SoVT Get on Board participants from across Southern VT gathered to talk about their communities’ strengths and opportunities.
Vermont communities need volunteers to fill local government positions and spearhead vital community projects. To be effective, those volunteers need resources, support, and training.
These facts are the driving force behind the “SoVT Get on Board” course, produced by Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation’s Southern Vermont Economy Project.
Fifteen attendees from across Windham and Bennington counties gathered at the Williamsville Hall on Saturday, September 20, for the first in-person session of this year’s course. From fundamental principles of community development to best practices for community-led projects, the group left armed with concepts and tools to help them envision and carry out successful projects in their own communities.
The morning opened with a discussion about what made the participants’ communities great, and what things might make them even better. Across the board, there was praise for the community spirit and existing institutions in communities, but a need for more coordination, communication, and places to meet neighbors, as well as a need for more participation, were common needs spanning the region, in communities from Westminster to Pownal, and many in between.
This led perfectly into a presentation by Matthew Hoffman (a 2023 SoVT Get on Board alum, longtime community development professional, and Landmark College sociology professor). Matthew drew on history, research in the field of community development, and his international work to help the group think through a definition of community development as “helping people in a community achieve a higher quality of life.”
Many studies show that a dense network of connections that support cooperation is the “secret sauce” for successful community development efforts. While funding and governmental systems that can support communities help, the most important pre-condition for community development is trust based on repeated connections that lead to norms of reciprocity (i.e.; I will contribute to my community because I trust that others will, too).
After lunch (from the local Newfane Store), Alyssa Johnson of the Vermont Council on Rural Development led a workshop on community-led projects. Alyssa presented some case studies of successful community projects in Vermont, and talked about some best practices for community leaders to employ, no matter their project. Many of these ideas are laid out in Community Leadership in Action, a VCRD publication that is available to all at https://www.vtrural.org/guide/ (note that an updated edition will be available next year).
Upcoming workshops will feature the expertise of state-wide organizations, including Vermont League of Cities and Towns, and equip class participants with tools to help them become successful leaders in their community via local government, nonprofit boards, or more informal groups leading community projects. Most importantly, they will leave with connections to other local leaders from across Southern Vermont who can offer mutual support along the way.
About the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation:
The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) is a private, nonprofit economic development organization with the mission of investing in the drivers of the regional economy so that people, businesses, and communities in Southern Vermont can thrive. BDCC serves as the State of Vermont’s certified Regional Development Corporation (RDC) for the greater Windham County area (including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, Winhall and Weston). BDCC is one of 12 RDCs throughout Vermont. BDCC activity is made possible in part by a grant from the State of Vermont through the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. For more information visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/
About the Southern Vermont Economy Project (SVEP):
The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation’s Southern Vermont Economy Project provides training and technical assistance to increase local capacity, skills, and resources in order to advance local projects critical to Southern Vermont achieving community, economic, and workforce development goals. SVEP is funded through the USDA Rural Community VDevelopment Initiative. For more information please visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/svep/
