Kooskia, ID

The Events Planning Training class that took place at the Kooskia Community Center on Thursday, April 24th, was attended by people in many communities. Not only did we have people from Kooskia, Stites, and Kamiah, but we had someone come all the way from Troy! Carol Gibler did a wonderful job teaching a step-by-step method for planning events. She shared her skills and experience with the class and gave out some helpful handouts for everyone to take and use as they plan their own events.

The Blog training sponsored by Kooskia Horizons on April 18th at the Tech Center was attended by 5 local residents. One of them has already signed on as an author to this blog. We look forward to her blogs and encourage others to come aboard as well. Happy Blogging Carol!

The most valuable trait that I have gained through the Horizons program is the ability to ask others for input, assistance or opinion. Creating conversations can turn to action in no time. Learning to facilitate meetings and study circles will help me tremendously in my job as well. All the trainings that I have attended have a direct impact in my work too!

Participating in these programs and trainings has allowed me to make connections I may not of had otherwise and has help me accomplish more in a shorter time. Participating has been VERY enlightening too! I have learned how to work with city council, how to approach or how NOT to approach someone about possible change. I have learned through examples provided by others.

I feel Kooskia has gained many new leaders. The city council has two members who actively participate in the program and I feel that their participation will only help the city in its endeavors. Kooskia is really working on bringing more cottage industries to main street. There are many retiring shopkeepers looking to sell out and there is the potential for a thriving community if we can have cottage businesses in our little town. Upcoming entrepreneurial training, the 2 degrees Northwest Program, the economic survey of Kooskia and the partnership with the Kooskia Horizons and the Upper Clearwater Community Foundation are all steps our community have taken as a result of participation in the Horizons Program.

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the blogging class. I hear it was VERY helpful. However I did glean info from the handouts (which was clear enough to allow me to blog now). For me, blogging is not all that difficult. I realized that writing in “Code” is not for me, so I use the “Visual Editor” option in my profile settings. Blog writing is just a matter of MAKING the time to blog. It is a lot like writing a journal entry each day except instead of penning your thoughts on paper, you are doing so on the keyboard. I think the most painful part of blogging is actually setting up the site or becoming an authorized author. Once past that step, MAKING the time is the biggest challenge for me.

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Silver Valley, an Idaho Horizons community, stated that April was Child Abuse Awareness Month. This site also provides valuable information regarding Youth Suicide Prevention.

The sun is shining and it is a great day today!

Christine

What’s next in Horizons for your community? Are your Action Teams planning activities in the next 2 months? How do those activities relate to the 3 legs of Horizons: Poverty reduction, Leadership Development and Community Mobilization?

Kooskia Horizons plans to become an action team under the 501c3 Upper Clearwater Community Foundation aka UCCF. Website is UCCF.info/

We will continue with our current action teams. Economic Development/Tourism, and Youth, Education, Leadership (YEL) and Communications.

Current project for economic development include the Thursday Peoples Market slated to open in May where locals may set up a table and trade their goods or harvest items.

The YEL action team recently sponsored blog training. Later in May the Kooskia Horizons team will sponsor a three day entrepreneurial training that close to 40 people have enrolled.

We look forward to the exciting business ideas that will generate a new economy in our area! Our steering committee and action teams are VERY active in training our community in various ways. We are seeing new faces at these training which tells us we are generating new leaders. Even the school aged demographic is participating!

Our Economic Development team is working on poverty reduction by providing the platform of the Peoples Market. I am excited to see what the participation will be this spring and summer. The venue is free so we hope that people will think to shop locally before they take their dollars out of our community.

We thank all who are active in Horizons!

South Dakota has really neat info about chicken tractors see below or go to their blog site http://southdakota.communityblogs.us/

Below is the blog written by the South Dakota Team regarding Chicken Tractors.Chicken Tractors??? Who Knew! April 16th, 2008 by Cheryl Jacobs

How to build a chicken tractor

Have a great day! Christine

Congrats to Mountain Mama of Kendrick/Juliaetta, she’s our weekly winner! Even though she took me to task for forgetting about those of you in remote areas with only dial-up internet access… she persevered after many grueling hours on the scavenger hunt! I will definitely keep in mind your technology limits in the future…

MJ has created a ‘how to blog’ handbook that is now available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page… Thanks MJ!

Also, for those communities that may be looking for a little more training, please contact MJ at merijoz@uidaho.edu / 208-885-8949 to see how she can help you.

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 29 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:
• Looking back, what is one (or more) skill or leadership trait you have developed from participating in Horizons (maybe from Study Circles or LeadershipPlenty or from the hands on work going on in your communities right now)? How has participation in the program changed you? What about your community? Are there specific examples of things happening in your community that wouldn’t have happened without Horizons?
• Bonus reflective question: How has the blogging experienced affected you? (please edit any inappropriate language, hahaha trust me, I feel your pain!!)

Scavenger Hunt Question:
• Which of the Idaho Horizons community blogs has information about April being Child Abuse Awareness month? This website also provides information about Youth Suicide Prevention.

The winner will receive:

Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World: Building Your Resources for a Better Life by Philip E. DeVol
And

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson, et al

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 22 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:

• What’s next in Horizons for your community? Are your Action Teams planning activities in the next 2 months? How do those activities relate to the 3 legs of Horizons: Poverty reduction, Leadership Development and Community Mobilization?

Scavenger Hunt Question:

• Let’s broaden our scavenger hunt world a little… Of the other Horizons states, which one has interesting information about using Chicken Tractors to help maintain community gardens? Check out the link section of the Idaho Horizons Blog that lists the blog addresses for Montana, NorthDakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa Horizons. Feel free to explore and be inspired by other community groups just like yours!

This week’s winner will receive a copy of each of the following books:
The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler

Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World: Building Your Resources for a Better Life by Philip E. DeVol

Framing Our Community (FOC) is a nonprofit dedicated to reducing poverty and improving the quality of life in the communities of North Central Idaho.
To achieve this goal our rural communities need to build Community Capacity by strengthening leadership skills; an important component is the understanding of board responsibilities among our local nonprofit organizations and local governments.

Lynn Hoffman, Executive Director of the Idaho Nonprofit Development Center will conduct training on board roles and responsibilities, legal duties, and good board practices. All participants will come away with a good understanding of how an ethical board operates and what their individual responsibilities are to uphold it. Lynn will review 10 responsibilities of a board, discuss governance (board) roles vs. member roles, staff vs. board roles, board structure and tips and tricks for board effectiveness.

This lively training session will be held May 12, 2008, in the Spirit Center at the Monastery of St. Gertrude’s, 465 Keuterville Road, Cottonwood, Idaho. The morning session will begin at 10:00 am and end at 5:00 pm. We will share a delicious, home-cooked lunch with the sisters in the monastery dining room for a cost of $8.00. All other expenses for the facility and instructor are being funded by FOC’s Northwest Area Foundation “Great Strides Award.”

To reserve seats for your board members please RSVP Ellen at Framing Our Community by April 25th via telephone (208) 842-2939 or 842-2322, mail
(PO Box 321, Elk City Idaho 83525) or e-mail (ellen@framingourcommunity.org).

I just wanted to inform you of some upcoming trainings that will be taking place that might be beneficial to you!

Blog Training: April 18, 2008 from 2-5 p.m. at the Kooskia Technology Center. This would be beneficial to anyone who is going to do any type of blogging. The class is free, but space is limited, so if you would like to attend, reserve your spot at 926-7848.

Event Planning Workshop: April 24, 2008 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Kooskia City Hall.

View Shed presentation on the Scenic byway on April 22nd and 23rd at Kamiah Chamber and Kooskia City hall.

Board training: May 12, 2008 from 10-5 at Cottonwood St. Gertrude’s. Lunch will be $8.00. If you’re on the board of any organization this would be a great training to attend. You do need to register by calling Ellen at 842-2939.

Community Potluck in Kooskia at the park on May 17, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. There will be a presentation of 2 Degrees Northwest.

My words of wisdom and warnings go hand-in-hand. Make sure people understand, that when Horizons first starts and needs a steering committee, that it is at least an 18 month committment. It needs community members that will dedicate their time on a regular basis, and not just occasionally, otherwise you will have the same few people doing the work that many should be doing.
People should expect some changes in their community. Poverty awareness, and community needs due to poverty are some. As people progress through the stages of Horizons and its Leadership Plenty classes, they learn some leadership skills and some have even become active in local government and The Chamber of Commerce. As for changes in themselves, I find that I not only more willing to help with community projects, but more capable to lead them.
Question 2: That would be our home town of

KOOSKIA!!!

It’s great to have the youth involved!! After all, they are our future!!!

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 15 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:

• What words of wisdom would you give to a community just starting a program like Horizons?
• Words of warning?
• What kind of changes in their community and its leadership might they expect?
• What kind of changes in themselves might they expect?

Scavenger Hunt Question:

• Which community’s chamber of commerce recently met with high school youth to work together to involve more youth in the community?

This week’s winner will get to choose ONE of the following books:

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John Maxwell

Or

Leadership for the Common Good: Tackling Public Problems in a Shared-Power World by Barbara Crosby and John Bryson

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 8 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for a fabulous prize.

Reflective Questions: What does the phrase ‘living in poverty’ mean to you? How has your definition of ‘poverty’ changed in the past year? Does your community think differently about poverty now? How can you tell?

Scavenger Hunt Question: Which community (in partnership with ComBAT (Community Based Access to Technology)) will be having a FREE concert on April 23, 2008?

This week’s winner will get to choose ONE of the following books:

One Nation, Underprivileged, Why American Poverty Affects Us All / Mark Robert Rank

or

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community / Robert D. Putnam.