The Indicators Website

Horizons

Office of Community Partnerships

UI Extension Community Development

Community Driven Economic Development

Entrepreneur Training

Cultural Industries

Leadership Training

The Indicators Website
www.indicatorsnorthwest.org

The Indicators Website is a convenient source of information on counties, reservations, tribes and selected communities in Idaho and three other states. A joint project of the University of Idaho and Community Action Partnership, the website uses maps, graphs, and text to present the most recent data on population characteristics, the economy, health trends, and more. Contact Christy Dearien at indicators@uidaho.edu for more information.



Horizons
www.extension.uidaho.edu/horizons

University of Idaho Extension is partnering with the Northwest Area Foundation on Horizons, a new leadership program for selected small towns in Idaho. The goal of the Horizons program is to help small communities with high poverty rates create a promising future.  For more information, contact Priscilla Salant at psalant@uidaho.edu

UI Extension Community Development
http://cd.extension.uidaho.edu

UI Community Development programs work with communities to improve the
quality of life for residents throughout the state of Idaho

Office of Community Partnerships
http://www.uidaho.edu/communitypartnerships

The Office of Community Partnerships (OCP) is dedicated to supporting communities while providing hands-on learning opportunities for students and connecting university resources with local priorities. To connect with OCP, contact us at communitypartnerships@uidaho.edu.



Community Driven Economic Development (CDED)
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/commecondev/asam

A training program to enhance the capacity of local leaders to understand the changing socio-economic situations in which they have to make complex policy decisions. For more details, see CDED p1-3.pdf LINK TO COME. Contact Abelardo Rodriguez at Abelardo@uidaho.edu.

AERS community development Extension faculty, along with faculty from other departments and around the state from a Community Development Topic Team that collaborates to deliver community development programs across the state of Idaho. Find program descriptions and useful community and economic development resources at http://cd.extension.uidaho.edu/.

Entrepreneur Training
http://cd.extension.uidaho.edu/training/index.php

Open for Business: An Entrepreneurship Training Program
“Open for Business” is a small business training program structured as a mixed format series that can be offered in three-hour blocks once a week over a 4 – 6 week period or may be truncated to 10 hours over the course of a weekend.

The intention is to provide needed training and support to relatively isolated rural communities and clusters of communities, where many residents can’t travel to urban centers for training. To apply to have the series offered in your community, or to be added to a mailing list about future trainings, contact Lorie Higgins: higgins@uidaho.edu or 208-885-9717.



Cultural Industries
http://cd.extension.uidaho.edu/culturalindustries/index.php

Two Degrees Northwest Program

Where Art Meets the Land (2DNW) is a University of Idaho Extension pilot program intended to develop a strong regional economic sector comprised of cultural industries. Research indicates the arts and handmade goods can be central to a strong and vibrant place-based rural economy. Therefore, the projects of the Two Degrees Northwest Program involve supporting and creating opportunities for heritage, art and food-based economic development and cooperatively marketing the region’s arts and fine crafts along with other locally made products such as foods, wines, unique sites, services, and experiences.

Program Region Based in north central Idaho and southeastern Washington, and the places between 45 and 47 degrees latitude, the pilot region stretches from the Plummer/Worley area of northern Idaho south to Riggins. From east to west, it encompasses towns such as Uniontown, Colfax, and Palouse in southeastern Washington state and across to the Montana border. Projects Program activities include “Business of Art” classes such as Social Media and E-Commerce for artists, Photographing Art and Archival Matting and Framing; and a trail guide called Artisan Trails of North Central Idaho and Southeastern Washington. For more information: 2dnw.org



Leadership Training
http://cd.extension.uidaho.edu/leadership/index.php

Dr. Higgins and the University of Idaho Extension’s Community Development Team provides support to the Idaho Community Review. Lorie Higgins serves on the steering committee and conducts “listening sessions” as part of each review. Team members are providing follow-up facilitation and planning assistance so that communities participating in reviews are better able to implement recommendations.

The Idaho Community Review is a collaborative project of the Association of Idaho Cities, Idaho Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Rural Development, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, Idaho Housing & Finance Association, University of Idaho, Idaho Rural Partnership, and a host of other federal, state, local, and private organizations.

The goal of the community review is to efficiently and effectively provide the host community with objective information from external community development professionals, create a forum to express internal leadership viewpoints and citizen feedback, recommend resources, and provide follow-up as needed.

A visiting team of 12-15 community development professionals divides into three groups which tour the community and focus on areas identified by the community such as local economic development, infrastructure, housing, community design & identity, land use planning, education, transportation, communication, health care, natural resources, arts, historic, and recreation resources, seniors & youth, and civic life & community involvement.

The visiting team meets with community leaders, interviews and surveys citizens, and gives an oral presentation of observations, resources, and recommendations. A written report is subsequently sent to the community within a few months with detailed observations and expanding upon possible action items and resources.

Community development team followup work in these communities helps communities bolster their action plans to locally execute and complete community development strategies.