The latest cohort of the SoVT Get on Board program met for the final time as a group on November 8th at Main Street Arts in Saxton’s River, launching 14 local leaders from 11 towns who are leaving with a plan to make a difference in their communities.
Over 4 sessions from September – November, the group traveled around various community and government spaces in Southern Vermont, getting a full picture of the ways that Vermont’s local communities and government are sustained by volunteer participation.
The course kicked off at the Williamsville Hall in Newfane, with a conversation about the foundations of community development with community development scholar Matthew Hoffman and a presentation on best practices for locally led projects with Alyssa Johnson from Vermont Council on Rural Development. (Read more here.) In the second session, participants met at the Manchester Town Offices for a detailed overview of Vermont’s local government led by Vermont League of Cities and Towns’ Abby Friedman, followed by a panel discussion by local leaders who do the work firsthand. The third session, at the Old School Community Center in Wilmington, opened with a presentation by local nonprofit leader Sage Ruth that helped participants understand the role of the nonprofit board and its members, with some tips for best practices.The afternoon concluded with a discussion about inclusion that took into account how our experiences color our perception of situations, as a way to make room for the perspectives of others.
Finally, on November 8th, the group wrapped up by hearing from democracy scholar (and Putney Town Meeting Moderator) Meg Mott, who led a conversation about how local issues can unite, rather than divide, communities. At the conclusion of the course, each member of the group worked with a partner to make a concrete plan to deepen their impact in their community.
In exit surveys, one participant remarked that ‘every state needs a program like this!’ Both long-time Vermont residents and newcomers (which made up a majority of the group) praised the course for providing an in-depth look at the complexity of local government, while also providing a holistic look at the many ways citizens participate in leadership. As one participant put it, “Demystifying local VT community governance was a priceless takeaway from a new Vermonter perspective!”
The participants plan to apply their learning through direct civic engagement, whether joining boards and committees, supporting or launching community projects, improving communication with local officials and citizens, or enhancing municipal processes using insights from the course.
If you are interested in learning more about the program, or joining the next cohort (tentatively planned for September 2026), reach out to BDCC’s Southern Vermont Economy Project program manager Meg Staloff at mstaloff@brattleborodevelopment.com .
About Southern Vermont Economy Project (SVEP)
Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation’s Southern Vermont Economy Project provides training and technical assistance to increase local capacity, skills, and resources in the Southern Vermont Economic Development Zone (encompassing Bennington and Windham counties, and the town of Weston) in order to advance local projects critical to Southern Vermont achieving regional community, economic, and workforce development goals. SVEP is funded in part through the USDA Rural Community Development Initiative.
