Montana Horizons Blogging Scavenger Hunt

April 21st, 2008 by mtadmin

Hello all community members, coaches and Horizons participants!

As the Horizons program draws to an end we have a few incentives to make sure you keep blogging. Starting April 22rd, (tomorrow) anyone who follows a few simple directions will have the chance to win amazing prizes.

Some of the prizes include:

  • Flashdrives
  • Sony Cybershot 7.2 megapixel digital camera and case
  • Sony 30 GB DCR-Digital Camera and Camcorder with case
  • 8 GB Ipod Nano
  • Epson Ultra High Definition copier, scanner and printer

Come on and join the fun! You could be a winner!

Montana Horizons Blogging Scavenger Hunt

It is Time to Register for Bozeman eCommerce Training!

April 17th, 2008 by mtadmin

Friendly reminder to all of you out there who did not get a chance to participate in the Sidney eCommerce training Workshop.

eCommerce Training will be coming to Bozeman later next month, and NOW is the time to register!

This workshop will be held on May 14th and 15th, and because this event was such a great success in Sidney we feel that it will gain overwhelming approval in Bozeman. We have many great individuals coming to speak, and the two-day event will be full of exciting ways to market your products, as well as yourself.

Come learn from the experts!

Eric Hawley: Associate Vice President of Technology at Utah State University. He is a member of severl technical and advisory boards in higher education and has presented at numerois eCommerse workshops in the west.

Lance Trebesch: is the CEO of Elk River Systems Corporation. He is responsible for all operation and functions of the company. Lance brings a successful 18 year track record of technology  and early stage experience.

Other speakers and guests include:

Doug McSpadden of Outdoor Gifts Works, Wlady Grochowski of La Chatelaine Chocolat Company, and Sharyn Anhalt of Kidstock!

Come join the eCommerce Training and see what it can do for you!

Kretzmann Workshop–a Huge Success!

April 10th, 2008 by mtadmin

Dr. John Kretzmann’s message was a success. With over 85 attendees at the seminar, he stressed the importance of focusing on “the half-full glass” when working with communities.

An article written on March 26th in the Bozeman Chronicle stated, “Kretzmann is often referred to as an optimist, [but] he prefers the term realist. “Both parts of the glass are always real and we need to know about both of them. [The realists job is to look] at both parts of the glass.”"

While, most of Kretzmann’s workshop focused on the need for developing asset-based community development, he also stressed the need for changing the community mindset. Bruce Smith, a Dawson County Extension Agent has been using asset-based community development to organize groups such as, Grow Montana and the Alternative Energy Reousrce Organization. He pointed out that for a long time he focused on the needs of his community, rather then it’s strengths. “There  are a lot of things to be depressed about, but you find what you look for,” he said. “If you look for all the negative things in a community, you’ll find them, but it works the other way too. When you look for good things, you find them.”

For copies of Dr. Kretzmann’s presentation email Jamie at jvowell@montana.edu.

Final Horizons Timeline & Agenda for Blogging

April 8th, 2008 by mtadmin

Horizons timeline and requirements

 Hello Fellow Community Bloggers!
I hope you are all enjoying the nice weather. As spring vastly approaches it is now time to start thinking about the final thresholds that need to be met to finish the Horizons program. You will find attached to this blog an article outlining the requirements that must be completed for blogging.

eCommerce Training-Western Style

March 25th, 2008 by mtadmin

cowboy bootGiddy up RURAL ENTREPRENEURS! If you are looking for a way to market and sale your products on-line…or you just wanna  learn a little more ’bout technology…eCommerce Training is the workshop for you! This two-day event will teach you how to sell yur  products and services online. In addition, you will also learn:

  • How to create a website
  • How to join an online chatroom, forum, or blog (heck you are on a blog right now)

Don’t forget! Everyone loves to be in the middle of the arena, so you’ll  also learn:

  • the do’s and don’ts’ of advertising
  • How to harness the power of marketing through email and pay-per-click
  • And, how to “brand” your product so everyone will know who you are!

Yes siree! This is gonna be one wild show. Don’t miss the opportunity to be involved. And, for all of you who love to travel through the Big Sky–two seperate workshops will be offered.

  • Sidney, Montana: Sidney Public Library on  April 2nd and 3rd
  • Bozeman, Montana: Montana State University EPS Building on May 14th and 15th. Hold tight tur yur boots for more information on the Bozeman workshop.

Ya’ll better saddle up yur horses, strap on yur boots…’cause this is gonna be one wild ride!!

For more information on this wild rodeo event call:

Jamie Vowell at 406-994-1754 or email jvowell@montana.edu

Building Strong Communities: Asset-based Strategies and Tools Workshop

March 13th, 2008 by mtadmin

 Don’t miss this opportunity to attend this one-day workshop, taught by Dr. John “Jody” Kretzmann!          

Jody Kretzman is the Co-Director of the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute at Northwestern University (Chicago, IL).  He has international recognition as an inspiring, straightforward, and wise advocate of strength-based approaches to building healthy local communities. He is also the author of Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets.  kretzmanworkshop-pdf.pdf

Come learn more about the six assets to discover and mobilize:

  • The skills and interests of individual residents
  • The Power of local voluntary associations
  • The resources of local institutions
  • The physical assets of the community (e.g. land, buildings, transportation)
  • The local economy
  • The community’s culture and stories

This workshop is co-sponsored by Hopa Mountain, Montana State University’s Horizons Program, MSU Leadership Institute, ASMSU and Opportunity Link. 

The cost of the workshop in Bozeman is $15, which includes lunch.  There is no charge for the Havre workshop. 

Dates

  • March 25, 2008, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Holiday Inn Bozeman, 5 E Baxter Ln, $15 Registration fee includes lunch
  • March 27, 2008, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Best Western Great Northern Inn Havre– No Charge in Havre 

For more information or to register, please call Hopa Mountain at (406) 586-2455 or email bsawyer@hopamountain.org.

Horizons Communities Participate in Rural Community Conference

March 13th, 2008 by mtadmin

The Rural Community Conference was a great success with over 150 individuals in attendance. Horizon Communities were very fortunate to have the opportunity to network with a wide array of individuals. Those in attendance, represented local businesses, policy-makers, education, and civic organizations. This state-wide event helped to provide the necessarily tools needed to helped build community-focused strategies to alleviate poverty.

Throughout the course of two days, individuals had the opportunity to participate in break-out sessions, panel discussions, and a Rural Community Share Fair. Events such as the Share Fair, helped to connect citizens with organizations that could provide grant opportunities, program ideas, and educational resources.

 Not only did the Rural Community Conference provide ample opportunities for networking, but many local and nationally-known speakers were in attendance to teach some of the practices that have worked well during their many years of community development. The speakers included:

  • John Allen: Director, Western Rural Development Center and Professor, Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology, Utah State University.
  • Jennifer Anderson: MSU Rosebud/Treasure County Extension Educator and Community Coordinator for Horizons in Forsyth, Montana.
  • Barbara Andreozzi: MSU Deer Lodge County Extension Educator and Community Coordinator for Horizons in Anaconda, Montana.
  • Cornelia Butler Flora: Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Agriculture and Life Sciences. Director, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Iowa State University.
  • Cathy Cooney: Program Director, Montana Community Foundation.
  • Jim Goodwin: Sr. Program Officer, Western Rural Development Center, Utah State University.
  • Daniel Kemmis: Board of Directors of the Northwest Area and Kettering Foundations, and the Missoula Redevelopment Agency; O’Connor Center Senior Fellow, is the former May of Missoula, and a former Speaker and Minority leader of the Montana House of Representatives.
  • Al Nygard: President and CEO of Al Nygard Consulting-Bismark, North Dakota.
  • Linda Reed: President/CEO-Montana Community Foundation.
  • Craig Schroeder: Sr. Associate, Center for Rural Entrepeneurship-Lincoln, Nebraska.
  • Patrick Scully: Deputy Director for the Study Ciricle Resource Center.

Overall, “[The conference] touched on a wide range of solutions in a variety of venues, highlighting best practices for community success, emphasizing proven strategies and introducing emerging idea.” Some of the most compelling insights from the Rural Community Conference came from the Horizons Communities. Speakers, such as Jennifer Anderson, of Forsyth and Barb Andreozzi, of Anaconda, spoke on the impact of  Horizons in their communities and the real work of networking, adopting, connecting and mobilizing to alleviate poverty.

Pioneering Healthier Communities (PHC) Project

December 10th, 2007 by mtadmin

YMCA of the USA launched a key component of Activate America http://www.ymca.net/activateamerica/ in July 2004 the Pioneering Healthier Communities (PHC) project. This community leadership initiative aims to:(1) raise the visibility of lifestyle health issues in the national policy debate, and;

(2) encourage and support local communities in developing more effective strategies to promote healthy lifestyles.

Since the launch, 46 communities have fielded teams to take on the challenge of improving the health of their communities and their residents.

The ‘Seven Patterns of a Healthy Community’ and more about the the Pioneering Healthier Communities (PHC) project is at:

http://www.ymca.net/activateamerica/activate_america_leadership.html#2

Helpful Tips Administering Roles for Community Blogs

November 15th, 2007 by edsypinski

Sign-up steps for creating user accounts for staff and

communities

(This is the same process for adding community users)

1. Have all the staff that will be involved in blogging or blog training or coaching

communities go to http://www.communityblogs.us and sign up for a user account.

Check the box “Just a username, please”. 

They will receive an email to verify the sign-in. They have to follow those directions within two days.They will then receive an email with their temporary password.

2. After staff has signed in, sign in with your DO account, go to the appropriate blog

(you have to be in the blog you are adding the people to—you can see in the

upper left corner) and go to the “Users” tab.

Go to the bottom of the screen (“Add User from Community”)

Type in their email

Select the appropriate Role

Click “Add user”

Repeat for everyone for that blog

Repeat for each community, assigning the appropriate coach.

Give the coaches the Administrative role for now and they can follow the

same procedure for signing up community members.

Assign the Editor role to the main community blogger.

Summary of Roles

Administrator - Somebody who has access to all the administration features

Editor - Somebody who can publish posts, manage posts as well as manage other

people’s posts, etc.

Author - Somebody who can publish and manage their own posts

Contributor - Somebody who can write and manage their posts but not publish

posts

Subscriber - Somebody who can read comments/comment/receive news letters,

etc.

Community Coaching & Action

November 15th, 2007 by edsypinski

overvi1.jpg

Many communities have completed their Community Visioning and are developing their Community Coaching and Action Plan.  To help facilitate this process, Attached is the Action & Coaching Budget Narrative Worksheet

This worksheet is due no later than December 31, 2007.

  

As you prepare your action plan, please consider partnering with other communities both Horizons and non-Horizons to plan events, trainings and other capacity building activities.  

More detailed information will be out in the following weeks that will highlight community training and capacity building activities that are sponsored by the Horizons office.  These activities will include

  1. Rural Community Conference, January 15-16 in
    Billings
  2. e-Commerce Training (2 days), Dates and Location TBA (Likely March or April)
  3. Real Colors Training – February 12-14,
    Bozeman
  4. Asset Based Community Development Workshop by John Kretzmann March 24 & 24 in
    Bozeman and Great Falls

Please consider how these opportunities will fit into your communities Vision implementation and allocate financial resources to participate.