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Is Your Community “Empowered” Yet?

Is Your Community “Empowered” Yet?. Looking Ahead to Graduation. The Community Empowerment Program is different from other programs . . . It’s More Than Just About . . . Creating jobs Building new facilities Offering better services Improving citizens’ lives. It’s about . . .

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Is Your Community “Empowered” Yet?

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  1. Is Your Community “Empowered” Yet? Looking Ahead to Graduation

  2. The Community Empowerment Program is different from other programs . . .

  3. It’s More Than Just About . . . • Creating jobs • Building new facilities • Offering better services • Improving citizens’ lives

  4. It’s about . . . Empowerment!

  5. Empowerment is About . . . • Building the capacity to keep your progress going • Never again being caught in despair • Climbing the “Empowerment Staircase” • Graduating at the end of 10 years

  6. To Graduate, You Must Pass All the Tests But How Can You Know What Your Grade Is?

  7. You Can Count the Number of . . . • Jobs created or saved • Small business loans awarded • Health clinics opened • Water treatment plants constructed • New homeowners • Youth enrolled in programs

  8. But How Do You CountEmpowerment?

  9. And, Where Does Your Community Stand Now?

  10. The Empowerment Staircase Empowerment is a process, like climbing stairs

  11. First Steps 5. Converting vision intoworkplan 4. Creating soundstrategies 3. Finding partners 2. Building broad participation 1. Building a solidfoundation

  12. Next Steps 10. Achievingsustainable development 9.Adaptingstrategic plans 8. Building community capacity 7. Creating successes 6. Finding resources

  13. Where Should Your Community Be Now? • Progress is individual to each community • Round I – at 6-year point • Round II – at 2-year point

  14. Where is That on the Staircase? Sustainability Adapting Years 7-10: Building Sustainability Capacity Successes Resources Workplan Years 4-6: Working Your Plan Strategies Partners Participation Years 1-3: Startup Foundation

  15. How Do You Know Where Your Community Should Be? A checklist for community empowerment

  16. 1. Building the Foundation • Focus shifts from “problems” to “opportunities” • Citizens talk about “vision” • Little whining about “lack of money” • Enthusiasm is widespread • Cooperation, not finger pointing

  17. 2. Building Community-wide Participation • No single leader • Unfamiliar people are involved • Uncomfortable issues are addressed • Disagreements are viewed as healthy • There are no “outsiders” • Everyone has a useful role to play

  18. 3. Finding Partners • Organizations offer resources • Cooperation replaces competition • Credit is freely shared • Work is shared among groups • No single group “sets the terms” • Nobody has to “show how it’s done”

  19. 4. Creating Sound Strategies • Citizens talk about strategies, not projects • Every project is part of a larger strategy • Projects rejected when they don’t fit the plan • Funding turned down when it doesn’t fit the plan • Projects are linked to achieve goals

  20. 5. Turning Vision into Workplan • Strategic plan is specific • Each goal has benchmarks • Projects changed when benchmark targets not met • Citizens know benchmarks and monitor progress • Responsibility and resources clearly assigned • Leaders held accountable when targets not met

  21. 6. Finding the Right Resources • Most projects use multiple funding sources • EZ/EC dollars are mostly seed money • Leveraging ratio is more than 10:1 • Non-dollar resources are counted • Volunteers widely used • Creative means to tap local resources used

  22. 7. Creating Successes • Community often celebrates successes • Community reports something good each month • Average citizens can name at least one success • Community has “stories” to tell about its work • Community has new heros and champions • Benchmarks used to keep score publicly

  23. 8. Building Community Capacity • Community actively seeks new leaders • Regular training is provided • Senior leaders mentor rising stars • Multiple organizations proudly share the community’s work • Lessons from failures are used in training

  24. 9. Adapting Strategic Plans • Two or more meetings a year to review successes and modify plans • At least one idea borrowed from outside • At least one “sacred cow” has been killed • At least one major strategy changed

  25. 10. Achieving Sustainability • Projects self-financed or need no bailout • Strategies fit community’s vision • Environment an asset, not to “use up” • Leadership transitions are smooth • New participants come in regularly • USDA support no longer necessary

  26. What to Do Now? • Take a really hard look at your community • Are you where you want to be? • When graduation comes, will you be ready? • What do you need to do about it?

  27. Is your community empowered?What must you do to prepare for graduation?How can USDA help you?

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