Training Activities

Extension specialists are more and more frequently called upon to support the efforts of voluntary and nonprofit organizations. But where do Extension professionals turn for assistance?

Course Objective: This training course will provide educational resources that deal with the current environment facing our nonprofit and voluntary organization boards.

Course Outline: Specific features of the training include nonprofit organization board of yesterday and tomorrow; getting everyone on the same page; staying out of trouble inside and outside the organization; increasing standards and accountability among board members; positioning your organization to gain support in the community; increasing risk management awareness while improving service.

Date: July 25-26, 2002
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Website: http://srdc.msstate.edu/nonprofit/july.htm

If you are interested in expanding community development skills to state, multicounty or county Extension educators in your state, and are looking for a solid set of educational resources to use in the delivery of an introductory program on community development, then you’ll want to attend this year’s Southern Region Community Development Institute (CDI).

Course Objective: The 2002 CDI program is designed to operate as a “train-the-trainer” workshop. It covers many of the key components associated with community development work. As such, the course is designed to equip state teams with the skills and resources needed to initiate a CDI training program in their own states.

Course Outline: Participants are provided an excellent overview of the major components of a strong community development program. It explores the social dimension of the community (such as local institutions, leadership structure, uncovering community assets, civic engagement and dealing with conflict), its economic complexion (such as economic development options, business retention and expansion strategies), and the community’s service infrastructure (such as health clinics/hospitals, adult day care facility, solid waste and rural transportation). This course serves as an excellent foundation for the more specialized training programs being offered by SRDC.

Date: Sept. 23-27, 2002
Location: Talladega, Alabama
Website: http://srdc.msstate.edu/02cdi/agenda.htm

Studies have shown that between 40 and 90 percent of all new job creation comes from existing businesses. Learning to build on the business/industrial base of a community is a valuable tool.

Course Objective: To provide state specialists and county Extension agents with the indepth training necessary to implement a local economic development program focused on the retention and expansion of existing businesses. Specific emphasis will be placed on the use of volunteers to visit existing businesses and administer a survey designed to solicit input about the local community, business climate, availability of qualified labor and the need for additional
training and technical assistance.

Course Outline: This course teaches participants how to lead a community business visitation
program. At the conclusion of the course, participants will be able to understand how an economy works and where a business retention and expansion (BRE) program “fits” in a local economic development strategy; identify local leaders to serve on a leadership team and advisory task force, write a plan of work to implement and guide the program, identify and resolve issues of immediate concern to local businesses and develop a strategic implementation plan.

Date: October 28-30, 2002
Location: Biloxi, Mississippi
Website: http://srdc.msstate.edu/02bre

Extension professionals are increasingly being asked questions about health systems and
their role in the community. In the complex world of healthcare, providing answers isn’t
always an easy task.

Course Objective: This training is designed to provide Extension professionals with a unique opportunity to participate in an intensive state-of-theart health training program. It is designed to give participants an increased understanding of health systems, Extension’s role in health, and tools and strategies for working with individual, family and community health issues.

Course Outline: Specific topics include organization of a health system; the language of health; vital statistics/community health assessment; facilitation and skillbuilding for local decisionmakers; helping decisionmakers maintain primary care services in rural communities; and designing effective health education programs.

Date: November 4-8, 2002
Location: Talladega, Alabama
Website: http://srdc.msstate.edu/02health

With an eye toward an everchanging business environment, entrepreneurs will be on the lookout for opportunities to expand their operations — many times through value-added products.

Course Objective: To prepare Extension faculty to develop and implement an economic development program based on entrepreneurship for businesses focusing on value-added agricultural products. These products are broadly defined and may include (but certainly not be limited to) food processing firms, primary, secondary, and tertiary producers of forest products, agri-tourism firms and more.

Course Outline: This course is designed to be an in-depth examination of the factors critical
in developing value-added projects. Specific topics that will be discussed include developing
a business plan; developing a marketing feasibility study for a new product and/or new organization including instruction on conducting marketing research; developing a marketing plan including advertising alternatives; developing technical feasibility analysis and operational plan; developing a management plan and/or management analysis; and financial feasibility analysis for a new product.

Date: December 3-5, 2002
Location: Franklin (Nashville), Tennessee
Website: http://srdc.msstate.edu/02value

Communities often experience significant changes in the local economic base. A first step in responding to change is understanding the magnitude of the change. Change can be represented by a new business moving to the community, increased tourism activity or in-migrating retirees.

Course Objective: Economic impact analysis offers an approach to quantify the impacts of these types of change on the local economy. Often local leaders may also desire to estimate the impacts of existing business or industry. For example, what are the economic impacts of local manufacturing firms or the local health care sectors? Again, impact assessment provides methodologies for measurement.

Course Outline: This training session will provide an overview of economic impact analysis and provide case studies. Specific topics addressed will include economic analysis versus fiscal impact analysis; what is the multiplier; using impact analysis in Extension programming; measuring economic impacts of the health care sector; IMPLAN — a tool for analysis; and using IMPLAN for target industry analysis.

Date: Feb. 25-27, 2003
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Website: http://srdc.msstate.edu/03econimpact/

Do you want to stimulate the development of rural tourism in ways that will substantially benefit both the quality of life of individual rural families and improve the economic stability for rural communities?

Course Objective: Key concepts include significance of rural tourism, planning and managing rural tourism, rural tourism business opportunities, marketing and economics of tourism. Heritage tourism and ecotourism, two major components of rural tourism, are explored in specific case studies or practical examples for application.

Course Outline: Case studies in this course focus on a rural county in northeastern North Carolina. This county once depended upon agriculture for survival but today is witnessing the daily struggle of farmers and rural communities to maintain economic stability and their quality of life. Its poverty ranking is fourth out of 100 counties. Ranked 20th in unemployment, this county is still proud of its heritage, both its cultural and natural resources. Course participants will learn to apply course concepts to their unique situation in their state or county.

Date and Location: This program will be offered as a web-based course in the spring of 2003, with classes lasting about 3 hours per week for 10-12 weeks.

The Southern United States is facing great challenges involving land use and growth management. With rapid economic and population growth have come the challenges of suburbanization and urban sprawl. Rural communities are searching for answers to these challenges such as planning and zoning. At the same time, landowners are worried about their ability to use private property.

Course Objective: To provide state specialists and county agents with awareness of current issues and tools for addressing educational programming for smart growth in the rural South. Emphasis will be on developing a foundation for the navigation of land use issues in communities along with tools to assist communities in the search for a balance between public and private interests.

Course Outline: Participants will have a solid foundation in the land use issues including: 1) what is "smart growth," 2) legal basis for land use planning, 3) multi-modal transportation planning, 4) downtown revitalization concepts, 5) farmland and open space preservation strategies, and 6) local government finances and land use.

Date: May 13-14, 2003
Location: Lexington, Kentucky
Website: http://srdc.msstate.edu/smartgrowth

Date:May 16-20, 2005
Location:Oklahoma City, Oklahoma