Project Overview
Turning the Tide on Poverty is a community development initiative sponsored by the Southern
Rural Development Center.
Why Is the SRDC Focusing On This Issue?
Poverty has been a major issue in the South for many decades. About 3 of every 4 high poverty
counties in the nation (those with 20% or more of the population living below the poverty line) are
currently located in the Southern region. High levels of poverty have important consequences on
the vitality of counties – including the quality of jobs, education, and local services, to name a few.
With the fiscal challenges facing our federal and state agencies, it is pretty clear that tackling
poverty will not be possible if we depend exclusively on government for the solutions and the
necessary resources. More and more, the innovative approaches to reducing poverty in our
counties and communities will rest on the ingenuity and active engagement of local people and
organizations. The “Turning the Tide on Poverty” represents an innovative and exciting program
that is intended to mobilize the talents of local people working together to reduce poverty and build
vibrant communities together.
How Does It Work?
This citizen-driven approach utilizes the Community Circles format in the initial stage of the project,
a process in which a group of local residents moves toward a shared understanding of the problem,
concerns, and possible solutions. Once this five week process is complete, the community meets
together in an Action Forum to explore possible solutions and to design its own course of action on
how to address poverty and improve community well-being.
What States Are Taking Part?
Five states piloted the project in 2009-10: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Oklahoma. For the 2011 cycle, seven other states have been invited to join the multi-state team.
These states are Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West
Virginia. Each state will have the opportunity to select 1-2 pilot sites in their states. Focusing on
rural counties with an individual poverty rate of 20% or more, these new teams will launch the
initiative in early 2011.
What Pilot States/Sites Will Do?
Guided by state and local Extension Service agents, pilot sites will be asked to move through the
following key steps:
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Identify a core team of community planning partners
Participate in a series of training steps to prepare for the community process
Plan for the Community Circle sessions
Launch the Community Circles
Organize the community Action Forum
Facilitate the work of Action Teams developed as a product of the Action Forum
Participate in the research and impact assessments
What’s the Project Timeline?
The timeline calls for community training and planning to take place in the early months of 2011 so
that communities can be ready to kick off their Community Circles in spring 2011. Community
Circles will continue through the end of April. The community-wide Action Forums will be planned
for late April. This will offer communities several weeks of time, prior to the summer season, to
begin organizing and taking action on some of the initiatives that the community outlined as part of
its Action Forum.
When Will the Project Officially End?
Pilot sites are slated to complete all of the training, Community Circles, and Action Forums by June
2011. From that point on, the community is in the driver’s seat in terms of developing and
implementing a timeline for taking action on the important items identified in the Action Forum. The
SRDC will continue to work hand-in-hand with state Extension partners and community teams,
supporting through ongoing coaching activities and documenting the impact of their activities on the
civic health of their communities. Of course, the SRDC hopes that local teams will be so energized
by the valuable work they are undertaking that they will pursue the action items they have
developed long after the “Turning the Tide on Poverty” project has formally been completed by the
SRDC.
Who are the Project Partners?
The SRDC has forged an important partnership with Everyday Democracy (formerly Study Circles),
the Farm Foundation, and the Kettering Foundation to pursue an applied research and capacitybuilding program that will work to empower local citizens to play an active role in community-based
deliberation and action.
Everyday Democracy has enthusiastically accepted our invitation to assist state teams in the
planning and training components of our project. Everyday Democracy has a solid record of
success in addressing poverty through this citizen-driven process and in working with Extension
service as community partners.
The Farm Foundation, a long time proponent of civic engagement, is funding SRDC’s Extension
outreach program, providing funding to ensure that each of the pilot states have the resources they
need to successfully carry out this effort in the pilot sites.
The Kettering Foundation is providing funds to help the SRDC and its state partners carefully
research the processes and outcomes associated with this pilot effort. By so doing, the SRDC can
evaluate the value of this program in advancing the civic health of target communities, as well as
determine the specific improvements that may be needed in the “Turning the Tide on Poverty”
program prior to pursuing its expansion to other states.