Many of you, as you visit communities across the country, are able to get a sense that some communities seem to have it all together. What is it that makes some communities successful, while others have a tough time getting people to pay attention to the challenges facing their communities?

Some new and exciting books, with such titles as Better Together (Putnam and Feldstein) or Smart Communities (by Suzanne Morse) offer a hint of what is needed. Communities that are better able to develop a solid plan for the future, that are committed to engaging all voices in the process, and that take steps to develop the new leaders of tomorrow, are the ones that are positioned to bring about positive changes in the years ahead.

This important regional training is designed to offer participants the skills and tools needed to strengthen and expand the involvement of local residents in the important challenges and opportunities facing their communities. An outstanding team of individuals, drawn from university, government, and the nonprofit sectors, will be serving as the workshop trainers. Most importantly, participants will have access to a cafeteria of educational products and resources that can be utilized to "expand the voices" in their communities of interest.

Some key highlights of the Workshop:

• Participants will be engaged in over two days of training utilizing the LeadershipPlenty curriculum, an exciting and innovative leadership development program produced by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change. Individuals taking part in this workshop will become certified LeadershipPlenty trainers. Two of the major architects of this curriculum, Suzanne Morse and Gwen Whiting, will be part of the team of trainers.
  
  Please Note: As a certified LeadershipPlenty trainer, you will be required to implement this program in at least 2 communities in your home state during the course of the next 6-8 months. Thus, workshop participation will be limited to those who are committed to following through on this requirement.
• Participants will be offered the opportunity to take part in one of two educational tracks beginning on Wednesday - the Public Decision Making Through Deliberative Forums track (led by Renee Daugherty and Sue Williams) or the Community-Based Planning track (presented by Gene Theodori). Both tracks will provide participants with a variety of educational resources that they can use to implement similar efforts in their respective states or communities.
• Participants who have produced educational resources that relate to the theme of this conference will be encouraged to showcase their products during the "Curriculum Share Fair" on Thursday evening. The share fair will offer you access to information on a host of educational resources and products that be used right now to support your community-based leadership development/civic engagement activities.