140 likes | 160 Views
Discover the strengths and assets of your community for long-term development. Learn how to identify gaps and leverage multiple ways to achieve goals through technology assessments. This comprehensive guide covers quick start assessments, community readiness, leadership team building, digital development evaluations, and more. Explore different types of assessments, from identifying needs and assets to examining technology use across various sectors. Learn the importance of ongoing assessments and effective communication with stakeholders. Start your journey towards empowering and connecting rural communities through this valuable resource.
E N D
Why Do Assessments? • “The long term development of a community rests on its ability to uncover and build on the strengths and assets of its people, institutions, and informational organizations.” (Beaulieu 2002) • Look for strengths, identify all the positive qualities of your community • Identify gaps • Help communities realize there may be multiple ways to achieve goals
Connecting Community Assessments • Quick start assessments • Community readiness • Capability • Individual • Organizational • Infrastructure
Community Readiness Assessment • Level of cooperation and collaboration • Potential leadership team members • Potential partner organizations • Existing digital development projects
Leadership Team Member Worksheet • Leaders (formal and non-formal) • Technology experts
Digital Development Assessments • Organization capability to use digital tools • Individual capability to use digital tools • Digital infrastructure • Internet • Organizational
Types of Assessments • What’s there??? First step is to agree what “connected community” means • Where are the gaps? • Needs assessment • Community assets (mapping) • Focus • Technology • Formal organizations • Individuals
Online Formal Informal Non-Profit Business Government Access to technology Capacity How is it being used? Health issues Economic conditions School success Family issues Early childhood development More choices • Secondary data • Primary data • Telephone or mail survey • Focus groups • Face-to-face interviews • Public forum
More choices • Business and Industry • K-12 • Healthcare • Libraries • Higher Education • Community-Based Organizations • Government • Tourism, Recreation and Parks • Agriculture
Two purposes • What’s available? Network, appliances • How it’s being used? In segments and across the community • Do we need to hire a consultant? • What do we know? • What do we still need to know? • How will we collect additional information? • Who and what will we ask? • Who will collect the data? • How will we compile & analyze the data? • How will we report our findings?
Guiding Principles • Partnership’s vision statement should guide the assessment • Assessment should focus on specific topics • Assessment is an ongoing process • Views the community from multiple perspectives • Takes an in-depth look at diversity within a community • Coordinator can facilitate information gathering by many participants
Successful Community Assessment • Understand the current situation first • Define a vision of the future • Allow questions to drive the assessment process • Address issues that stakeholders believe are important • Communicate information back to stakeholders
Now what? • Completing the assessment is only the beginning • An assessment is the means to achieve your vision
Southern Rural Development Center Connecting Rural Communitieswww.ConnectingCommunities.info Connecting Rural Communities