Learned Approaches to Successful Community Change

Dave Ivan Michigan State University Norm Walzer, Northern Illinois University

Mark Peterson, University of Arkansas Paul Lachapelle, Montana State University

Mary Emery, Iowa State University

February 14, 2011

Learned Approaches to Successful Community Change

Agenda • Community change scholarship – Dave

• Our project findings – Norm

• First example: Breakthrough Solutions – Mark

• Second example: Horizons Program – Paul

• Stitching it together/Next Steps -- Mary

COMPLIMENTARY COMMUNITY CHANGE RESEARCH

Aspen Institute Voices in the Field III (2010)

http://www.aspeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/content/docs/pubs/VoicesIII_FINAL_0.pdf

Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement Approaches to measuring community change indicators (2010)

http://tamarackcommunity.ca/downloads/vc/Measuring_Community_Change.pdf

Voices in the Field III

Five Community Change Dimensions Associated with Success

1. Clarity about mission, desired outcomes and

operating principles; 2. Intentionality in action; 3. Assessing & building capacity; 4. Effective management of partnerships &

collaboration; 5. Learning and adapting along the way;

Approaches to measuring community change indicators

Vibrant Community measurement approaches reviewed contained the following common

themes:

• All included a variety of community indicators;

• All attempted to be holistic including both the needs of individuals and the needs of the community;

• Nearly all use standardized indicators rather than community specific or community chosen indicators;

Approaches to measuring community change indicators

A small number of the approaches identified used community specific data solely:

• Most used national statistical data and in some cases

augmented it with local community data;

• Less than half used subjective indicators (feelings, opinions, thoughts);

• Only a few approaches link across sectors for information;

• Only four approaches were grassroots;

Different approach to identifying learned approaches

• Group conversation of community change program organizers versus survey of programs;

• Results are “one slice” in identifying learned approaches;

• Inform further community change approaches;

Common Elements in Creative Strategies for Community Change

Norman Walzer

Presented to

Learned Approaches to Successful Community Change

February 14, 2011

Project Purposes and Design*

• Identify Innovative Practices Used in Community Change • Find Commonalities Among Successful Programs

– Strengths – Limitations

• Determine Transferability to Other Initiatives • Help Design New Initiatives for the Field • Experiment with Results in Alternative Settings • Foster Future Collaborate Research on Community Enhancement • Apply Knowledge Learned to Practice in the Field

* This project is funded by the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development and was administered by

participants from Michigan State, Purdue Center for Regional Development, Center for Governmental Studies (NIU), Iowa State University, and the Heartland Center for Leadership Development.

Programs Included in Discussions

• Community Visioning/Planning Initiatives – MAPPING the Future of Your Community (Illinois) – Breakthrough Solutions (Arkansas) – Strategic Doing (National Focus)

• Building Entrepreneurship – Community Progress Initiative (Wisconsin) – ExCEED (Missouri) – Kentucky Entrepreneurial Coaches Institute

• Community Capacity-Building – Montana Horizons – U-Lead (Minnesota)

– UWEC Center for Community/Econ Development (Wisconsin)

Major Program Phases

• Preparing Communities

• Program Content

• Delivery Approaches

• Follow-up and Continued Support

• Evaluation Efforts

Preparing Communities

• Educate Entire Community About Expectations

• Encourage Broad-based Participation

• Build Local Leadership Capacity Early

• Build & Encourage Networks Within Community

• Foster and Promote Local Buy-in and Investment

• Promote Ownership by Participants and Residents

• Support Leaders, Especially First-time Efforts

Program Content

• Offer High Quality Programs That Address Local Issues

• Know Differences Between Program, Process, and Product

• Include Theoretical Underpinnings for Credibility

• Base Program on Scholarship and Evidence

• Build on Successful Practices

• Incorporate New Paradigms and Thinking

• Use a “Break Through” Philosophy to Overcome Local Barriers

• Be Flexible and Adjust to Diverse Local Issues

• Make Program a Major Event in Community

Delivery Approaches

• Mobilize Community Assets Early in the Delivery

• Encourage and Reward Risk-Takers (Especially New Leaders)

• Provide Flexibility in Topics and Delivery Methods

• Build a Solid Identity for the Program

• Adhere to the Program Mission

• Use a Bold and Enjoyable Delivery Process

• Encourage Participants Not to Wait for “Permission to Act”

• Maintain an Effective Communication Process

Follow-Up and Continued Support

• Measure and Document Outcomes

• Provide Accountability Options

• Pick the Low-Hanging Fruit First

• Communicate Using Latest Technologies

• Deliver Persistent and Consistent Follow-Through

• Maintain a Focus on Longer-Term Issues

• Promote Sustainability and Resiliency

• Celebrate and Publicize Successes

Learning Points

• Community Readiness is Key

– Buy-in and Local Leaders Prepared

– Broad-based Participants

• Programs Must Incorporate Local Potential

• Have a Solid, Current, and Conceptual Basis

• Use a High Quality Innovative Delivery

– Challenge Participants to Find New Levels of Success

• Persistent Follow-Through Initiatives

Next Steps

• Presentation of Results – Call for Abstracts (> 50 Respondents)

– Special Issue of JCDS

– Webinars

– Possible Edited Book Length Manuscript

• Stimulate Discussion with Practitioners – Adjust Program Delivery

– Modify or Create New Program Based on Learning

• Expand Program Coverage – Include International Community

– Share Insights Gained in Program Delivery in New Settings

Program Contact Information

• MAPPING the Future: www.iira.org/outreach/mapping

• Breakthrough Solutions: www.vworks.org

• Strategic Doing: www.strategicdoing.net

• Community Progress Initiative: www.progressinitiative.com

• ExCEED: www.extension.missouri.edu/ceed

• Entrepreneurial Coaches Institute: www.uky.edu/Ag/CLD/KECI

• Montana Horizons: www.horizonsmt.org

• U-Lead: www.extension.umn.edu/u-lead

• UWEC Center for Comm/Econ Dev: www.uwex.edu/ces/cced

For Further Information, Contact

Norman Walzer

Senior Research Scholar

Center for Governmental Studies

Northern Illinois University 148 North Third Street

DeKalb, IL 60115 815-753-0933

nwalzer@niu.edu

Creating Vibrant, Sustainable Communities Through Breakthrough Solutions Learned Approaches to Successful

Community Change Webinar February 14, 2011

Dr. Mark Peterson, Professor

U of A Cooperative Extension Service

Three kinds of people

We Will Discuss….

• The nature of change

• Identify assets and how to leverage

them

• Present a model for creating

breakthroughs

• Share with you some incredible stories

How Does Change Happen?

• Incrementally or Major Changes – Breakthroughs?

• Thomas Kuhn – “The Structure of

Scientific Revolutions”

Creating Breakthroughs

Breakthrough – advance, discovery, innovation, a leap forward

Creating Breakthroughs

Breakthrough – advance, discovery, innovation, a leap forward

Breakthroughs:

- serve as catalysts

- change the rules for success

- do things that everyone knows cannot

be done

Breakthroughs: * Are all around us. * Have real and major impacts. * Almost always come from leveraging, connecting, or transforming assets.

Exercise Identify a breakthrough in your community, region, organization, or career Use the chat feature and send us all an e-mail with your breakthrough

Breakthroughs

• The four minute mile

• Turn low-income kids into academic stars – the Kipp School in Helena AR

• Rice in Arkansas - $898M annual revenue

• Revitalizing downtown Little Rock

• Private Sector - Dell, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart

Questions: What is working well in your community? What assets do you have and how can you leverage them? What would a breakthrough look like here?

Leveraging, Connecting, and Transforming Assets

• What can you do with: 1) Arts and Crafts 2) History and Stories 3) Solid Waste 4) Local Produce Growers 5) Streets, Sidewalks, Vacant Lots 6) A River 7) Watermelon

History and Stories

Solid Waste - Methane From a Landfill is Used for: * heating a community college * glass blowing * pottery kilns * tilapia ponds * greenhouses

Produce Growers - Local Foods * Fresher, often organic * Supports the local economy * Multiple channels – farmers’ markets, pick your own, community agriculture, fresh markets, community kitchens

Vacant Lot on N. Commerce

What It Could Look Like!

Hope Watermelon Festival

Breakthrough Solutions Model

Breakthroughs Require New Approaches

SWOT – half of your time is devoted

to the negative, and many community

leaders are SWOTTED out

SOAR – emphasizes the positive and

new opportunities; is fresh and

powerful

SOAR Results you can measure

Aspirations and visions

Opportunities for breakthroughs

Strengths and assets

Adapted from SOAR Thin Book

Key Drivers of Change

Forces or trends that are likely to directly impact your community’s

future

Eastern Downtown LR

Little Rock River Market

Little Rock River Market

Clinton Presidential Library

Little Rock River Market

“That’s essentially the process we went through, although we didn’t call it that.

One of our breakthroughs was taking

a diverse group to Portland, to see

their transit and light rail and other

developments.”

Jim Dailey, Former Mayor of Little Rock

Breakthrough News

mpeterson@uaex.edu

Learned Approaches to Successful Community Change:

The Montana Horizons Program

Paul Lachapelle

Assistant Professor Extension Community Development Specialist Department of Political Science

• Northwest Area Foundation

• Seven-state program

• 2004 to present

• 260+ communities

• Focus on supporting small communities build

capacity to address poverty

Key question:

“How do we build a prosperous community where everyone

has a chance to thrive?”

Study Circles©

Session 1: How are we Connected to Community and to Poverty?

Session 2: What does Poverty look like Here? Session 3: Why is there Poverty in our

Community? Session 4: Reaching our Vision and Reducing

Poverty Session 5: Moving to Action

www.Everyday-Democracy.org

LeadershipPlenty©

1. Finding Leaders Within 2. Identifying Community Assets 3. Managing Groups for Results 4. Making Meetings Work Better 5. Managing Conflict 6. Building Strategic Partnerships 7. Moving from Talk to Action 8. Valuing Evaluation 9. Communicating for Change www.pew-partnership.org

Community Visioning

1.

Where are we now?

Community Profiling

• Descriptive Info

• Community Values

2.

Where are we going?

Trends Analysis

• Trend info

• Probable Scenarios

3.

Where do we want to be?

Vision Statement

• Possible / Preferred Scenarios

•Community Vision

4.

How do we get there?

Action

Plan

• Goals / Actions/ Strategies

5.

Are we getting there?

Implement and Monitor

• Plan Execution

• Community Indicators / Benchmarks

Source: Ames, S. 1998. A Guide to Community Visioning. Portland: Oregon Chapter of Amer. Planning Assoc.

Community Action

• Plan Implementation

• Track progress

• Network – partnerships formed and grow

Horizons Community Blogs

Anaconda

Anaconda Community Foundation, raised over $70,000

Medical Transportation Group: taking

patients to treatment in Missoula, Butte, Billings

Home Fix-it Group: helping with home

repairs, fix-it workshops

Clean-up Committee: expanding town cleanup and addressing Superfund

Street Tree Project

Forsyth

Nature Trail Preservation & Development along Yellowstone

River

Community Information Board

Yard of Week Program

Elements that Contributed to Success

• Use of Community Coaches

• Ownership

• Flexibility

• Examples of community actions

• Use of technologies

Paul Lachapelle

Local Government Center

Department of Political Science

Wilson Hall 1-156 P.O. Box 172240

Montana State University Bozeman, MT 59717

http://www.msuextension.org/cd/

Tel: (406) 994-6694

Paul.lachapelle@montana.edu

Summary

• Communities find themselves facing intractable problems

– Budget crunches

– Decline of infrastructure/need to additional capacity

– Losing a place in the global economy

– Decentralization – responsible for more with less

• Therefore the question of how do communities proactively undertake change initiatives is more urgent than ever before.

Current Research Efforts

• Community Change informal CoP

• Aspen Institute

• Tamarack Institute

• SRDC leadership impact

• Ford Family foundation program evaluation

• Others…

Key learning

• One size does not fit all.

• How does this finding fit into current funding streams (research and program) demanding evidence based practice?

• Can we begin to assemble data to support evidence based strategies?

• How can this information be more accessible to policy makers?

What’s Next?

• Please give us your thoughts on factors that contribute to successful community change:

• http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5BTXN26

• Upcoming Webinars:

– Three approaches to community change:

• sometime in March

– Strategies for measuring community change

• Late March or early April