Community organizations play a vital role in a community's quality of life. Many organizations must count on volunteers to provide core services (Clary, Snyder & Ridge, 1992). Over the years, the volunteer rate has declined in West Virginia (Volunteering in America, 2010). The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that influence individuals holding volunteer leadership roles in communities. The population for the study was 577 members of the West Virginia Regional Planning and Development Council and the West Virginia Economic Development Council. The participants
Farmers markets provide social and economic benefits to farmers and communities. In West Virginia, local food, farm, and community development organizations are collaborating to strengthen local food networks. In this reflective essay we discuss the development and execution of a statewide pilot training program for market managers and volunteer leaders and provide results from first year evaluations. Launched in 2012, the West Virginia Farmers Market Training Network Pilot Program (FMTNPP) was designed to address the needs of 10 markets in various stages of development across the state. Originally envisioned as a direct technical assistance model, the program organizers rapidly recognized the benefits of peerto-peer learning and shifted its focus to a hybrid model that embraced both expert and practitioner knowledge. Today, the program emphasizes shared knowledge creation and problem solving, along with strong networking and data collection components. We believe the lessons and strategies learned during the program's implementation will be valuable for food system organizers and service providers trying to encourage the growth and sustainability of small, rural farmers markets.
Extension finds itself in a cultural phenomenon known as disruptive change. Clientele increasingly access products and services digitally and in real time. This digital revolution challenges historical methods that have served Extension for over 100 years. Extension's response going forward may stem or even reverse current organizational decline. The Joint Council of Extension Professionals responded to member feedback in 2017 by hosting a virtual town hall meeting (VTHM), initiating a national conversation on innovation and change. The VTHM produced provocative discussions regarding the potential use of digital tools to increase Extension's relevance and value. In this commentary, we reflect on the implications of those discussions.
A long-term impact study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Community First Impressions Program. Thirty-two (32) targeted communities located in West Virginia and Pennsylvania were surveyed; 18 (56%) responses were obtained. The majority of communities reported the program led to positive changes in community and economic development. Impacts were realized beyond program recommendations as communities self-evaluated, built new networks, and sought additional resources for community-driven development. Government leader turnover and lack of funding and citizen initiative were cited as challenges. The findings have implications for community capacity building, specifically leadership development, resource development, and engaged citizen's strategies.
Extension educators provide resources to community coalitions. The study reported here adds to what is known about community coalitions and applies an assessment framework to a state-level coalition-based Extension program on healthy relationships and marriages. The study combines the Internal Coalition Outcome Hierarchy (ICOH) framework with four coalition capacity categories: general, internal, external, and prevention. The findings from two focus groups, one with formation coalition leaders and one with midlevel coalition leaders, are presented. Recommendations are made for designing educational, service, and evaluation interventions to meet the needs of community coalitions at specific developmental stages.
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