SRDC Strategic Plan
• Fostering CivicMinded Communities
• Building
Economically Vibrant
Communities
• Enhancing
Distressed
Communities
A Common Concern: Poverty in the South
Our Model: A Promising Solution
Horizons:
A community leadership program
aimed at reducing poverty in small
rural communities faced with economic
decline.
Project Partners
•
•
•
•
•
Southern Rural Development Center
Everyday Democracy
Farm Foundation
Kettering Foundation
State Teams
State Teams
Year One
Year Two
Selecting Locations
• Interested Extension educators
• Rural areas having an interest
• Individual poverty 20% or higher
in the county
Alabama’s
High Poverty Counties:
Rural and Micropolitan
20% or More Poverty
Selected
Sites
Georgia’s High Poverty Counties:
Rural and Micropolitan
20% or More Poverty
Louisiana’s
High Poverty Counties:
Rural and Micropolitan
20% or More Poverty
Mississippi’s
High Poverty Counties:
Rural and Micropolitan
20% or More Poverty
Selected
Sites
Oklahoma’s High Poverty Counties:
Rural and Micropolitan
20% or More Poverty
Purpose of the Project
• Explore the causes of poverty.
• Talk about possible solutions.
• Select strategies that fit the
community.
• Work together for change.
End product:
Citizens develop & implement a
Community-Based Action Plan.
Community Coach
• Oversees and supports the community
effort, from start to finish
• Assembles and organizes the Core
Planning Team
• Serves as an ambassador for the program
• Trains volunteer Study Circle facilitators
• Assembles and organizes the Action
Oversight Committee
• Assists Action Oversight Committee in
supporting the Action Teams
Core Planning Team
• Participates in trainings
• Practices talking through the Circles
guide
• Plans Community Circles
• Recruits community participants &
facilitators.
• Organizes a kick-off event to launch
Community Circles.
• Coordinates the Action Forum.
• Facilitates Community Action Plans.
How Community Circles
Work
• Made up of 8-12 people from different
backgrounds
• Meet together once a week for 5 weeks;
each meeting is two hours in duration
• Talk through a set of questions to guide
discussions
• Led by a neutral facilitator
The Key Phases of the Circles Process
Community
Circles
Plan for
Action
Action
Facilitator
Training
Kick
Off
Recruit
Participants and
Facilitators
Action
Forum
Work On
Actions
Community Change
Organize
Moving from Talk to Action
Action Oversight Committee
• Chairs of Action Teams
• Core Planning Team reps.
• Community Coach
• Others
•Coordinate Activities
•Help find resources
Action
Team
•Solve problems
•Communicate success
Action
Team
Action
Team
Sample Action Teams
Location
Action Teams
Tensas
Parish (LA)
• Opportunity Fair
• Farmer’s Market/ Music Festival
Neshoba
Co. (MS)
• Money Mentors Program
• Community Resource Guide
• Community Garden
Dallas Co.
(AL)
• Community Circles on Youth Violence
• Community Beautification & Pride
Learning about the Process
Local Citizens:
• Pre/Post Survey
Local Community:
• Key Informant Interviews
• Focus Groups
What We Are Hearing:
• Overall: People are ready to make
a difference.
• Barriers - Some people:
– Feel their voices are not heard or
valued.
– Do not know how to get involved.
– Are just waiting to be asked.
– Perceive leadership to be closed.
– Apathy – not sure how issues relate to
them personally.
How This Project Helps
• Fosters broad community involvement
– Everyone is welcome!
• Provides a clear process to help people
get involved in meaningful ways.
• Increases personal ownership to the
community and to the issue.
• Creates a community partnership in
which leadership and citizens join hands
in addressing community issues.
Timeline
Community Process
Research
April
March April
March
Dec. –
Feb.
April ongoing
Begin Community Plans
Post Survey
Follow-up Interviews
Conduct Action Forum
Conduct Study Circles
Launch Community Program – Kick-Off
Participant Pre-Survey
Training & Planning for Study Circles
Community interviews & focus groups
Dr. Bo Beaulieu
SRDC Director
ljb@srdc.msstate.edu
662-325-3207
srdc.msstate.edu/tide
Rachel Welborn
Program Manager
rachelw@srdc.msstate.edu