q: What question do you want an adult to ask you?
“We get a lot of superficial questions about our major or career plans. But that doesn’t go very deep. We want you to ask us what we want to do in the world… how we want to change and positively impact the world. This is our passion. This we can talk about!"

Let’s take a lesson from our student leaders. As we move into this new, focused approach to Community Development across Ohio, let’s include our young people (leaders and “not-yet-leaders”) and bring their voice to our outreach efforts. It will make us stronger.  If you have questions or comments about this article, contact Brian at 937-440-3945 or raison.1@osu.edu

Economic Development Planning - A Regional Perspective

With funding help from the Economic Development Administration and guidance from colleagues from the Regional Centers for Rural Development (North Central and Southern Centers), we now have available to us a comprehensive curriculum to help communities strategically plan for economic development.

An overview of the curriculum, comprised of 5 stand-alone modules, was presented at last month’s NACDEP Annual Conference in San Diego.  Here is a summary:

1. Framework Module offers practitioners a framework for engaging in collaborative regional economic development.
2. Leadership Module provides guidance on how to engage and sustain the leadership required for effective regional development efforts.
3. Regional Advantage Module provides an overview of how to identify regional competitive advantage and supplementary tools and instructions on how to identify clusters by leveraging other EDA investments.
4. Strategies Module provides information on the most common strategies regional economies find effective for addressing challenges, and the Module Four case study offers more specific information about one particular strategy: linking workforce and economic development efforts.
5. Execution Module provides tools on how to implement and evaluate regional economic development initiatives.

Together, these modules offer practitioners concrete information and important insights that can be used to enhance EDA’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, as well as other federal planning documents required for state and federal funding eligibility.

You can view the entire curriculum package, including speaker's notes, worksheets, slide presentations, etc at http://www.wcuhome.org/kyr/

BR&E Train the Trainer Workshop - June 3, 2009

Local leaders are scrambling to maintain services amidst declining resources.  If you want to help them and your community weather this storm, plan to attend the Ohio Business Retention & Expansion Initiative Train the Trainer Workshop, on June 3 (114 Kottman Hall - OSU Campus).  A degree in business and/or economics is not required, nor is an economic development background.  The desire to teach others is all that is needed. 

We will begin at 9:15 am and conclude by 3:30 pm and teach you how to teach community leaders to engage in an ongoing dialogue with their businesses in order to stabilize and grow the employment base in any of the following sectors:  health care, agriculture (producers and suppliers), retail/service, tourism, and manufacturing, for example.

The day's agenda includes understanding:

1. the current philosophies of the program
2. the parts of the program that are web-based and how to access them
3. how to manipulate the data collection and analysis software, Survey Gold v 8.0  (learn more or download a free 30-day trial version at  http://ag.osu.edu/Redirect/surveygold.com )
4. the objectives and formats of the local training 'Workshops'
5. different BR&E membership 'levels', pricing structure, and potential costs that YOU can recover.

 There is no cost to attend, but the program is limited to the first 12 registrants.  To reserve a seat now, contact Greg Davis, 614-292-6356 or davis.1081@osu.edu

Save the Date! Ohio Land Use Conference scheduled for September 16, 2009

The date has been set for the 2009 Ohio Land Use Conference, hosted by OSU Extension. The conference will take place on September 16, 2009 at the Nationwide/Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center at OSU. The conference offers Extension Educators an opportunity to learn about land use issues in Ohio and interact with state and local officials, agency professionals, technical experts, academics and advocates. A final program and further information will be posted soon at http://www.aede.osu.edu/programs/aglaw/OhioLandUseConference.htm

Dates to Remember:

BR&E Train the Trainer Workshop - June 2, 2009, 114 Kottman Hall, 9:15 am - 3:30 pm

Community Development Society (CDS) Conference - July 26 - 29, 2009 - Memphis, TN

Jennifer McSweeney Land Use Conference 2009 - September 16, 2009 - Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, Columbus