Iowa State University Extension

Problem:
Brighton is a rural community in Washington County with a population of 614 and a poverty rate of 14%. The community faces a variety of issues which challenge them in becoming a more thriving community. How should the community best address these concerns and involve more community members in seeking solutions?

Response:
The Horizons project, sponsored by the Northwest Area Foundation and implemented in Iowa through Iowa State University Extension, provides an opportunity for communities to understand poverty, build stronger leaders to address economic issues, and find ways to implement change. The first phase of the project was study circles in which 32 Brighton residents completed 10 hours of community conversations. Participants created a vision of a thriving community, studied the problems, discussed solutions, and developed plans for action.

In the next phase of Horizons, 22 residents completed 30 hours of the LeadershipPlenty® series. According to the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, the curriculum focuses on “primary civic skills that enable graduates to confidently identify problems in their communities and implement a plan of action to combat those problems.” Topics included finding leaders within, identifying community assets, building strategic partnerships, valuing evaluation, and communicating for change.

Impact:
At the conclusion of the study circles, each group presented action ideas at a community forum. Primary issues identified included transportation for medical and everyday needs, food insecurity, home repair and maintenance for citizens in need of assistance, and increased community communication. Increasing community communication through an informational brochure was selected as the initial project. The brochure includes assistance and resources, community organizations, government, utilities, businesses, and other community information. This project will help address two of the three communication challenges of the community-- information about Brighton for newcomers and the dissemination of resource and assistance options for income-eligible residents. These brochures will be placed in various locations around Brighton and the surrounding area.

The community is exploring ways to address food insecurity issues, including opportunities to purchase food packages at a reduced cost. Plans are being made for a clean-up and home maintenance day. Discussions will occur regarding use of local transportation services to the community at reduced cost. Through the LeadershipPlenty® series, participants identified strategies to move from talk to action on the community issues identified through study circles as well as additional issues such as health care. Work groups developed program model plans by discussing the current situation as it applied to the various community issues. Plans included core values related to the issue, the vision, how to research and collect information, how to build relationships, prioritizing alliances, identification of resources, establishing interim goals to evaluate progress, and projecting obstacles including how to overcome them or how to revise the original plan. Continued action on these issues will continue through upcoming phases of Horizons.

Contact:
Phyllis Zalenski
Jones County Extension
605 E Main Street
Anamosa, IA 52205
319-462-2791
zalenski@iastate.edu